Knee pain occurs among patients of all ages and lifestyles. Such pain is observed during physical activity for a variety of reasons: from injuries or bruises to significant diseases and inflammation. Ignoring it can lead to serious consequences. A common question is: what to do if you have pain? At the first painful sensation it is advisable to consult a doctor to avoid hospitalization; treatment should only be carried out by a doctor.
The first manifestation of knee pain is usually caused by heavy loads, wear and tear and deformation of the joint. The disease is felt not only during excessive stress, but also at rest, during rest and while carrying out daily activities. In this article we will look at why the knee hurts, the main methods of diagnosis and treatment.
What is the knee joint?
The knee joint of our body supports a high load and body weight; It is responsible for most injuries and stress during falls, sports and heavy lifting. The knee joint itself is one of the largest in our body.
The knee joint includes:
- the joint itself;
- muscles;
- knee brace;
- menisci;
- Joint capsule;
- ends of the femur and tibia,
- ships,
- nerves,
- ligaments
Each of these components is susceptible to damage, although the pain is not always felt immediately. For example, with a dislocated or torn meniscus and a torn anterior cruciate ligament, mobility will be reduced and vascular damage will cause a hematoma. Infection can begin in the knee joint capsule after infectious diseases. If the patient has a neurological disease, excruciating pain in the knee may be felt. Additionally, it can radiate to the joint with pain in the femur, tibia and muscles.
Causes of joint pain
The nature of pain can be divided into two groups: acute and chronic. Acute pain is characterized by progressive and rapidly developing pathologies. Chronic diseases, on the other hand, are rather slow and require lifelong treatment. The causes of this pain vary and so does the treatment.
Let's look at the main causes of pain.
Pain due to injury
The cause of acute pain is injuries and various traumatic actions. You can injure yourself from a bad fall, playing sports or wearing uncomfortable shoes. The pain begins to be felt a few days after the injury. Usually the knee has a slight swelling and victims feel quite tolerable pain. Depending on the severity of the injury, abrasions may be present on the surface of the skin. Furthermore, excess weight, abuse of bad habits and the peculiarities of the profession and work increase the risk of accidents.
Types of injuries:
- Knee bruise.Frequent and minor damage. Swelling and redness appear in the knee area and the surface temperature increases. Even a minor knee injury can cause the destruction of joint tissue cells.
- Distortions.Sometimes a muscle, ligament or tendon sprain goes unnoticed and causes sharp, excruciating pain in the knee, and the joint itself becomes unstable when you step on the leg.
- Ligament rupture.It can appear due to strong twisting of the leg in an unnatural direction and causes severe pain, swelling and swelling.
- Meniscus tear.It appears due to a heavy load, a blow to the knee, twisting of the leg and its unnatural position. A torn meniscus prevents the legs from moving normally. It often occurs in athletes and is accompanied by swelling, bleeding, and the inability to bend the leg. There is a rule regarding sports: the knee may hurt, but it should disappear in the morning after training. If the disease does not disappear, you need to consult a doctor.
- Articular fracture.Due to the fracture, the soft tissues are also damaged, causing severe pain and deformation of the knee.
Unpleasant sensations in the knee are not always characterized by a disease in this department. Sometimes a herniated disc can cause knee pain at night. Discomfort can also occur if the knee joint is used too little and the associated muscles lose tone.
Asymmetry of the sacrum and pelvic bones can also provoke the appearance of pain in the knee joint. It occurs due to a difference in the length of the lower extremities, which can be a consequence of congenital characteristics or curvature of the pelvis, including due to scoliosis.
Knee diseases
Any inflammation or damage to the knee structure causes discomfort, especially during movement. And the infection isn't always localized to the knee itself. In general joint diseases, the whole body is affected, and the knees are most damaged due to heavy stress. Also, in case of injuries or diseases of the spine or a fracture of the femoral neck, pain in the knee joint may occur. Let's look at some of them:
- Arthritisit is an inflammatory process that develops after trauma resulting from an infection or metabolic problems. If left untreated, the cartilage in the knee joints continues to wear away progressively, causing increased pain.
- Rheumatoid arthritis– an autoimmune disease in which the body's defense cells negatively affect tissues. The joint loses mobility, swelling appears, pain is constantly present and manifests itself with an increased sensation of stiffness.
- Rheumatism– adolescents and people who have recently had streptococcal illnesses are usually vulnerable. Characterized by alternating unpleasant sensations.
- Gonarthrosis (arthrosis).It develops in one or both knees. This disease is characterized by the appearance of degenerative-dystrophic processes with the growth of connective and bone tissue that interferes with movement. At the beginning of the disease the discomfort begins to be felt only after a long walk, but as the disease progresses the pain begins to appear even after walking short distances. It is difficult to get up from a chair, squat or climb stairs. Pain doesn't just bother you at rest. Destruction or thinning of the shock-absorbing cartilaginous tissue occurs. As gonarthrosis develops, a creaking of the knee and a deformation of the joint are noted.
- Reactive arthritis– begins a few days after an intestinal infection. Severe pain combined with swelling and redness of the skin on the right or left knee usually indicates reactive arthritis.
- Bursitis– inflammation of the joint capsule, which leads to severe pain and discomfort during movement.
- Periarthritis– inflammation of the tendons, muscles and ligaments surrounding the knee joint. Painful sensations appear with an increased load on the bent leg.
- Chondropathy– destruction of the cartilage that surrounds the knee joint and cushions friction and shock.
- Neoplasms– when they appear, the vessels are compressed and the joint capsule is deformed, causing pain and limiting mobility.
- Osteoporosis– the tissues weaken, become more fragile, the calcium content in the bones gradually decreases.
- Osteomyelitis– inflammation of the bone tissue appears in the affected area, accompanied by swelling, fever and acute and severe pain.
- Osteoarthritis– the inflammation of the joint capsule gradually localizes to the heads of the bones. The cartilage wears away and thins, preventing the bone heads from sliding more easily during limb movement. An aching pain occurs.
- Osteoarthritis– a disease that affects all components of the joint.
- Patellofemoral pain syndrome– often occurs in young patients. During physical activity the kneecap moves forward. This happens due to incorrect position of the foot, excessive and heavy loads with unprepared muscles.
- Osgood-Schlatter disease– knee pain when bending, climbing stairs, squatting.
- Nerve damage and nervous tissue disorders.Shooting pain, numbness and tingling in the lower limbs and loss of mobility appear. A pinched nerve appears due to inflammation, neoplasm or previous injury. Or neuritis develops: inflammation of the nerve in one or more areas. Severe pain is felt, mobility and sensitivity are reduced and the limb twitches involuntarily.
- Impaired blood supply.
- Various other infectious diseases.The complications that arise contribute to the appearance of weakness and pain.
In addition to the listed diseases, others can contribute to the appearance of pain: synovitis, ligamentitis, tendinitis, gout, neuropathy, cysts and others.
Therefore, knee pain is always a sign of a pathological process that affects the cartilaginous, bone or soft tissue structures of the knee itself, or of damage to the nerve that innervates it.
Knee pain diagnosis
To begin treatment, it is necessary to establish an accurate diagnosis by a doctor in the clinic using diagnostic measures.
The patient seeks an appointment with an osteopath, orthopedic traumatologist, surgeon or rheumatologist. If necessary, after examination and examination, the patient can be sent to another specialist.
At the appointment, the doctor collects the medical history: complaints, symptoms and problems affecting the patient, infections and chronic diseases. Next, the doctor may palpate the affected area and ask the patient to perform various movements and tests. For example, he bends and straightens his knee. This will provide the first information on the degree of discomfort.
To obtain additional information and determine an accurate diagnosis, the patient is sent for one or more tests:
- radiography (X-rays);
- ultrasound examination (ultrasound);
- magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) therapy;
- computed tomography (CT);
- arthroscopy (a special instrument, an endoscope, is inserted into the joint);
- puncture to collect synovial fluid;
- laboratory tests (general and biochemical blood tests, serological tests).
To diagnose nervous diseases, MRI and CT are used, depending on the contraindications. Some diagnoses require more precise testing.
To relieve knee pain, you can consult an osteopath, physical therapist, chiropractor or massage therapist. An osteopath will help restore the normal position of the pelvic bones and internal organs, which has a positive effect on their functioning, improve the nutrition of all spinal structures by activating blood circulation, and improve posture by eliminating deformities of the spine.
Treatment of knee pain
It is impossible to choose the best medicine for knee pain on your own. This is due to the fact that it is necessary to first find out the true cause of the symptoms and determine the type of pathological disorders in the body.
Treatment of the knee joint is carried out comprehensively. This set of measures includes:
- medicines (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or chondroprotectors - their effectiveness lies in preserving moisture in cartilage cells, inhibiting enzymatic action and stopping the degenerative process);
- preparations, solutions for external use;
- osteopathy;
- performing special exercises and gymnastics, physical therapy;
- physiotherapeutic techniques;
- massages;
- Vitamin complexes are drugs indicated to improve metabolic processes in the body.
Various types of physical therapy treatments can be used to treat musculoskeletal disorders that cause knee pain.
Physical therapy classes are simple and accessible to people of any age, as an individually designed program ensures the creation of a precisely dosed load. For complex therapy, local painkillers are also prescribed, for example, an ointment with dimethyl sulfoxide (there are contraindications: severe diseases of the kidneys, liver, cardiovascular system, pregnancy, breastfeeding) or an anti-inflammatory gel - it is immediately absorbed into the skin, penetrates into its deep layers, relieves swelling and pain.
Pain can also be eliminated using high-frequency techniques: morphological changes remain, but the pain decreases and becomes easier. In addition, special orthoses are often prescribed: bandages, knee pads, splints, tapes, casts and other similar devices. This allows the load to be transferred from the knee and unloaded, reducing the risk of new injuries and promoting rapid rehabilitation. Plasmolifting is rarely used: injections of plasma obtained from the patient's blood directly into the affected knee joint or surrounding soft tissues.
Sometimes a bone realignment procedure or surgery is performed (for example, if bone fragments need to be removed).
The doctor also prescribes painkillers that do not have a negative effect on the articular cartilage.
Pay attention to your diet: a balanced diet can prevent inflammation.
If you have knee problems, you should not self-medicate and undergo various procedures to avoid surgery (operation) and possible complications. This attitude can only worsen the situation and more serious and complex therapy will be necessary. Therefore, it is important to consult a doctor who will establish an accurate diagnosis and prescribe competent treatments, procedures and drugs that will give effect. Take care of yourself and your health!