Arthritis of the Knee

One of the most common causes of knee pain is due to arthritis of the knee, a condition that is attributed to the degeneration of the knee joint, inflammation of the knee joint, or infection of the knee joint.  All three conditions signal arthritis of the knee, and are generally a condition that is never cured.

In order to better understand the arthritis condition, you must understand the causes and contributory elements that lead to arthritis.  Quite often, the dietary components of our daily life are the biggest contributors to the onset of arthritis; when you add to that the daily stresses and strains that we place on our bodies through the normal course of living life, arthritis may develop into a very real debilitating condition.

When you speak of arthritis of the knee, you are speaking of three different possible arthritic conditions:

Osteoarthritis

Degeneration of the knee joint is known as osteoarthritis and this is the most common form of arthritis of the knee.  Osteoarthritis develops much the same as degeneration of other bones and bone marrow throughout the body.  Age, poor diet, and a genetic disposition are the primary contributors to the osteoarthritis condition.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis of the knee is an inflammation of the joints.  Rheumatoid can become a very disabling condition, as the inflammation can work to disfigure the joints in many areas of the body; if the knee is severely affected, knee surgery is currently the only option for relief.  There are prescription arthritis medicines that can control the inflammation; however they often work to the detriment of other organs in the body.

Septic Arthritis

The other most common arthritis of the knee is known as septic arthritis, and this is an infection of the joint.  Of all the arthritic conditions, this is the only one that can be directly attributed to an infectious cause.  Prescription medicines are used to treat septic arthritis with some success; a much higher success rate exists for septic arthritis than for the other common forms of arthritis, especially the arthritis that affects the knee joints.

Of all the common causes of knee pain, arthritis of the knee is the most common, and often a co-condition that is creating the knee pain.  Currently, the best treatments are often homoeopathic in nature, and not supported by the American Medical Society.  Arthritis of the knee, and other arthritic ailments still have a long way to go before medicine reaches a viable cure.