Knee pain is a common symptom that every person experiences at least once.It can be one-time in nature and occur after injuries, overloads or unsuccessful movements.Less commonly, it is pathological, caused by inflammatory, degenerative and dystrophic processes in the knee joint, knee ligaments, adjacent bones or surrounding soft tissues.
The intensity and nature of the pain may vary: from minor discomfort to debilitating aching, burning, sharp or cutting pain.Often, pain is accompanied by additional symptoms - swelling of soft tissues, local increase in skin temperature, redness and swelling.If pain in the knee area bothers you periodically or for longer than 1-2 days, do not ignore the symptom and seek help from a doctor.An orthopedist or traumatologist will conduct a diagnosis, determine the causes of pain and select the appropriate course of treatment.
Causes of knee pain
- Bruises after falling to the knees or blows, in which exudate accumulates outside the joint capsule or in it, and the skin quickly acquires a characteristic reddish-blue tint;
- sprain caused by excessive tension - with damage to muscles, ligaments, synovial bursa, popliteal muscle - is accompanied by the accumulation of exudate and often instability in the knee joint;
- partial avulsion or complete rupture of ligaments as a result of strong external force, which is accompanied by prolonged loss of stability and significant functional limitations in the limb
- A meniscus tear is a consequence of simultaneous flexion and twisting of the knee, when the meniscus is partially or completely torn from the tibia;
- rupture of the cruciate ligaments, most often occurring during braking movements;
- primary osteoarthritis - pathological wear of articular cartilage, which loses elasticity and provokes increased friction in the joint and constant pain in the knee area;
- rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which immune cells attack the synovial membrane, gradually destroying articular cartilage and connective tissue;
- patellofemoral pain syndrome is pain in the knee joint, in the anterior part, which develops as a result of excessive loads and is not accompanied by any structural changes.
Types of knee pain
Painful sensations in the knees are divided into several groups according to the following criteria:
Due to the occurrence
- Physiological - the body’s natural reaction to long periods of standing, sitting, or being in an uncomfortable position;
- traumatic - the result of damage to the knee joint itself and adjacent tissues;
- pathological - a consequence of inflammation of the knee joint, dystrophic or degenerative processes in it.
By frequency
- One-time - most often they are physiological in nature, non-intensive and go away on their own within a few minutes or hours;
- periodic - associated with regularly repeated loads, for example, in professional athletes or recurrent diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis;
- chronic - they constantly bother a person, most often occur with pathologies of the joint and can intensify as the disease progresses.
By time of occurrence
- Occurring only after exercise, for example, when walking or squatting;
- worse after trying to step on the foot;
- constantly disturbing, regardless of physical activity and stress on the injured leg.
Diagnostic methods
When a patient complains of pain in the knees, the doctor writes down the symptoms, specifies when the pain began, what injuries and other factors preceded its development.To limit the list of suspected lesions and diseases of the joints, he conducts an examination with palpation and checks mobility during tests.A specialist makes an accurate diagnosis after blood tests and hardware diagnostics, for example, radiography or magnetic resonance imaging:
Which doctor should I contact?
To diagnose the cause of your knee pain, see a rheumatologist or orthopedist.If the pain syndrome was preceded by an injury, make an appointment with a traumatologist.Depending on the accompanying symptoms, consultation with a surgeon and neurologist may be necessary.
Treatment for knee pain
The course of treatment for painful knees depends on their causes.Minor bruises and sprains are treated with rest and the use of local warming and healing ointments.For more serious injuries, it may be necessary to immobilize the limb using an orthosis or a cast: in such cases, to get rid of pain, the patient is prescribed analgesics in tablets or injections.Treatment of joint diseases is carried out comprehensively, with the use of anti-inflammatory drugs, chondroprotective drugs, and physiotherapeutic procedures.
Consequences
After injury, the prognosis depends on the severity of the injury.As a rule, recovery from bruises and sprains takes up to 1-2 weeks.Rehabilitation after ligament ruptures takes longer; the most unfavorable prognosis for a meniscus fracture is that instability of the knee joint can persist for a long time.
Joint diseases without timely treatment provoke their gradual destruction, deformation and loss of mobility.Often the changes are irreversible, and if treatment is not started on time, normal functioning of the joint cannot be restored.
Preventing knee pain
- Do regular warm-ups if you stand for a long time or sit in an uncomfortable position;
- avoid overload and knee injuries;
- avoid hypothermia, wear warm trousers in winter;
- eat more foods with vitamin D and phosphorus;
- regularly undergo scheduled medical examinations with an orthopedist and do not trigger any degenerative and inflammatory processes in the knee joint.