Are you suffering from knee pain? Did you realize more and more Americans are. What is sad is that most don't realize that it could be arthritis. They just think it is some kind of knee injury.

Arthritis is a degenerative joint disease that affects over 40 million Americans over the age of fifty. The symptoms cause pain, swelling, and stiffness in the affected joints. It may also cause joint deformities and restricted range of motion. In the case of knee pain caused by osteoarthritis, the swelling in the knee joints is caused by cartilage damage and sometimes excess mineral deposits in the tissues.

The cartilage in the knee is a protective covering that works to serve as a buffer between bones. The knee cartilage keeps the bones from rubbing against one another. If it wears out through a knee injury or just plain old age, the protection is no long there causing knee pain.

Your diet can also play a role in your susceptibility to knee joint pain. If your diet is constantly high in sugar, this can cause dehydration of the joints because it becomes too concentrated with sugar instead of water. When your joints are stiff, water is needed to increase joint mobility and provide lubrication. This is why it is important to drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day.

Of course not all knee pain is cause by arthritis. If you are notice knee pain while walking up stairs, squatting, or bending down and it is constant, make an appointment to see your health care professional. Also you may hear a constant grinding and knee popping which may also be a symptom of osteoarthritis.

Fortunately, there is good news for arthritis pain sufferers. If you indeed find out your are in the early stages of arthritis, there are some very good natural products on the market that have been proven to work.

One natural supplement that is widely used in these products is called Glucosamine. Glucosamine is a natural substance found in shell fish which helps to rebuild damage cartilage. Other supplements that these products use are MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) and Chondroitin. A natural sulfur compound like MSM can remove excess mineral deposits and more new cartilage can be rebuilt in the knee by taking chondroitin.

If you decide that a natural product is the way to go, make sure it has natural ingredients that work together to reduce joint pain and inflammation, help to rebuild damage cartilage, and reduce excess mineral deposits in the joints. Why are you still suffering from arthritis knee pain when you don't have to. There is help.