The knee joint is one of the largest joints in the human body. It is subjected to a huge load, as it takes almost the entire weight of our body. The knee joint is often injured.
The presence of knee pain can be a sign of a 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 appears 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 joint tissues or a chronic inflammatory process. For a chronic process, the most characteristic is the presence of painful pain in the knee joint.
By nature, pain in the knee joint can be arching, painful and also accompanied by a number of other manifestations:
- Swelling and redness in the joint area;
- joint deformity;
- Limitation of joint movements;
- The presence of a crackling in the joints during movement.
Causes of knee pain
Knee pain can be the result of aging and wear and tear on the components of the knee joint. The most common cause of sharp pain in the knee is trauma and damage to the joint. The most common knee injuries are:
- Fractures and bruises, which most often occur during a fall and are accompanied by acute pain;
- Torn ligaments or tendons;
- meniscus tear;
- Displacement of both knee joints and patella.
Against the background of injuries to the knee joint and injuries, 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 joint tissues, as well as inflammatory processes:
- Scholarships. Bursitis is an inflammation of the joint bag, which is accompanied not only by pain, but also by swelling.
- Tendinitis. Tendonitis is an inflammation of one or more tendons. This inflammation can occur when the patella tendons are damaged. Very often they occur in people who are professionally engaged in running, jumping, skiing, as well as 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 cysts and tumors that press on nearby tissues, 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.
- some sports. Some sports put a lot of stress on the knee joint, which increases the risk of chronic injuries.
- The presence of diseases such as osteomyelitis and osteoporosis, which lead to brittle bones, thus increasing the risk of fractures.
Knee pain while 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 are to some extent devoid of cartilage tissue.
Pain in the knee during extension and bending
Pain in the knee during stretching and bending indicates an inflammatory process in the tendon-ligament apparatus of the knee joint, and also occurs with inflammation of the articular bag (bursitis). Inflammation in the tendon-ligament apparatus of the knee joint can occur when the patellar tendon is damaged. Most often, this pathology appears in people involved in sports.
The second cause of pain in the knee joint during bending and stretching is degenerative-dystrophic changes in the cartilage tissue of the joint (osteoarthritis).
Knee pain at rest
Aching 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 periarticular sac (bursitis).
Knee pain at night increases with age and is often seen 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 shift, 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.
Diagnosing
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 performs a complete examination. To rule out accompanying pathologies, the doctor can prescribe a consultation with other specialists, for example, a neurologist.
Instrumental diagnostic methods include X-ray examination, magnetic resonance or computerized 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 lesion, the specialist prescribes a specific treatment plan. Often, the treatment of knee pain is 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 drugs or chondroprotectors are also prescribed in courses of 3 to 6 months, which help to reduce inflammation, joint pain and also help to slow down the destruction of cartilage, for example, these drugs include combined drugscontaining substances glucosamine. and chondroitin sulfate.
Non-drug therapy is based on physiotherapeutic methods: UHF, massage, physiotherapy exercises, mud therapy, magnetic therapy and others. It is also recommended to wear insoles or special orthopedic shoes selected individually by the doctor.
If conservative methods are ineffective, the treatment of knee pain requires a more serious approach: the doctor may recommend different surgical methods of treatment.