If you’ve been experiencing knee joint pain, stiffness or swelling, you may be wondering if you have arthritis. But there are many forms of arthritis, and many of them share common symptoms. So, how do you diagnose arthritis in the knee, and how can you tell if it’s osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or something else entirely? Here’s what you need to know.

Diagnosing Arthritis in Knee

Below are the signs and symptoms of different forms of arthritis that could attack your knee joints. Correctly diagnosing the form of arthritis causing your discomfort should help you find the right pathway to relief.

Osteoarthritis

The most common form of the disease, knee osteoarthritis progressively attacks cartilage surround the end of your bones and your joints. As a result, you develop bone-on-bone friction, along with symptoms such as stiffness, pain, redness or swelling, popping or cracking sounds with movement, and reduced range of motion in your joint.  

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

This form of arthritis is an autoimmune disease that flares and recedes, rather than causing progressive damage. Rheumatoid arthritis, like osteoarthritis, will also cause symptoms such as joint damage, pain, inflammation and swelling.  Unlike osteoarthritis, which may attack only one knee, pain caused by RA will usually manifest on both sides of the body.  

Gout

This arthritis also attacks in flares; gout attacks come on when uric acid crystals build up in your bloodstream, depositing themselves around your joints. Symptoms include rapid-onset of severe joint pain—usually in your big toe, but occasionally in your knee—along with redness, inflammation and swelling.  

How Do You Diagnose Pain That’s Not Due to Arthritis in the Knee?

Knee joint pain is not always the result of arthritis. Other causes of knee pain could be the result of an injury. Limited range of motion could also develop if you’ve had a previous surgical procedure on your knee that resulted in scar tissue formation. Sharing your complete medical history will help guide healthcare providers toward your proper diagnosis.

How Do You Diagnose Arthritis in Knee?

The best way to determine the cause of your knee pain is to see your healthcare provider for a comprehensive consultation during which you’ll share all your current symptoms and a complete medical history. Afterward, if you’re diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis, we encourage you to request a consultation at the Texas Knee Institute to see if minimally invasive GAE can relieve your pain without surgery!