The knee joint is one of the largest joints in the human body. It is subjected to a large load, as it takes almost all the weight of our body. The knee joint is often injured.
The presence of knee pain can be a sign of serious pathology. Pain in the knee joint not only limits movement and causes discomfort, but can lead to disability.
How is the knee pain?
Knee pain is a common complaint and can occur in people of all ages. Pain in the knee joint itself can be not only the result of an injury, but also a sign of a serious disease (osteoarthritis, gout).
There are two types of pain: acute and chronic. Acute knee pain most often occurs as a result of an injury or is a sign of an acute inflammatory process.
Chronic knee pain is characterized by a gradual increase in pain. The main cause of chronic pain is the development of degenerative-dystrophic changes in the joint tissues or a chronic inflammatory process. For a chronic process, the most characteristic is the presence of pain in the knee joint.
By its nature, pain in the knee joint can be arching, aching, and also accompanied by a number of other manifestations:
- Swelling and redness in the joint area.
- joint deformity;
- Limitation of movements in the joint.
- The presence of twisting in the joint during movement.
Causes of knee pain
Knee pain can be a result of aging and wear and tear on the components of the knee joint. The most common cause of sharp knee pain is trauma and damage to the joint. The most common knee injuries are:
- Fractures and bruises, which occur more often during falls and are accompanied by sharp pain.
- Torn ligaments or tendons.
- meniscal tear?
- Dislocations of both the knee joint itself and the patella.
In the context of knee joint injuries and damage, diseases such as bursitis and tendinitis can develop.
Other causes of pain in the knee joint include the presence of degenerative-dystrophic changes in the tissues of the joint, as well as inflammatory processes:
- Folliculitis. Bursitis is an inflammation of the joint, which is accompanied not only by pain, but also by swelling.
- Tendonitis. Tendonitis is an inflammation of one or more tendons. This inflammation can occur when the patellar tendons are damaged. Very often they appear in people who are professionally engaged in running, jumping, skiing, as well as in cyclists.
- Arthritis is inflammation of the joint. The most common is osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease in which all components of the joint are affected, mainly cartilage, ligaments, capsules and muscles. Joint inflammation can also be infectious (septic arthritis) and autoimmune (rheumatoid arthritis).
Less common causes of knee pain include the presence of cysts and tumors that compress nearby tissues, thereby causing pain in the knee joint.
Several factors can increase the risk of knee pain:
- Overweight. Being overweight or obese puts more pressure on the knee joints, which increases the risk of osteoarthritis.
- The presence of knee joint injuries in the past.
- some sports. Some sports put a lot of stress on the knee joint, which increases the risk of chronic injury.
- The presence of diseases such as osteomyelitis and osteoporosis, which lead to brittle bones, thus increasing the risk of fractures.
Knee pain when walking
Pain in the knee joint, which increases with movement, is most often a sign of degenerative-dystrophic diseases (osteoarthritis). Pain occurs due to contact during movement of the articular surfaces, which to some extent lack cartilage tissue.
Knee pain on extension and flexion
Pain in the knee during extension and bending indicates an inflammatory process in the tendinous-ligamentous apparatus of the knee joint and also occurs with inflammation of the synovial sac (bursitis). Inflammation in the tendinous-connective apparatus of the knee joint can occur when the patellar tendon is damaged. Most often, this pathology occurs in people engaged in sports.
The second cause of pain in the knee joint during flexion and extension is degenerative-dystrophic changes in the cartilage tissue of the joint (osteoarthritis).
Knee pain at rest
Knee pain at rest, especially at night, is most often a sign of osteoarthritis. Other causes include sprains, damage to the meniscus, cartilage, inflammation of the tendons (tendinitis), inflammation of the bursitis (bursitis).
Knee pain at night increases with age and often occurs in people who are overweight.
What not to do with pain syndrome
First of all, you should not self-medicate, but it is better to immediately seek help from a specialist. In no case, if there is a dislocation, do not try to straighten the joint yourself.
Avoid sudden movements, do not create a large load on the joint - this can only increase the pain.
Diagnostics
If you have pain in the knee joint, you should consult an orthopedic doctor. First of all, the specialist questions the patient, collects complaints and conducts a thorough examination. To exclude simultaneous pathologies, the doctor may prescribe a consultation with other specialists, for example, a neurologist.
Instrumental diagnostic methods include x-ray, magnetic resonance or computed tomography (MRI / CT) and ultrasound of the knee joints.
Laboratory research methods are general and biochemical blood tests.
Treatment of knee pain
Depending on the nature of the damage, the specialist prescribes a specific treatment plan. Often, the treatment of knee pain is complex and includes drug and non-drug treatments.
Drug therapy includes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and pain relievers. These drugs reduce inflammation and pain in the joint. A group of slow-acting drugs or chondroprotectors are also prescribed in courses of 3 to 6 months, which help to reduce inflammation, pain in the joints and also help to slow down the destruction of cartilage, for example, these drugs include combined drugs containing substancesglucosamine and chondroitin sulfate.
Non-pharmacological treatment is based on physiotherapeutic methods: UHF, massage, physiotherapy exercises, mud therapy, magnetotherapy and others. It is also recommended to wear special orthopedic insoles or shoes selected individually by the doctor.
If conservative methods are ineffective, the treatment of knee pain requires a more serious approach: the doctor can recommend various surgical methods of treatment.