When most people say they have arthritis in their knees, they are referring to a type of arthritis called osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis is caused by "wear and tear" inside your knee joints. It starts when the knee joint cartilage is damaged.
If you have osteoarthritis in your knees, your knees are likely becoming stiffer and harder to move. You may notice a rubbing, grating, or crackling sound when you move your knee joint.
The phrase "morning stiffness" is the pain and stiffness you may feel when you first wake up in the morning. This stiffness usually lasts for 30 minutes or less, and it gets better with mild activity that "warms up" the joint.
During the day, the pain may get worse at the end of the day when you are active and better when you are resting. After a while, you may have pain after you are resting. You can have stiffness and pain after you sit for a while and try to get up. It may even wake you up at night.
Usually, the cause of osteoarthritis is unknown. The symptoms usually appear in middle age. Almost everyone has some symptoms of arthritis by age 70.
These symptoms may be minor for some and severe in others. Before age 55, osteoarthritis occurs equally in men and women. After age 55, it is more common in women. It also tends to run in families.
These are some factors that make it more likely you will develop osteoarthritis in your knees as you get older:
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