Knee Arthritis
Symptoms & Diagnosis

Arthritis is commonly known as "wear and tear" and is caused by thinning and inflammation of the cartilage lining the knee joint and the associated bony spurs that develop around it, making the knee stiff and sore.

Here we will look at how the most common symptoms of knee arthritis and how the disease is diagnosed.  To find out more about what arthritis is, what causes it and the best treatment option, visit the knee arthritis guide. 

Common Knee Arthritis Symptoms

Knee arthritis symptoms vary massively between people and often fluctuate, but common symptoms include:

1. Knee Pain

Pain is the most common of all knee arthritis symptoms and is typically felt when trying to fully bend or straighten the knee e.g. squatting, and with activities where lots of weight goes through the knee e.g. going up and down stairs or running. 

2. Knee Stiffness

Another one of the most common knee arthritis symptoms is stiffness which can limit how much you can bend and straighten your knee. Knee stiffness first thing in the morning or after prolonged inactivity e.g. sitting for long periods is a classic feature of knee arthritis.

Knee arthritis symptoms of stiffness are usually caused by a combination of knee bones spurs impeding joint movement and a lack of joint lubrication.

Knee stiffness associated with arthritis usually eases after a few minutes of moving around. Doing gentle exercises when you first wake up or when you are sitting can really help reduce this stiffness. LEARN MORE >

3. Knee Swelling

Knee swelling is another common feature of arthritis. The swelling tends to fluctuate and can cause pain and restricted movement. Again, as with pain, there may be generalised swelling all around the knee, or the swelling may be more focused on one area, typically either front knee swelling or medial knee swelling. Ice and tubigrip can really help to reduce the swelling associated with arthritis and thus reduce knee arthritis symptoms.

4. Weakness & Instability

5. Fluctuating Symptoms

People often find their knee arthritis symptoms vary greatly. Some days they feel fine, other days they are in complete agony.

Knee arthritis symptoms are often worse during:

• Bad weather: the thinking behind this is that the change in air pressure affects the pressure in our joints
• When we are stressed/anxious/tired: During these times chemicals are released in our body that make us feel pain more
• When we are unwell: inflammatory chemicals are often released into our system when we are ill, increasing arthritis knee pain

Diagnosing Knee Arthritis

Find Out More

Here we have concentrated on knee arthritis symptoms and diagnosis but you can find out loads more about beating knee arthritis pain in the following sections:

1. Arthritis Book: Everything you need to know in a handy book
2. Arthritis Overview: Introduction to Arthritis 
3. Causes of OA: What causes arthritis?
4. Stages of OA: How the disease and symptoms progress
5. Treatment Options: Whole range of ways to treat arthritis knee pain
6. Diet For Arthritis:  Which foods to avoid and which foods can help
7. Knee Replacements: Replacing an arthritic knee with a new one

Page Last Updated: 11/06/23
Next Review Due: 11/06/25

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