What Are Some Complications Of Knee Arthritis

Knee arthritis happens to be one of the most commonly suffered and endured forms of arthritis in the world, and the reason for this is that the knee joint happens to be a weight bearing joint, i.e. a joint that will have the body weight of the person placed through it. Over the lifetime of the person, this weight will ultimately cause mechanical strain on the joint and will therefore cause the cartilage, the natural lubricant of the body designed to allow for a frictionless and painless range of movement to then degrade and break down steadily.

The consequences of knee arthritis are pain, stiffness of the joint, the development of inflammation of the joint which means that it becomes hot and painful to the touch, as well as extremely sensitive as well. As the disease progresses and continues to inflict further damage to the victim, there is the risk of other complications occurring and these are listed as follows.

Baker’s cysts

Thankfully, this particular complication caused by the disease is not usually cause for concern due to the fact that it is not excessively painful, nor does it pose any real threat to the joint itself.  A Baker’s cyst is quite easy to detect, it will feel like a lump (usually quite soft to the touch) that will be situated at the rear end of the knee.

As noted earlier, usually, these do not pose any pain to the arthritis sufferer…under optimal conditions. However, there is always the risk that the cyst may rupture and burst, which means that the fluid contained within it will then pour into the arthritic joint which in turn will cause a very considerable amount of pain indeed.

Some people who have these cysts have also reported that whenever they have been overly active or have performed especially strenuous activity such as bending and kneeling, this can cause the cyst and the area surrounding it to become rather painful and uncomfortable as the day progresses. Thankfully, these symptoms are short lived and will dissipate in a short space of time,  especially if the person then rests the joint for a period of time.