Should patients with rheumatoid arthritis drink alcohol?

Study: Alcohol may fight rheumatoid arthritis (Image Courtesy - cnn.com)

Several research has shown that non-drinker are more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than those who drink three or more glasses of alcohol in a week but once you have rheumatoid arthritis it is dangerous to take alcohol.

Alcohol has been linked to several health benefits such as stroke, heart disease and diabetes but if you have rheumatoid arthritis it is advised to avoid taking alcohol. Taking alcohol in moderation is not restricted but you should be cautious because mixing medication and drugs can be risky.

Methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Trexall); one of the drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis belong to drugs known as disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Even though methotrexate is effective in reducing signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and also slow down and in some cases stop the damage of joints it is associated with the joint damage. Another drug that is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis is called leflunomide (Arava).This is also a DMARD that can put you at risk of liver toxicity.

If you take a lot of alcohol or have liver problems it is not advisable to take methotrexate or leflunomide. This is because taking alcohol and methotrexate or leflunomide can put you at risk of liver damage. Patients of rheumatoid arthritis who take these medications should limit their alcohol intake to two drinks per week. It is even better to avoid drinking any alcohol amount at all.

Taking excess amount of alcohol can reduce bone density which can result to other complications such as fractures. If you really need to drink alcohol you can talk with your doctor so that you can know how much alcohol you should drink.

Patients of rheumatoid arthritis are also prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) especially to treat inflammation of the joints and to reduce pain. NSAIDs that are commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), aspirin and naproxen sodium (Aleve) which can cause irritation of the lining of the stomach resulting to ulcers and bleeding in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract

Alcohol can also irritate the lining of the stomach which can put you at risk of gastrointestinal bleeding and ulcers.

Prednisone, a steroid that is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis can also put you at risk gastrointestinal bleeding.

Patients off rheumatoid arthritis who take large doses of acetaminophen and take alcohol have high chances of having liver toxicity.

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Have a look over the YouTube Video - By Anita Lee

Quinn Hughes - A Young Face of Arthritis!

Quinn Hughes a teen from Marlington High School freshman is a young faces of arthritis. Even if she has arthritis she enjoys choral singing, dancing and archery. You all must read her journey of fight against arthritis and emerging as a winner.

She was in her fifth grade of arthritis and that make her very difficult to walk even for a short distance. She was having severe finger and hip pain. Her mother Connie Hughes, say that she initially was unable to understand what was happing with her little girl. She says that she remembers when Quinn was attending Washington Elementary and when she starts getting ready she was unable to get up and down the steps. 

Quinn did too not understand why she is not normal like other children. She couldn't walk, she couldn't play. All she was during is just crying all night long. This was a horrible thing that a mother can see happing with her child.

Photo Courtesy: Review Photo/Kevin Graff Quinn Hughes, who suffers from arthritis, has been chosen as youth honoree for the Walk to Cure Arthritis to be held Saturday in Cleveland. She will lead Team Q Girl to raise money for arthritis research and programming for the Arthritis Foundation.

After all this happing Connie took her to pediatrician, she was examined and was thought that she might have broken a hip and thus she was sent to Akron Children's Hospital. This was just a misdiagnosed by doctors. But finally she was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. This is an autoimmune and inflammatory arthritis that mainly affect children under age of 16.

Initially all the family members were in shock, but they still stand strong for their daughter to get treated well. Connie said that after the diseases is properly diagnosed the goal is set how get treated. First thing was to avoid flare-ups as much as possible.

Today, Dr. Elizabeth Brooks at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland is taking care to Quinn. She now can walk and do her little job by herself.

Connie said that when she sees her daughter doing well, she feels happy and says that those were the days when Quinn couldn't even hold brush to do hair in the morning. She even needed help to dress up. She was just dipped into pain and couldn't do anything. The worries beside ourselves are now gone, we just need to follow what her doctor is saying to do.

For keeping inflammation and pain at bay, Quinn is on mix of medications along with proper diet and exercise. Still this improvement and precaution taken was not spared without a setback. In 2011 she had some depletion in her immune system. Still the hope did not died; she again got better after some extended stay at hospital.

Connie recalled that those were the days when she was spending most of the time in hospital, whether be its Ester day, or Christmas or a New Year…All was disaster for her. Today all is good and well, though she has some limitation for sports, because she likes playing volleyball. Still Quinn says, I will follow my limitation and will live a cheerful life.

This strong girl got her first big opportunity to be the youth honoree at the Walk to Cure Arthritis. Her name was nominated by her doctor. This walk will be held on Saturday at the Cleveland Zoo. She had given a speech at a kick-off event and is very excited to lead the walk surrounded by "Team Q Girl." And she said that-"I like because I get to talk to other people and experience what they're going through and different things." The money raised by this event will help to organize camps for children and for scholarships long with continuing this awareness program.

Her next achievement is waiting in Colorado because she is accepted for a special scholarship to attend a juvenile arthritis convention in July. 

Now after these great achievements what is the message of this girl to others? 

Quinn's message is simple: "Stay strong"

A good and motivational message!!!

To learn more or make a donation to Team Q Girl, visit http://arthritiswalkcleveland.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=1097918.

Reference:

http://www.the-review.com/local%20accent/2014/04/30/marlington-teen-a-young-face-of-arthritis

Research Report on Joint Pain Pills Vs. Knee Brace for Osteoarthritis Pain Relief

Photo Credit - img.webmd.com

Osteoarthritis is a condition that is affecting millions of people in the United States of America. For a long time now, pain killers have been used to fight the effects of this condition. However, it has not been so successful and this has prompted medical practitioners to continue with the search of an effective remedy to this problem. The latest news is that the invention of the knee brace has made pain relief more effective. This remedy is also good because it does not have any troubling side effects. A person with arthritic knee pain has three choices to make; joint replacements, joint pills and a brace.

According a research report from University of Manchester, a knee brace is a more effective remedy to pain control as compared to other medications like joint pills. Various reports have continued to show more and more people are undergoing knee replacements but with little improvements. Others have continued to use pain pills but they still continue to experience the same problem. According to Dr. Michael Callaghan, a researcher in rehabilitation science at UM; the use of a lightweight knee brace will dramatically improve the symptoms and function of the patients who are suffering from osteoarthritis that affects the kneecap. In his study, he used a flexible knee brace made of lightweight Lycra. The Test subjects with arthritic pain were aged between 40 and 70 and they used the device for 12 weeks and it averaged seven hours a day. He divided the groups into two; the first group begun wearing the device immediately and while the other one begun wearing it after some delay.

After a period of six weeks, the people who belonged to the first group reported a very significant improvement as compared to those who were not wearing the device. From here, the non-wearing group also started to wear the device, and after the end of six weeks they also reported a similar result to the first group. According to the patients in this experiment, the knee brace gave them the much needed confidence to move the knee in a normal way. The sentiments were further reinforced by Dr. Callaghan who explained how this device works. According to him, this device helps in improving the muscle strength, knee function and its symptoms.

Photo Credit - img.webmd.com

Professor Alan Silman, another scientist who was also involved in the study points out that the chief cause of pain in arthritis is the misaligned of the joint. The major thing with the brace is therefore to correct the bad alignment and improving the function of the knee. He further claims that a knee brace is more superior to drugs and it reduces the possibility of undergoing knee replacement for some other patients. Basically, Knee braces help realign the knee and this will take the pressure off from the damaged areas in order to relieve pain and restore knee function. This method of bracing is one of a number of noninvasive methods of treating knee OA delaying the need for joint replacement surgery.

In another separate study, it was evident that Dr. Peterson is not the only one with this reservation. A study in New York City comprised of 49 people with knee OA and they were aged between 45 to 87. All of these people wore a knee brace and as result they experienced less stiffness, pain and disability after six months of use. These participants all reported to hail a normal lifestyle and a majority of them expressed hope to return to their daily chores. Indeed it was reported that these people eventually went back to various chores that included sports. 

In conclusion, this research showered that 31% of the participants were found to have taken fewer over the counter anti-inflammatory drugs over the period of six months of using the brace. On the other hand, it was revealed that 35% of participants were found to be taking fewer prescription anti-inflammatory drugs in the same period. The researchers are planning to have a follow up on this development up to a period of two years in order to see whether there is any participant who can end up to have a knee replacement surgery.

Painful joints impacting on love lives

Is your arthritis affecting your love life?

Painful joints ranked higher than the traditional excuse of 'having a headache' as an out of sex, according to new research.

Two thirds of 55-69 year olds felt that their relationship was less intimate than when they first got together and nearly a quarter of marries couples say they're unsatisfied with their current love life.

Nearly a third of couples don't cuddle or hold hands enough anymore, nearly half feel that they aren't having enough sex and have sex less often than once a fortnight. The survey also revealed that over half of people in the UK feel that their relationship is less intimate than it used to be. 

Sex expert Tracey Cox said "As we rush around leading busy lives, it's easy for relationships to suffer. The survey shows that couples want to be more physically intimate with one another, holding hands, having a cuddle and having sex are all important to keep a healthy relationship."

Arthritis Research UK conducted the survey to reveal the everyday challenges couples face in their relationships, and to raise awareness of the challenges faced by people with Arthritis and joint pain to stay intimate in their relationships. Joint pain can affect many parts of the body including hands, hips, knees, fingers, back and neck. This makes movements that many of us take for granted, like having sex, holding hands or cuddling incredibly painful. Previous studies have shown that 13% of people with arthritis found joint pain impacted on their sex life.

Professor Alan Silman, Medical Director of Arthritis Research UK, said: "These results show that physical intimacy is important in relationships and it's difficult in modern life to keep that alive. For people with Arthritis, it's even tougher. The impact that joint pain has can prevent you from doing a lot of what we take for granted like cuddling and having sex. Imagine how much harder it would be to stay close to your partner if you couldn't give them a hug, or even lie next to them in bed without being in pain.  For many even the simple task of making your partner a cup of tea is too difficult."

Catherine Manning aged 33 from Essex, who has osteoarthritis, said: "As a result of having severe arthritis, I am now bound to a wheelchair and live in constant pain which makes everyday living challenging – especially maintaining intimacy with my husband. Over the past few years, he has gone from being my lover to my full time carer. He helps me in the morning to take my medication, shower and get dressed."

For people living with arthritis and joint pain, there is help. Sex expert Tracey Cox says: "For many people living with arthritis and joint pain, basic things like going out on a date can be impossible which can cause relationships to break down. Importantly the dynamic can also significantly change over time. The person you married five years ago can turn in to a full time carer, which puts a lot of pressure on that person too.

There are many ways to manage and overcome these issues though. Open communication and listening to each other will help you to become more creative and share ways of overcoming intimacy problems inside and outside of the bedroom."

The charity Arthritis Research UK is encouraging people to learn more about the impact that arthritis and joint pain can have on everyday life. If you are living with or caring for someone with arthritis, you can find out more about how to maintain an intimate relationship and the life changing work of Arthritis Research UK by visiting www.arthritisresearchuk.org/relationships.

This article was originally published at femalefirst.co.uk

by Taryn Davies

Osteoarthritis of the Thumb: Diagnosis and Treatment

Image Source - shutterstock.com

Thumb arthritis is one of the forms of Osteoarthritis which affects the joints which are located at the base of the thumb also known as basal joint or carpometacarpal joint. 

Osteoarthritis of the thumb is common in women than men and usually develops after 40 years of age.

Osteoarthritis of the thumb occurs when the smooth cartilage which usually enables the joints and the bones to glide wears out resulting to friction and bone and joint damage. You are more likely to develop osteoarthritis of the thumb if you had joint fractures before. Osteoarthritis of the thumb has several symptoms. These include:

i. Swelling and tenderness at the base of the thumb.
ii. Limited motion
iii. A bone growth over the joint
iv. A bigger than usual joint
v. Experiencing pain when involved in activities such as opening the door, snapping your fingers, carrying a bag, gripping and punching.
vi. Discomfort after a long time use.
vii. Loss of strength when pinching or involved in gripping activities.
viii. Loose carpometacarpal joint  which can bend back (hyper-extension)

Osteoarthritis of the thumb can be diagnosed by physical examination and also can be based on the affected person medical history. Osteoarthritis commonly occurs in the thumb if you suffered hand injuries especially the thumb in the past. 

Physical examination usually reveals the unusual range of motion in the carpometacarpal joint, tenderness at the base of the thumb and swelling.

Sometimes a grinding sound may be heard when moving the joints (crepitus). The sound is caused by bone ends which rub against each other. X-ray can also be used to check if the joints have been damaged.

People who have osteoarthritis of the thumb will complain of pain when performing duties such as gardening, opening the door, pinching and grasping things.

During examination of the patient the doctor should ensure to rule out other causes of thumb pain such as deQueruain’s disease, metacarpophalangeal arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome.

There are several available treatments for osteoarthritis of the thumb. They include the surgical and non-surgical treatment.

Non surgical treatments are usually effective in cases where the condition is not in its early stages.

These non-surgical treatments include:

i. Icing the joint - You can place ice on the affected joint for about 5 to 10 minutes several times in a day. This helps in reducing the swelling and inflammation. 
ii. Wearing a supportive splint - The splint helps in limiting the movement of the thumb and also allows the joint to rest and heal. Splint can help in protecting both the thumb and the wrist. They can be worn during the day at intervals and during the nights.
iii. Use of anti inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen and aspirin - These medicines usually help in reducing inflammation and swelling.
iv. Corticosteroids can also be injected at the affected joint - Corticosteroids are usually effective especially in the early stages of the condition. The effects of corticosteroids can be for a long period of time to people who experience inflammation only.

Surgical treatments are used when the non-surgical treatments have not been effective. The surgical treatment should be started when you experience pain, when there is a deformity or when you can no longer be able to perform daily tasks using your hand. The surgery to be performed depends upon the radio-graphic stage of the disease and the activities of the affected person.

The surgical procedure can be divided into two:

I. Surgery for early stage.
II. Surgery for late stage.

The symptoms are usually caused by resultant inflammation and joint laxity to patients who experience cartilage softening and fibrillation but no cartilage loss.

The surgical treatment usually involve the reconstruction of the palmar beak ligament so that to achieve a stable joint. This can be done by use of a slip of Flexor Carpi Radiatis (FCR) tendon which is attached to its insertion on the index metacarpal base and passed through a bone tunnel on a bone that has been created in the thumb base and back around so as to be sutured to itself. The reconstruction has been very effective especially in the early stages of arthritis.

In cases of late stage arthritis arthrodesis is effective. Arthrodesis is effective in young patients who still perform a lot of duties using their hands.

Other procedures which can be performed include trapezial excision and trapezial excision with reconstruction of the palmar break ligament.

Before choosing which surgery best suit you, a discussion with your physician can be helpful.

Weather may truly affect arthritis pain

Arthritis (DElight, E+ Photography via Getty Images)

BY - Shereen Jegtvig
@Reuters

For people with osteoarthritis of the hip, pain levels tracked with the weather over the course of a small two-year study, Dutch researchers say.

They looked at reported pain levels in a previous study of arthritis, then went back to weather records to document the conditions each day.

It turns out the participants' aches were just a little worse and joints just a little stiffer when humidity and barometric pressure levels rose.

"This is something that patients talk about all the time," Dr. Patience White told Reuters Health. A rheumatologist and vice president for Public Health Policy and Advocacy for the Arthritis Foundation, she was not involved in the study.

Osteoarthritis affects about 27 million Americans. Common risk factors include getting older, being obese, having previous joint injuries, overuse, weak muscles and genetics.

White said she often sees patients who say they are sensitive to the weather.

"Nobody's bedridden by the weather change," she said, "It's not severe pain, they just ache more."

More than 60 percent of patients with osteoarthritis say that weather conditions, such as rain, barometric pressure and temperature have an impact on their pain and stiffness, according to the study team, which was led by Desirée Dorleijn, of Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam.

Past research attempting to investigate the weather connection had yielded inconsistent results, so Dorleijn and her colleagues looked at self-reported hip pain and function in 222 osteoarthritis patients who participated in a glucosamine sulphate study.

The patients enrolled in the study filled out questionnaires every three months for two years, including the Western Ontario and McMasters University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), which is scale for self-assessment of pain and function. The WOMAC scores range from 0 to 100, with 0 indicating no pain.

The researchers gathered weather reports for the days the patients filled out the questionnaires. The information gathered from the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute included average temperature, wind speed, hours of sunlight, rainfall, humidity and barometric pressure.

Patients who underwent surgeries for their arthritis were dropped during the study; so 188 participants completed the full two years of monitoring.

About 70 percent of participants were women, averaging about 63 years old.

The average starting WOMAC pain score was 23.1 and the function score was 35.1. Those scores improved slightly - each by about 2 points - throughout the study.

But when the researchers compared weather conditions to pain and function scores, they found that pain scores worsened by 1 point for each 10 percent increase in humidity. Function scores worsened by one point for every 10 hectopascals (0.29 of an inch) increase in barometric pressure.

For a change to be considered 'clinically relevant,' it has to alter the WOMAC score by at least ten points, Dorleijn's team writes in the journal Pain.

Since variations in humidity and barometric pressure are limited, they could account for changes of 5 to 6 WOMAC points at the most, they write.

White agreed that requiring a 10-point change to be significant is the accepted approach to using the WOMAC scale. But that doesn't mean the pain wasn't real, she said.

"This is about people seeing a little bit of change, whether it's the humidity or barometric pressure or function or pain," White said.

Apart from its small size, the study did have some limitations, White noted. For instance, the patients didn't have severe osteoarthtitis and the pain was only in one joint. Still, she thinks it was a good study.

"They did the best they can do, and they did find a little bit of change. They decided it wasn't significant." She said.

But, she said, just because findings didn't reach statistical significance from the researchers' point of view, they can be significant from the patients' point of view.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1ofAKlo Pain, online January 24, 2014.

Copyright © 2014, Reuters

This Article was originally published at - http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/sns-rt-us-weather-arthritis-20140211,0,1413207.story

Most Common Signs and Symptoms of Early Onset Arthritis

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Arthritis is a condition that is characterized by slow and minor symptoms. They normally come and go slowly on various joints of the body and from there it develops over a period of several months. However, it is not a universal thing when it comes with symptoms of this condition as they differ from person to person. This is normally a very painful condition that involves swelling and inflammation of body joints (normally where two joints meet). In fact there are many types of arthritis that affect human beings. Some of the common types of arthritis include Osteoarthritis, Psoriatic, Rheumatoid, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Gout and Lupus. For you to be able to tell the earlier symptoms of arthritis, you need to be able to know the type of arthritis that you are dealing with. This is because every type of arthritis has its own specific symptoms. The following are the top 5 symptoms of that you will experience when arthritis start to bite you.

1. Joint Pain

The most significant earlier symptom is joint pain. Depending on your type of arthritis, your joint pain will become more painful after doing some activities. The part of your joint pain will normally depend upon the type of your arthritis. For instance, gout will normally affect your ankles, feet, hands, wrists and knees. 

2. Joint Stiffness

This is also one of the earliest signs of arthritis. Stiffness is normally felt as the first thing when you wake up in the morning. As the day progresses, this stiffness will start to subside slowly by slowly until it disappears. Stiffness might result to other form of symptom which is limited range of locomotion. It is important to note that the length of time that stiffness will last normally depend on the type of arthritis you are suffering from. Generally, some types of arthritic stiffness will last for about 30 minutes while for other types it will last for over an hour.

3. Tenderness of Joints

This is another earlier indicator that you could be suffering from arthritis. Similarly, the body joint to be affected will also depend on the type of arthritis that is about to manifest. For instance, Osteoarthritis will normally produce pain in the spine, knee and the hands. 

4. Limited Range of Motion

You should be careful if you find that your range of motion has started to be limited for one or more of your joints as this can be one of the earlier signs of arthritis. This symptom may result into difficulties of doing some chores or may hinder you from doing certain activities. What you need to do is to check whether this will involve the bending or extension of a joint or both. 

5. Redness and Warmth

Swelling, redness and warmth around your joints is another sign that could be as result of arthritis. To be more precise, this particular type of symptom is a result of rheumatoid arthritis. This is a classic form of symptom mainly when the affected joints are those from the hands feet. But you can also expect other forms of arthritis to show this particular symptom; so do not assume this symptom.

The other forms of symptoms tat you might expect in the earlier stages of arthritis may include rashes, fever fatigue and weight loss among others. These symptoms will always vary depending on the type of arthritis that you are suffering from. This is due to the fact that arthritis is a condition that consists of over 100 types of it. It is therefore important for you to actually talk to your doctor for more advice as you might confuse between the various forms of arthritis. 

For better management of this condition of arthritis, you need not to ignore of these signs because the earlier you start medication the better for you. For those who will ignore these earlier signs, it could lead to their joints continued to be depleted and it will eventually lead them to being disabled. Other forms of joint inflammation that might be as a result of earlier signs of arthritis may include tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, Lyme disease, fibromyalgia and others. It is advisable for you to discuss all of your symptoms with your doctor as earlier as possible to avoid the likelihood of your condition becoming more dangerous.

Weird Pain And Tightness In Both Knees When Bending

Ques: About a couple of weeks ago, I was driving to a long distance and was constantly sitting. I stretched my leg out and heard/felt like there was some kind of pressure. It has become really stiff/tight...like there is some kind of pressure around it. I have no idea what this is. It is so much painful. Help me!

Knee pain is usually as a result of injury in the knee. When you experience knee pain you should visit your doctor immediately.  Knees are usually susceptible to injuries such as wear and tear which is as a result of movement. The wear and tear usually leads to pain swelling and limited movement of the joints. Knee pain is usually as a result of:

i. Lateral Meniscus Tear

This is a tear or injury of the meniscus cartilage. The injury commonly occurs when there is twisting and engaging in weight-lifting activities. Lateral meniscus tear can be caused by traumatic injuries especially in athletes and degenerative bone disease in the elderly people. The symptoms of lateral meniscus tear are pain while running, jogging, and knee joint swelling, buckling of the knees and a popping sound mostly when you are climbing stairs. If you have lateral meniscus tear you may not be able to flex the knees or you may experience pain when you flex the knee.

The treatment for lateral meniscus tear is based on the severity and the cause of the tear. When the tear has been caused by an injury, anti-inflammatory medicines are usually used in combination with rest and elevation. A surgery can also be done in the case the drugs used fail to have an effect. The common surgery that is usually done is the knee arthroscopy.

ii. Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

This is also called the runner's knee. Patellofemoral pain syndrome is usually caused by bending of the knees, misalignment of the knee cap, a direct blow, a weak thigh muscle or a flat fleet.

Symptoms of patellofemoral pain syndrome include knee pain when walking, kneeling, squatting and running. Swelling occurs and a popping and a grinding sensation are felt while walking or when flexing the knees.

Treatment of patellofemoral pain syndrome involves RICE treatment which is rest, ice, compression, and elevation. The RICE treatment is used to stop the pain. Other forms of treatment involve using special shoes called orthoses or knee braces which help to speed the process of recovering.

Surgery treatment such as arthroscopy or knee realignment surgery can also be helpful in cases of severe runner's knee.

iii. Patellar Tendonitis

The patellar tendonitis is also known as Jumper's knee. It is a sport related knee injury that affects the patellar tendon. Patellar tendonitis can be as a result of a lot of jumping and landing. The symptoms of patellar tendonitis include pain after intense activity and extreme pain that can result to immobility. Other signs of the patellar tendonitis include pain in the knee cap, knee stiffness and weakness in the calf muscle. Treatment of patellar tendonitis can involve resting, icing, and elevating the knee so as to reduce the pain. Wearing an infrapatellar strap can help in supporting the knee. Anti-inflammatory medication and specialized injection can be used in desensitizing the pain. A physiotherapist can recommend massage and minimum impact exercises so as to make the joints strong. In severe cases surgery may be required.

iv. Bursitis

This is the inflammation of the fluid filled sac called bursa in the knee joints as a result of squatting, kneeling, and excessive friction. The symptoms of bursitis include pain when bending or flexing the knee and swelling. The pain is usually not excess.

Treatment of bursitis can be directed towards the symptoms such as inflammation where anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids injections are used. The doctor can also draw out excess fluid in the bursae using the needle. Gel knee pads and physical therapy can be used in strengthening the muscles. When the condition gets worse surgery can be done.

v. Knee Ligament Injuries

The knee ligament injuries are painful and commonly occur in athletes. They cause extreme pain when you bend or flex the muscles.

Knee ligament injuries can be caused by shifting weight from one leg to another suddenly, lifting the knee against hard surfaces, twisting the knee and extending the knee excessively.

The symptoms of knee ligament injuries include swelling around the joints, a loud snap at the time of injury, excess pain and inability to move legs.

Knee ligament injuries are treated using RICE and anti-inflammatory pain killers. Strengthening exercises can be helpful but you should only start the exercises after the doctor's recommendation. In case of severe damage, reconstructive knee surgery can be done.

Other injuries which can cause knee pain when bending include cartilage tear, synovial plica syndrome, tendinitis, Pliotibial Band syndrome and Osgood Schletter disease.

Medical conditions that can cause knee pain when bending include knee osteoarthritis, lupus, gout, and rheumatoid arthritis of the knee. RICE can also be used in treatment of the conditions.