Why Does Your Knee Arthritis Hurt So Much?

All arthritic pain, ultimately, is caused by knee cartilage damage which produces inflammation and swelling, thereby firing your pain nerves. In some severe cases, you may also lose the natural painkillers produced in your brain and spine - as a result, your knee pain is even worse.

Your cartilage damage results from either of two problems - poor joint health and trauma.

Trauma

If you have knee arthritis now, then your articular joint cartilage was damaged many years ago, either from general wear-and-tear over time (called micro-trauma), or from a specific trauma such as a sports injury. Possibly, it's the result of both.

Cartilage is a slippery substance like Teflon that coats your knee bones, allowing them to slide across each other without friction. Your knee is full of joint fluid - a thick lubricating gel.

Your damaged cartilage causes inflammation and knee swelling that fires your pain nerves. Damaged cartilage is like having sandpaper on the ends of your knee bones, rubbing together, constantly wearing away your joint - day after day, year after year - until there is little or none left. As you grind the cartilage off, it exposes the pain nerve endings that are hidden below, in the knee bones. This sets-up a constant, never-ending Inflammation Pain Cycle - often, you have hidden triggers that make that cycle even worse.

Poor Knee Joint Health

Knee cartilage is full of essential nutrients like Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Hyaluronic Acid, and Collagen type 2, along with certain vitamins and minerals - all needed by your joint cells to maintain and rebuild healthy cartilage. Vitamin D3 is needed (along with all those other nutrients) for your joint cells to grow and maintain healthy cartilage.

Vitamin D3 to the Rescue

If your Vitamin D3 levels are low, you may sleep poorly; have chronic arthritis knee pain with inflammation; and, a reported up-to-threefold increase in cancer risk and heart disease.

Your skin synthesizes Vitamin D when exposed to strong UVB sunlight. Many people slather on sunscreen that effectively blocks the very UVB rays needed for the synthesis of Vitamin D3. And with so many of us working indoors, we often don't get out in the sun enough. Even worse, others live in a northern climate that offers limited, ineffective sun exposure in the winter.

Get a blood test for 25-OH Vitamin D3 and aim for a level between 40-100.

Here are some of my general Vitamin D3 recommendations for your knee arthritis:

• If you have a good tan, you do not need supplementation
• If you have dark skin, unless you enjoy 8 -10 hours a day in the sun, you'll need supplementation
• Take 4,000 - 8,000* IU at night, depending on how deficient you are
• Take capsules - not tabs - for better absorption
• Use a quality product like Now, Carlsons or Solgar Capsules 1000 or 2000 IU

*4,000 to 8,000 IU may sound like a lot, but it's really only 2 to 4 mg. If you're light-skinned, you generate up to 50,000 IUs or more of Vitamin D3, in just half-an-hour of strong sunlight.

Most people sleep well after taking Vitamin D3, while the rare individual gets insomnia. If that happens to you, take your Vitamin D3 in the morning. You'll still get the sleep benefit at night.

For best results, combine Vitamin D3 with these other knee treatments:

1) Reduce Inflammation and Pain - ice or heat treatments, natural anti-inflammatory supplements - not drugs or medications, knee exercises for joint synovial fluid movement, knee brace, physical therapy, knee exercises, stretching for flexibility

2) Find and Eliminate Hidden Pain Triggers - knee exercises to strengthen weak muscles, arch support inserts (foot orthotics), proper shoes, knee pads, avoid inflammatory foods, lose extra weight

3) Prevent Pain and Inflammation from Returning - knee exercises, weight training, arch support inserts (foot orthotics), proper shoes, anti-inflammatory diet, fish oil, natural anti-inflammatory supplements with healthy joint nutrients, cardiovascular fitness, meditation, Tai Chi

Last Resort and All-Else-Fails Common Arthritis Knee Treatments - Anti-inflammatory drugs, cortisone injections, Hyaluronic injections, Knee Replacement Surgery or a High Tibial Plateau Surgery.

Try some Vitamin D3 - it just might help relieve your knee arthritis pain.

Please - always check with your doctor before making any changes in your diet, medications, supplements or exercise program.