07/17/2026
Knee pain isn’t always “just getting older.”
Understanding what’s causing your pain is the first step toward finding the right treatment.
This article from the Cleveland Clinic explains the different types of knee arthritis, common symptoms, and treatment options in an easy-to-understand way.
Well worth the read if knee pain has become part of your daily life.
Arthritis is a disease that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in your joints. It most often affects the larger joints in your body that take the most stress — like your knee joints. So, it’s common to get arthritis in one or both of your knees, especially as you get older. Arthritis of the knee can be a serious, debilitating condition. Healthcare providers take a multipronged approach to treating knee arthritis, including things like medications, lifestyle changes and surgery when necessary. Some treatments vary by the type of knee arthritis you have, but many treatments are for all types.
Different types of knee arthritis have different root causes, but they all lead to the same end. Inflammation in your joint tissues causes pain and swelling. Damage to the cartilage in your joint makes things worse. Cartilage is what cushions the bones in your joints and allows them to move smoothly against each other. When the cartilage wears away, you're left with bone grinding against bone.
Arthritis of the knee is either degenerative or inflammatory. Osteoarthritis is degenerative. This means that regular use of your knee over time has begun to wear the cartilage down. The loss of cartilage causes inflammation. On the other hand, inflammatory arthritis (like RA) starts with inflammation in your joint. The inflammation causes the cartilage to break down. Your immune system causes the inflammation.
There are many signs and symptoms of arthritis of the knee:
-Creaking, clicking, grinding or snapping noises (crepitus)
-Difficulty walking
-Joint pain that varies with the weather
-Joint swelling
-Skin warmth and discoloration
-Knee stiffness and locking
-Knee weakness and buckling