Arthritis of the Knee Joint

Arthritis pain coming from the knee joint may be felt in the front, the back, or the sides of the knee. Not all "knee pain" necessarily comes from the knee joint itself. Hip pain frequently radiates down the thigh to the knee. Sometimes knee pain is so prominent in patients with hip disease that the patient (and sometimes even the physician) can be fooled into thinking that the problem is in the knee when in fact the problem is in the hip. Other knee symptoms include catching, giving way (buckling), locking, swelling, a painful limp, creaking and a decreased distance the patient can walk because of pain. The movement that is possible in the knee joint will gradually become less: the knee may not straighten out all the way or may not bend fully, or both. The leg may become increasingly "bow-legged" or "knock-kneed" with time. At night the knee pain may awaken the patient when he or she turns over while sleeping.