The knee joint is one of the largest joints in the human body. It is subjected to a great load, as it takes on almost the entire weight of our body. The knee joint is often injured.
Knee pain can be a sign of serious illness. Pain in the knee joint not only restricts movement and causes discomfort, it can lead to disability.
What is knee pain like?
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 illness (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 tissues of the joint or a chronic inflammatory process. For a chronic process, the most characteristic is the presence of aching pain in the knee joint.
By nature, pain in the knee joint can be arched, 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 a creak in the joint during movement.
Causes of knee pain
Knee pain can be the result of aging and wear of the components of the knee joint. The most common cause of acute knee pain is trauma and joint damage. The most common knee injuries are:
- Fractures and bruises, which most often occur during falls and are accompanied by acute pain;
- torn ligaments or tendons;
- meniscus tear;
- Dislocations of both the knee joint itself and the patella.
Against the background of injuries and damage to the knee joint, diseases such as bursitis and tendonitis 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:
- Bursitis. Bursitis is inflammation of the joint bag, which is accompanied not only by pain, but also by swelling.
- Tendinitis. Tendonitis is inflammation of one or more tendons. This inflammation can occur when the patella tendons are damaged. Most often they occur in people who are professionally engaged in running, jumping, skiing and 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.
A number of factors can increase the risk of knee pain:
- Overweight. Being overweight or obese puts more stress on the knee joints, which increases the risk of osteoarthritis.
- The presence of knee joint injuries in the past.
- certain sports. Some sports put a lot of strain on the knee joint, which increases the risk of chronic injury.
- The presence of diseases such as osteomyelitis and osteoporosis, which lead to fragility of the bones, increases the risk of fractures.
Knee pain when walking
Pain in the knee joint, which increases with movement, is often a sign of degenerative-dystrophic diseases (osteoarthritis). Pain occurs due to contact during movement of the joint surfaces, which are to some extent devoid of cartilage tissue.
Knee pain during extension and flexion
Knee pain during extension and flexion indicates an inflammatory process in the tendon-ligament apparatus of the knee joint and also occurs with inflammation of the joint bag (bursitis). Inflammation in the tendon-ligamentous system of the knee joint can occur when the patella tendon is damaged. Most often, this pathology occurs in people involved in sports.
The second cause of pain in the knee joint during flexion and extension are degenerative-dystrophic changes in the cartilage tissue of the joint (osteoarthritis).
Knee pain when resting
Aching knee pain at rest, especially at night, is very often a sign of osteoarthritis. Other causes include sprains, damage to the meniscus, cartilage, inflammation of the tendons (tendonitis), inflammation of the periarticular sac (bursitis).
Knee pain at night increases with age and is often seen in overweight people.
What not to do with pain syndrome
First of all, you should not self-medicate, but it is better to immediately seek the help of 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 pain.
Diagnostics
If you have pain in the knee joint, you should see an orthopedic doctor. First of all, the specialist asks the patient, collects complaints and conducts a thorough examination. To exclude concomitant pathologies, the doctor may prescribe a consultation with other specialists, for example, a neurologist.
Instrumental diagnostic methods include x-ray examination, magnetic resonance or computed tomography (MRI / CT), and ultrasound of the knee joints.
Laboratory research methods are general and biochemical blood tests.
Knee pain treatment
Depending on the nature of the injury, the specialist prescribes a specific treatment plan. Knee pain treatment is often complex and includes drug and non-drug therapies.
Drug therapy includes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and analgesics. These drugs reduce inflammation and pain in the joints. A group of slow-acting or chondroprotective drugs is also prescribed in courses of 3 to 6 months, which help reduce inflammation, joint pain, and also help slow the destruction of cartilage, for example, these drugs include combination drugs that contain glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate substances.
Non-drug therapy 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 chosen 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.