Pain Behind Knee Due To Arthritis

A discomforting sensation or soreness behind the knee joint usually occurs when you have pain behind the knee. Which can be severe enough to limit the movement of our knees. People may describe behind knee pain as discomfort, inflammation, increased warmth, or burning.

However, treatment of knee pain depends on the underlying cause. Most causes respond well to physical therapy or knee support.

What causes pain behind the knee?

Pain behind the knee can be simple or difficult to diagnose, depending upon the cause. However, one of the most common causes includes different forms of arthritis:

Different forms of Arthritis:

Arthritis is the generic name given to diseases that affect the joint. It can cause pain anywhere in the knee joint, including the back. However, Knee pain is mostly associated with osteoarthritis, the type that is related to aging. It can also occur with rheumatoid arthritis, but it will occur in both knees at once.

Also, Gout is a type of arthritis that first attacks the big toe, but later attacks may strike the knees. Septic or infectious arthritis is caused by an infection that lodges in a joint, usually a knee.

What Does Arthritis in the Knee Feel Like?

If you battle morning stiffness in your knee for longer than an hour, it’s an indicator that you could have inflammatory arthritis instead of osteoarthritis in your knee. However, The pain is worse in the morning because it’s triggered by immobility.

The pain of inflammatory arthritis comes from stiffness, whereas people with osteoarthritis describe sharp pains as a symptom. However, knee support may help eliminate these symptoms.

How Does Knee Support Help Arthritis?

The goal of Knee Support for arthritis patients is to provide support for the knee, Also, to decrease the pain, and improve function.

However, Braces may allow people to feel more comfortable exercising, and there is evidence that exercises and strengthening help to treat the symptoms of knee arthritis. Although people with rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory types that affect the knee have symptoms of pain, swelling, or muscle weakness. which causes the impaired function of the leg.

So, In this condition braces provide stability and manage the pain and associated swelling by supporting the soft tissues around the knee.

Different Kinds of Knee Supports for Pain Behind Knee:

The choices of knee braces may vary according to the condition of the patient. However, Four main types include:

Knee sleeves:

This type of brace works by providing compression to the soft tissue around the joint and may improve proprioception.

However, They are lighter than some with more wrap and brace but have gentle support and firm compression.

Functional knee braces:

They have hinges to provide additional stability. These braces should be considered adjunctive treatment to a physical therapy program to strengthen quadriceps muscles to improve balance.

However, Some patients with arthritis also find this type of brace more supportive than a compressive knee sleeve.

Patellofemoral braces:

These are designed to treat patellofemoral instability and arthritis. These braces are typically smaller and have pads around the kneecap to prevent lateral subluxation.

Unloader knee braces:

The most effective brace for arthritis is the unloader-style brace. They work best on thinner people with arthritis on only one side of the knee.

How to Choose the Right Knee Support for Pain Behind Knee?

The type of brace that will work best for you depends on where your arthritis is located in your knee, how bad your arthritis is.

Compression sleeves, for example, might work to treat swelling; unloader braces work to shift the load from one part of the knee to another. Your doctor or physical therapist can help you decide which brace best meets your needs.

For example, Women’s thighs tend to be heavier than men’s, and braces are not always designed to fit women’s bodies well. However, If you’re uncomfortable in your knee brace, it defeats the purpose.

Dos and Don’ts for Using Knee supports for Pain Behind Knee due to Arthritis:

Here are some tips on using a knee brace from the health care professionals we spoke to and patients we heard from:

The knee brace shouldn’t be too loose or too snug.
Keep your brace clean, especially in hot weather.
Don’t have anything between the brace and you.
Ask your doctor or PT to check your fit.
More expensive doesn’t necessarily mean better.
If the brace doesn’t work for you, stop wearing it.
Consider your leg as a whole.

What Age Does Knee Arthritis Strike?

It’s possible to develop knee arthritis at any age. However, Knee Arthritis most commonly occurs in people over age 40. It’s most often caused by wear and tears in our knee joints. As a result, the cartilage that cushions your knee begins to break down.

Certain types of inflammatory arthritis, in contrast, are more likely to develop earlier in life. Ankylosing spondylitis frequently develops between ages 20 and 40, while the age of onset of psoriatic arthritis is usually between 30 and 50.

What Are the Other Treatments for Pain Behind Knee?

Some of the most common treatments include:

Medication:

Over-the-counter medications may help ease your pain. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs help with both discomfort and inflammation. You may know these medications ibuprofen and naproxen. However, there are also other OTC pain-relief methods available, including creams and gels which can help Pain behind knee.

Injections:

If medication doesn’t help your knee, steroid injections may be a good next step for managing knee joint pain, or your doctor might suggest hyaluronic injections, which provide some of the cushioning lost by cartilage breakdown in your knee joint.

Exercises or physical therapy:

For Knee pain patients, exercise is a key component of treatment, particularly if you’re overweight or obese.

Physical therapy may be a necessary first step for some to strengthen the muscles surrounding your knee joint and improve range of motion. Low-impact exercises — walking, cycling, or swimming — are usually best for those with arthritis of the knee.

It’s also a good idea to talk to your doctor about how to get more rest since many people with arthritis experience sleep disturbances that studies suggest can lead to pain, depression, and greater disability.

However, Simply practicing good sleep hygiene — sticking to a regular bedtime, keeping your bedroom quiet and dark, exercising during the day, etc. — can help in many cases.