Yes, absolutely — sudden knee swelling and pain when bending are very common symptoms of RA affecting the knee, even without any injury. RA can cause the lining of the knee joint to become inflamed, which leads to swelling, stiffness, and that sharp, intense pain when trying to bend it.
Some myRAteam members have described Show Full Answer
Yes, absolutely — sudden knee swelling and pain when bending are very common symptoms of RA affecting the knee, even without any injury. RA can cause the lining of the knee joint to become inflamed, which leads to swelling, stiffness, and that sharp, intense pain when trying to bend it.
Some myRAteam members have described it as:
- "Swollen, knife-like pain and tightness when trying to bend my knee"
- "Inflamed, swollen, hot, red, stiff, painful joints"
- "Both knees pound and feel hot"
So you are definitely not alone in this experience! One thing worth knowing — if the knee is also warm to the touch or very red, it's worth contacting your doctor soon. They may want to drain the fluid to check whether it's inflammation from RA or rule out an infection, which is important to do quickly.
Leaving knee swelling untreated can lead to permanent joint damage over time, so getting it checked out sooner rather than later is really the best move here.
13 hours ago
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