What does osteoarthritis in the knees feel like initially?

[Louisamith]

Wondering how knee pain started off for everybody. Currently mine only comes on during running, going up and down stairs and after sitting cross legged. It is a dull kind of pain and hurts when I press on it, it’s on the outside of my knee. Could it still be osteoarthritis?

[Poppy_Ann]

Hi there, you sound like your knees are just like mine to start with they only bothered me if I ran on tarmac or concrete etc but if I ran on grass or other soft ground but they slowly got worse and worse and now they have got so bad that I can hardly stand up and walk more than a few steps without pain . Good luck finding something that works for you.Regards Poppy Ann.

[cyberbarn]

I see that you have already posted that you were diagnosed with osteoarthritis. Presumably that was done by a health professional after extensive testing? If so then how your knees feel is how osteoarthritis is for you. Everyone is different.

[Batty1]

Side of your knee could be IT band or irritated bursa and I only say this because you say it hurts to press on it and could have more to do with improper running technique, worn down sneakers or lack of stretching after activities. I don’t feel pain when I push on my knee. OA of knees feels more of a deep bone pain but everyone is different. You should see your doctor get and x-ray maybe you have an meniscus injury.

[Mitch48]

Hi there,How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking? How long have you had pain in your knees & when did it start/where in relation to your knee & what does it feel like?

I’ve had problems with my knees since being a young child, I have a congenital deformity causing severe maltracking of both knees. I used to run and play different sports but spinal injuries due to a road traffic collision 17 years ago stopped all of it.

I had my first knee surgery at 22, a lateral release where the ligaments at the outer edge of the knee are severed to allow the knee to track correctly. The pain I used to get could be quite severe and affect me underneath, the outer side and behind the knee. My kneecap used to stick and release sharply, causing pain, as it became “stuck” due to arthritic wear. I also had numerous meniscus tears and repairs but that pain tends to be a burning sensation or one where it feels as if something is caught in the joint upon movement. Arthritic pain for me began to develop into even more sharp pain walking up & down stairs & on inclines, as well as gnawing and throbbing afterwards. Another lateral release, micro fracture, many meniscus repairs & removal and then 4 chondroplasties followed over 20 years (4 surgeries on each knee with numerous procedures included). My tibia and femur would grind together, no surprise that I had early onset arthritis which became bone on bone in one knee in my mid 40’s. I’d had years and years of knee stiffness for hours in the day (& night), I couldn’t kneel or lunge, squat because of severe pain. Walking was severely curtailed. As I’m female, I had to wait until I was in the perimenopause before being scheduled for a knee replacement, so that my bones would begin to harden and therefore the implant would not possibly become loose. My better knee was deemed “good enough” to have a tibial Osteotomy whereby a wedge of bone is removed to change to the better side of the kneecap that will then be worn down. Hopefully that surgery will delay the other knee being replaced.

Just prior to the first lockdown, I quite suddenly, only a month after my last surgery, had trouble walking any distance. I have had continual pain upon walking, bar any short term improvement from surgeries, for the last 20 years or so. Stairs/inclines have always caused me the worst pain but now any walking was causing me severe pain, especially in my worst knee. Stiffness, throbbing, extra grinding pain, my kneecap sticking and unsticking and a feeling that my knee joint wasn't as strong as it used to be (it has never given way but I began to doubt it would support me sitting down & getting up). I felt decades older than my 50 years and became distressed at my continuing lack of mobility. In March of this year, I was scheduled to have my knee replacement but it had to be postponed! I had to have emergency extensive lower back surgery! I’m now going to have my knee operated on from November onwards, due to the blood thinners that are given for the replacement which could cause my still healing back to bleed and hamper its lengthy recovery.

I’m hoping that you haven’t got so many muscular - skeletal problems as I have and that you can run for many years to come.

A tip for going upstairs is to go up on tiptoe, you’re limiting the range of motion your knees will go through and it should be pain free.

All the best

Mitch