Knee pain is a pathological condition that plagues many people of all ages. The causes of the pain syndrome can be very diverse: from a minor injury, which will pass on its own in a few days, to serious inflammatory diseases. Why does the knee hurt, how to alleviate your condition at home and prevent discomfort in the future? Let’s find out in this article!
Causes of Knee Pain
Most often, pain in the knee joints is caused by injuries, diseases of the connective tissue and bone structures, complications of neurological pathologies, and malignant tumors. You should not try to diagnose yourself: the best thing to do is to seek medical help from a professional promptly. An experienced traumatologist will conduct a diagnostic study and determine the cause of the pain, prescribing conservative or surgical treatment.
Unfortunately, pain in the knee joint often occurs in everyday life. No one is immune from falls and other injuries that entail:
- Knee injury. A widespread injury. The injured knee is characterized by swelling and redness, the local temperature rises slightly.
- Ligament rupture. The cause of the injury is too much eversion of the thigh or lower leg in an unnatural direction. She was accompanied by severe pain.
- Fracture of the knee joint. This injury includes damage to soft tissues, bones, cartilage, and ligaments. Causes excessive mobility of the knee and its deformation.
Diseases of the Knee Joint
Many people in the world suffer from articular pathologies. If the joints are affected, then their mobility decreases, and an acute or aching pain syndrome occurs. There is a very large load on the knees, therefore, due to illness, they are quickly destroyed.
The most common diseases of the knee joint are:
- Arthritis is an inflammatory process that occurs after injury or metabolic disorders.
- Bursitis — leads to swelling and inflammation of the joint bag, and causes excruciating pain and discomfort during movement.
- Periarthritis is inflammation of the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Incredibly unpleasant sensations become if the leg is bent at the knee.
- Chondropathy — leads to the gradual destruction of the joint and cartilage.
- Osteoporosis — characterized by weakening of bone structures, aching intense pain in the knee.
Pain in the knee area and discomfort when walking are also provoked by pathological conditions of the central nervous system. With neuritis, the nerve becomes inflamed in one or more areas, and the patient’s leg may involuntarily contract at the knee. A pinched nerve is characterized by burning sharp pain, numbness, and in some cases paralysis of the limb.
How does Knee Pain Feel?
You can try to determine the cause of the disease, based on how exactly the pain is felt. We remind you once again: an accurate diagnosis and subsequent treatment can only be prescribed by a doctor specializing in this field. Let’s try to understand the most popular types of knee pain.
Aching Pain in the Knee Joint
Aching pain can indicate various pathologies — osteoporosis, and bursitis. Note that most often at first they are weak and mild, but over time they disturb a person more and more.
Acute Pain in the Knee Joint
Most often occurs due to neuritis and pinched nerve. Acute pain is accompanied by all joint injuries — from bruising to dislocation and fracture. If you hurt your knee or fell on it and feel severe, sharp pain, immediately seek help from a traumatologist.
Pain in the Knee Joint When Bending
If the leg becomes painful to bend, most likely, the knee cartilage is damaged. This symptomatology can also indicate tendon deformity, arthritis, ligament damage, or inflammation of the periarticular bag. You should also be alerted by a crunch in the knees.
Pain in the Knee Joint When Walking
Many patients who come to our clinic for medical care are concerned about knee pain that occurs during movement. A similar phenomenon is typical for arthrosis, osteoporosis, and chronic meniscal injuries.
What to do if Your Knee Hurts
Unfortunately, most often people seek help from a traumatologist only if they have injured their knee. But if the calyx or patella starts to hurt not because of an injury, most people prefer to endure it to the end and make an appointment with a doctor when the disease progresses rapidly and causes severe pain.
Remember — neglect of knee problems and self-treatment is fraught with such consequences:
- A sharp deterioration in well-being increased pain in a state of activity and rest.
- Strengthening the inflammatory process, the possible addition of a secondary infection.
- Weakening of immunity due to uncontrolled use of drugs.
- Damage to other parts of the musculoskeletal system due to improper load distribution.
How do relieve pain in the knee joint? If the pain syndrome is sudden, appeared after heavy exertion, and is not associated with an injury, no medication should be taken. Most likely, these are muscle pains that will pass after rest. But if your knees hurt and swell, you should contact a specialist.
How to Treat Knee Joints
Knee joints can be treated conservatively and surgically. If the disease at the initial stage of the injury did not lead to a violation of the integrity of the structures of the knee, therapy is indicated. The most effective methods:
- The use of anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs, as well as vitamins and special substances that improve blood circulation and nutrition of connective and bone tissues. You can find drug options at international online services or Canadian pharmacy, such as Advance Canadian Pharmacy.
- The use of ointments and compresses is designed to reduce the intensity of pain and minimize swelling.
- Massage, physiotherapy, and manual therapy — improve the general well-being of the patient and lead to a speedy recovery.
If the constituent parts of the knee, in particular, the cartilage and the joint, are out of order, surgical intervention is recommended.
How to Relieve Knee Pain at Home
How to relieve acute pain in the knee joint? We strongly discourage self-medication. The best thing to do is to make an appointment with a doctor. But to improve your well-being, you can use:
- Anti-inflammatory ointments that contain an anesthetic component.
- Ice compresses (their use is especially important after injury).
- Painkillers based on ibuprofen or paracetamol.
Also, do not forget that the sore knee needs to be rested. Try to move less and rest more.
Prevention for Knee Joints
Any pathology is easier to prevent than to cure. Therefore, it is better to try to maintain the health of the knees, adhering to the following recommendations of traumatologists:
- Watch your weight, move a lot, and try to avoid stress and overwork.
- Do not engage in traumatic sports.
- Wear properly fitting orthopedic shoes.
- Introduce a sufficient amount of foods rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and collagen into the diet.
We hope the article was useful and interesting. May your knees always be healthy!