Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. Some people call it arthritis or (wear and tear) arthritis. It occurs frequently in the hands, hips, and knees. With osteoarthritis, cartilage within the joint begins to break down and the underlying bone begins to change normal. These changes usually grow slowly and become worse over time. Osteoarthritis can cause pain, stiffness, and swelling. In some cases it also leads to a decrease in employment and disability, some people are no longer able to do daily activities or work.
The symptoms of osteoarthritis are not temporary. Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease, so patients should consult with their physicians to plan a long-term treatment plan. In a healthy knee, soft tissue, along with cartilage, forms three bones. These tissues are shock absorbers that support your body weight when walking or falling. Cartilage on your knee helps your knee bend without bones combing. In knee and osteoarthritis, these soft tissues are weakened due to wear and tear. This can cause the knee bones to rub against each other, causing irritation and inflammation. Your knee may feel stiff when you try to bend or stand.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for osteoarthritis because there is no way to completely repair or replace damaged or damaged joint tissues. However, osteoarthritis patients have several treatment options to reduce their pain and prevent further damage to their knees. The pain of osteoarthritis can feel like stiffness, stinging, swelling, or tingling. These symptoms may appear to be more pronounced at night as back pain may burn during rest.
There are two main types of osteoarthritis:
- Primary: Normally, in general, it mainly affects the fingers, thumbs, spine, hips, knees, and big (big) toes.
- Secondary: Occurs with abnormal joint conditions, including injury or trauma, such as repetitive or sports-related injuries; inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid, psoriatic, or gout; infectious arthritis; genetic disorders, such as Ehlers-Danlos (also known as “double attachment; congenital malformations, or joint metabolic disorders).
Risk factors for osteoarthritis knee pain worse at night
- Obesity; is dangerous for osteoarthritis, especially the knee. In addition to carrying loads of body weight, the metabolic and inflammatory effects of obesity have been studied as contributing to bone disease. Maintaining a healthy body weight or losing extra weight is important for those at risk.
- Diabetes and hyperlipidemia; contributing to the inflammatory response within the body, increasing the risk of osteoporosis. Oxidation of lipids can also form deposits on the cartilage that affect affecting the blood flow to the subchondral bone in the same way that blood vessels are affected by atherosclerosis.
- Decreased estrogen; as you get post-menopausal women increases the risk of knee disease as estrogen protects bone health especially reduces oxidative stress on cartilage.
- Inheritance; they may play a role in the development of coronary heart disease, as people born with other bone diseases or genetic predisposition may be more likely to develop coronary heart disease. For example, Ehlers-Danlos, which is characterized by joint weakness or weakness, may contribute to the development of an autoimmune disease.
Symptoms of osteoarthritis knee pain worse at night
- Increased swelling and inflammation; The amount of synovial fluid within the joint may increase. Typically, this fluid helps to reduce friction during movement. However, in large numbers, it can cause joint inflammation. Slices of crushed carrots can also float into synovial fluid, increasing pain and swelling.
- Increased pain; You may feel pain during activity, but also when you are resting. You may feel an increase in your pain level as the day progresses, or more swelling in your joints if you have spent too much day.
- Loss of motion; You may not be able to move either, because of the stiffness or pain in your joints. This can make it difficult to enjoy the day-to-day activities of the day.
- Uncertainty of joint stability; Your joints may become weak. For example, if you have severe OA in your knees, you may experience locks (sudden lack of movement). You may also get a fracture (when your knee gives out), which can lead to falls and injury.
Causes of osteoarthritis knee pain worse at night
Primary osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease which means it has many different causes, not just “breaking and tearing” arthritis. Some of the factors contributing to OA can be reversed and some are not “immutable” such as being born with it or now permanently ”. Age is a contributing factor, although not all older adults develop osteoarthritis and for those who do not, not all experience associated pain. There may also be inflammatory and metabolic risks that may exacerbate the condition of spinal cord injury, especially in the context of diabetes and / or elevated cholesterol.
Osteoarthritis can be genetic as primary as nodular OA of the hands and secondary associated with other genetic disorders, such as joint stiffness. Inflammatory and infectious arthritis may contribute to the development of secondary osteoarthritis due to chronic inflammation and joint damage. Past injuries or injuries as well as sports-related and repetitive motion can also contribute to osteoarthritis.
Although the exact mechanisms by which cartilage loss and bone changes are unknown, progress has been made in recent years. It is suspected that complex signaling processes, during joint inflammation and defective repair mechanisms in response to a wound, settle slowly within the joints. Other changes cause joint loss of mobility and performance, resulting in joint pain and activity.
Gout; is a common cause of knee pain at night. Gout occurs when your body is unable to break down uric acid, which is a waste product of many types of food. Instead of being excreted in urine, uric acid builds up in the bloodstream, causing crystals to form in joints such as the knee. This leads to inflammation, severe pain and swelling of the knee.
Knee replacement surgery; is often a last resort when other conservative measures have failed to correct the painful knee injury. A total knee replacement removes the patella and removes or repairs damaged bone and other surfaces before placing an artificial knee replacement. Partial knee replacement surgery is less invasive and maintains healthy parts of the joint.
Patellar tendonitis; also called patellar tendinitis, is an inflammation of the tendon that connects the patella to the tibia. Tendinitis is felt as pain just below the kneecap. This condition is also called “jumper’s knee” because it often affects people who play football, basketball, volleyball, and other sports where jumping and twisting are common.
Bursitis; inflammation of the bursa, a small sac filled with fluid near the knee joint. There are several bags in and around the knee joint. Bursa acts as a cushion that reduces friction and pressure between bones and tendons, muscles and skin near the joints. All bursae can become inflamed, but most often the inflammation occurs inside the bursa, located on the inside of the knee, under the joint line.
Overuse; Overuse of your knees can lead to knee pain at night. This includes a long bike ride after some free time, a Saturday morning basketball game, a leisurely stroll through the woods, or anything that tires your knees. Even if your knees feel good after exercising, you may feel pain when you lie down to rest. You are not so distracted by everyday worries, which gives the pain an opportunity to manifest.
Treatments for osteoarthritis knee pain worse at night:
Swelling, stiffness, and pain can prevent you from doing daily activities, as well as walking long distances and climbing and descending stairs. It can also affect how you sleep at night. Here are some things you can do to make your night more comfortable and relaxing so that you can better prepare for the new beginning of the next day.
1. Practice Good Sleep Hygiene
Treating your knee is only part of the equation. You also need to be careful to improve your sleep habits. That is because poor sleep habits can make it more likely that pain will impair your sleep. And lack of sleep can make the pain worse. Do things that can help everyone with or without arthritis get a good night’s sleep. It is important to go to bed every night at the same time and wake up at the same time every morning, no electricity or screen time before bed, and no eating or other activities that are not related to sleeping before bed.
With those verses, you may have heard about the importance of good sleep hygiene beforehand. It is good advice to follow even if you do not have knee pain:
- Set a regular sleep routine.
- Make sure your room is cool and dark.
- Just use your bed to sleep and have sex.
- Before going to bed, avoid caffeine, heavy food or any other food or drink that will keep you healthy.
- Turn off the screen – preferably one hour before bedtime.
- Health care providers who are sleep experts remind you that looking at computer screens, TV screens, phone screens,
- you call them before bed robs us of important zzz.
While they are working on improving their sleep hygiene, one can get help to get up if they cannot sleep. Doing this helps the relationship between bed and sleep to stay strong.
2. Exercise
Exercise is one way to reduce knee pain from arthritis. It hurts to move, especially with knee pain, but people who move in general experience less pain. He suggests engaging in physical activity that puts little or no pressure on the knee. Experts recommends these low-impact exercises:
- Bicycles.
- Walking.
- Swimming.
- Circular exercises.
People who have arthritis often hesitate to exercise because they are afraid of making their pain worse. regular exercise tends to sleep well in general. If you do not know how to start a safe exercise program, check with your doctor or physiotherapist.
3. Make accommodations for your knee at bedtime
Whatever you do to get comfort during sleep should be a supplement not a cure for knee problems, orthopedic experts insist. Managing the cause of your knee pain can make the difference between night and day. Experts recommend that patients with knee pain do three things during sleep.
- Take a warm bath to combat the pain and stiffness around the knee.
- Use an anti-inflammatory cream for the scalp, non-steroidal joint
- Use the knee pillow.
For peripheral sleepers, place a pillow between your legs. Use any pillow that works for this – no need to buy a special or expensive type. It’s more a trial and error for what feels right. But it reduces the communication pressure between the two knees to touch if you are a person lying on your side.
As you lie on your back, slide a pillow under your knee to lift slightly and give it an extra pillow. Problems with those who sleep on their backs have their feet out, which can increase the pressure of contact between the knee cap and the femur. And that can be painful for people with arthritis of the knee. A knee brace that goes below the knee and gives just a good bend may be okay.
4. Do not use drugs and alcohol
The principles of moderate drinking apply: Women should not drink more than one drink, such as a glass of wine or beer, per day; men should not have more than two. Excessive drinking can put you at a disadvantage and undermine your sleep quality. While a nightclub can help you start sleeping, drinking alcohol reduces REM sleep, so you don’t wake up if you’re refreshed.
Drinking too much alcohol before bedtime is associated with delayed sleep, according to the Sleep Foundation. That means people who drink before going to bed may need more sleep. As liver enzymes reduce alcohol at night and alcohol levels decrease, these people are also more likely to experience sleep disturbances and decreased sleep quality, according to the source.
5. Medication
Conventional medicine has two advantages: it can improve sleep and can reduce chronic pain. There are many ways to meditate. You can sit or sleep. You may find silence, repeating a word or a sound, or try guided meditation, which someone else helps guide your medical thinking. Many mobile apps, online videos, and DVDs offer guided recording. Over the counter medications can help reduce arthritis pain in some cases. This includes;
- oral medications, such as acetaminophen
- topical preparations, like capsaicin
- Sometimes, OTC medications are not strong enough to relieve pain. If so, your doctor will prescribe a suitable alternative.
If arthritis pain keeps you awake, you may need to adjust it during your medication. Your doctor can help you determine if changing your testing schedule can provide more relief of night pain. Some drugs can make you sleepy. If you find yourself falling asleep during the day after starting a new medication, talk to your doctor about it. They may suggest switching to another option or reducing the dose.