Things That Worsen Knee Osteoarthritis

When you live with osteoarthritis — the most common type of arthritis — knee pain and stiffness can seem difficult to avoid. Your knees and other joints may feel swollen, especially after being active, and the symptoms can worsen over time. More than just “wear and tear” on your joints, osteoarthritis is a joint disease.

Some of the factors that can make knee osteoarthritis worse won’t come as a surprise. If you’ve had a long career working at a job that requires you to stand for extended periods of time, bend a lot, or lift heavy objects, this can impact your cartilage, or the connective tissue in the joints between bones. When cartilage wears away, this causes swelling, pain, and trouble moving the knee joint. Athletes who sustained injuries, even long ago, can also be at risk for faster cartilage breakdown and osteoarthritis.

As osteoarthritis progresses, the knee and other bones may break down and develop what are called spurs, which are growths around the bone’s edges. Little pieces of bone or cartilage can also break off and float around in the knee joint, according to the Arthritis Foundation. In the later stage of osteoarthritis, the cartilage between the knee bones wears away completely, causing bone to rub against bone, which can lead to even more pain as well.

An important part of managing osteoarthritis knee pain is working with your doctor. Although there are medications and surgery available for osteoarthritis, the best treatment for you may be different than that of someone else with the condition.

To help control pain, also take an honest look at your daily habits, some of which may be triggering your joint pain. “People with osteoarthritis have a lot of control over behaviors that can help to reduce pain symptoms,” says Matt Garver, PhD, associate professor and chair of the school of nutrition, kinesiology, and psychological science at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg. Often a mix of different approaches is most helpful for osteoarthritis.

Is your lifestyle contributing to your osteoarthritis pain? Find out if these habits may be harming your knee joints.