Knee pain occurs in patients of all ages and lifestyles. Such pain is observed during physical activity for various reasons: from injury or bruise to significant disease and inflammation. Ignoring it can lead to serious consequences. A common question is: what to do if you feel pain? At the first painful sensation, it is recommended 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 deformation of the joints. The disease makes itself felt not only during excessive stress, but also at rest, during rest and when performing daily activities. In this article we will consider why the knee hurts, the main methods of diagnosis and treatment.
What is the knee joint?
The knee joint of our body supports significant 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;
- ball joint;
- menisci;
- joint capsule;
- ends of the femur and tibia,
- ships,
- nerves,
- ligaments
Each of these components is susceptible to damage, although 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 hematoma. Infection can begin in the joint capsule of the knee after an infectious disease. If the patient suffers from a neurological disease, shooting pain may be felt in the knee. In addition, it can radiate into 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 rapidly evolving and progressive pathologies. Chronic diseases, on the contrary, are rather slow and require lifelong treatment. The causes of this pain vary, as does the treatment.
Let's look at the main causes of pain.
Pain from injuries
The cause of acute pain is injuries and various traumatic actions. You can get injured due to a bad fall, playing a sport or wearing uncomfortable shoes. The pain begins to be felt a few days after the injury. Usually, the knee has slight swelling and victims experience pain that is quite tolerable. Depending on the severity of the injury, abrasions may be present on the surface of the skin. In addition, being overweight, abusing bad habits and the particularities of the profession and work increase the risk of injury.
Types of injuries:
- Knee bruise.Frequent and light damage. Swelling and redness appear in the knee area and the surface temperature increases. Even a minor knee injury can lead to the destruction of joint tissue cells.
- Sprains.Sometimes a muscle, ligament, or tendon sprain goes unnoticed and causes shooting and sharp pain in the knee, and the joint itself becomes unstable when walking on the leg.
- Ligament rupture.It can appear due to strong twisting of the leg in an unnatural direction and cause severe pain, swelling and swelling.
- Meniscus tear. Appears as a result of heavy load, blow to the knee, twisting of the leg and unnatural position. A torn meniscus prevents your legs from moving normally. Often occurs in athletes and is accompanied by swelling, hemorrhage and inability to bend the leg. There is a rule in sports: the knee may hurt, but it should disappear the next morning after training. If the disease persists, you should consult a doctor.
- Joint fracture.Due to the fracture, the soft tissues are also damaged, causing severe pain and deformity of the knee.
Unpleasant sensations in the knee are not always characterized by 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 cause pain in the knee joint. This occurs as a result of a difference in the length of the lower limbs, which may be a consequence of congenital characteristics or curvature of the pelvis, especially due to scoliosis.
Knee diseases
Any inflammation or damage in the structure of the knee causes discomfort, especially during movement. And the infection is not always localized to the knee itself. In general joint diseases, the whole body is affected and the knees are more damaged due to intense stress. In addition, in case of injuries or diseases of the spine, or a fracture of the femoral neck, pain may occur in the knee joint. Let’s look at some of them:
- Arthritisis an inflammatory process that develops after trauma due to infection or metabolic problems. If left untreated, the cartilage in the knee joints continues to gradually wear away, leading to 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 as an increased feeling of stiffness.
- Rheumatism– as a rule, adolescents are susceptible to it, as well as people who have recently suffered from streptococcal diseases. Characterized by an alternation of unpleasant sensations.
- Gonarthrosis (osteoarthritis).It grows on one or both knees. This disease is characterized by the appearance of degenerative-dystrophic processes with growth of connective and bone tissue that interfere with movement. At the beginning of the disease, discomfort begins to be felt only after a long walk, but as the disease progresses, pain begins to appear even after short distances. It is difficult to get up from a chair, squat down, or climb stairs. Pain doesn't just bother you when you're resting. Destruction or thinning of the shock-absorbing cartilage tissue occurs. As knee osteoarthritis develops, we notice a cracking of the knee and a deformity of the joint.
- Reactive arthritis– begins a few days after an intestinal infection. Severe pain associated with swelling and redness of the skin above the right or left knee usually indicates reactive arthritis.
- Bursitis– inflammation of the joint capsule, leading to intense pain and discomfort during movements.
- Periarthritis– inflammation of the tendons, muscles and ligaments surrounding the knee joint. Painful sensations appear with increased load on the bent leg.
- Chondropathy– destruction of the cartilage which surrounds the knee joint and cushions friction and shocks.
- Tumors– when they appear, the vessels are compressed, and the joint capsule deforms, causing pain and limiting mobility.
- Osteoporosis– the tissues weaken, become more fragile, the calcium content of the bones gradually decreases.
- Osteomyelitis– inflammation of bone tissue appears in the affected area, accompanied by swelling, fever and sharp, intense pain.
- Osteoarthritis– inflammation of the joint capsule gradually localizes to the heads of the bones. The cartilage wears away and thins, causing the bone heads to no longer slide easily as the limb moves. Aching pain appears.
- 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 foot position, excessive and heavy loads with unprepared muscles.
- Osgood-Schlatter disease– knee pain when bending, climbing stairs, squatting.
- Nerve damage and nerve tissue disorders.Shooting pain, numbness and tingling in the lower limb as well as loss of mobility appear. A pinched nerve appears due to inflammation, neoplasms or previous injuries. Or neuritis develops - inflammation of the nerve in one or more areas. Severe pain is felt, mobility and sensitivity are reduced, and the limb contracts involuntarily.
- Impaired blood supply.
- Various other infectious diseases.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, cyst and others.
Thus, knee pain is always a sign of a pathological process that affects the cartilaginous, bony or soft tissue structures of the knee itself, or of damage to the nerve that innervates it.
Diagnosis of knee pain
In order to start treatment, it is necessary to establish an accurate diagnosis from a doctor in the clinic using diagnostic measures.
The patient requests an appointment with an osteopath, an orthopedic traumatologist, a surgeon or a rheumatologist. If necessary, after examination and examination, the patient can be referred to another specialist.
During the appointment, the doctor collects the anamnesis - complaints, symptoms and problems that concern the patient, infections and chronic diseases. After that, the doctor can palpate the affected area and ask the patient to perform various movements and tests. For example, bend and straighten your knee. This will provide initial information on the degree of discomfort.
In order to obtain additional information and determine an accurate diagnosis, the patient is sent for one or more examinations:
- radiography (X-rays);
- ultrasound examination (ultrasound);
- magnetic resonance therapy (MRI);
- 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 scanning are used, depending on contraindications. Some diagnoses require more precise testing.
To relieve knee pain, you can consult an osteopath, physiotherapist, 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 byeliminating spinal deformities.
Treatment of knee pain
It is impossible to choose the best medication for knee pain on your own. This is due to the fact that it is first necessary to 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:
- medicinal (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or chondroprotectors - their effectiveness lies in preserving the moisture of cartilage cells, inhibiting enzymatic action and stopping the degenerative process);
- preparations, solutions for external use;
- osteopathy;
- perform special exercises and gymnastics, physiotherapy;
- physiotherapeutic techniques;
- massages;
- Vitamin complexes are drugs indicated to improve metabolic processes in the body.
Different types of physiotherapy treatments can be used to treat musculoskeletal disorders causing knee pain.
Exercise therapy classes are simple and accessible to people of any age, since an individually designed program guarantees the creation of a precisely dosed load. For complex therapy, local analgesics are also prescribed, for example, dimethyl sulfoxide ointment (there are contraindications: serious diseases of the kidneys, liver, cardiovascular system, pregnancy, breastfeeding) or anti-inflammatory gel - itis instantly absorbed into the skin, penetrates 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 orthotics are often prescribed - bandages, knee pads, splints, bands, casts and other similar devices. This allows you to transfer the load from the knee and offload it, reducing the risk of re-injury and promoting rapid rehabilitation. Plasmolifting is rarely used - injections of plasma obtained from the patient's blood directly into the affected knee joint or into the soft tissues surrounding it.
Sometimes a bone realignment procedure or surgery is performed (for example, if bone fragments need to be removed).
The doctor also prescribes pain relievers 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 attend various procedures in order to avoid surgery (operation) and possible complications. This attitude can only aggravate the situation and will require more serious and complex therapy. Therefore, it is important to consult a doctor who will make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe competent treatment, effective procedures and medications. Take care of yourself and your health!