Symptoms of knee osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis can have different symptoms. Some experience fluid on the knee, when an irritation arises, or a kind of inflammation, if you will. In this regard, an excess of synovial fluid is created in the knee joint. The extra fluid can make the knee look swollen. Irritation or inflammation may also make the knee feel warm. One can clearly feel the difference when comparing it to the other knee.

You will also often have knee pain. It is not know for sure why osteoarthritis is painful. It may have several causes. The damaged cartilage surface and the subsequent irritation may trigger pain. One often tries to compensate for the painful joint, which can lead to the muscles and tendons around the knee becoming tender and painful.

In many cases one may experience pain when you've been sitting for a while and start using the knee again. After having walked or moved for a while, there is some pain relief, but after a while the pain starts up again, maybe even more severely than it had been. This is known as "pain triad" because of the three phases: pain, then relief and then pain again.

Since the cartilage in the knee is damaged, the bones don't glide as easily against each other as when the cartilage is healthy and intact. Pieces of cartilage may break loose and become lodged inside the joint, so it can't move normally. The increased fluid and swelling inside the knee will also cause the movement to be worse. You can't stretch your leg completely or bend it the way you normally can.

When you have a sore knee and can't move about normally, and can't sleep at night due to the pain, this naturally affects your quality of life. It's frustrating to not be able to go for walks or sleep at night because of the pain. It becomes especially bad when ordinary painkillers have no effect.