Causes of the pain

The cause of pain in knee arthrosis does not, as one might initially assume, come from the cartilage itself. This cartilage has no pain receptors. The situation is different for the periosteum and the inner surface of the joint capsule of the knee joint, both of which have numerous pain receptors.

When the two cartilages have rubbed together to such an extent that the joint surfaces rub directly against each other, severe pain is the result. Another cause of pain in knee arthrosis is the tiny cartilage particles that are created when the cartilage halves rub against each other. Over time, these now free particles cause an inflammatory reaction in the joint.

The joint capsule triggers the release of certain endogenous inflammatory substances, which ensure that more synovial fluid is produced in the joint, promote blood circulation and irritate pain-sensitive receptors on the inner surface of the joint. The consequences are severe pain, limited mobility, and a clearly visible redness and swelling of the knee joint. As a rule, the inflammation subsides on its own after a few days, which is why patients often feel the arthrosis pain in phases.

Pain during strength exercises

In the context of the therapy of knee arthrosis, pain may occur during conservative therapy as well as during the post-operative treatment following a successful operation. There can be various possible causes for the pain. Incorrect execution of the exercises, unconscious movements or excessive weight can trigger the pain.

Due to the lengthy arthrosis process, the knee joint can be extremely weakened and only gradually needs to be brought back to an appropriate level of loading. As a general rule, patients should not exercise beyond the pain threshold and may have to stop the exercise.If the pain persists despite the abortion, the cause should be clarified by the doctor. Overall, it makes sense to take sufficient breaks between the individual strengthening exercises to give the knee time for rehabilitation and not to overstrain it with too many stimuli. In order to ensure that the therapy is as uncomplicated as possible, it is important that the strengthening exercises are supervised by an experienced therapist and are individually tailored to the patient’s needs. This means that the exercises should slowly increase in intensity.