The knee joint is one of the largest joints in the human body. It is subjected to a great load, because 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 serious pathology. Pain in the knee joint not only restricts movement and causes discomfort, it can cause disability.
What kind of knee pain?
Knee pain is a common complaint and can occur at any age. 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 occurs as a result of 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 tissue or chronic inflammatory processes. For chronic processes, the most characteristic is the presence of pain in the knee joint.
In nature, pain in the knee joint can be curved, painful, and also accompanied by several other manifestations:
- Swelling and redness in the joint area;
- joint deformities;
- Limitation of movement in the joints;
- The presence of stiffness in the joints during movement.
Causes of knee pain
Knee pain can be caused by aging and wear and tear of the knee joint components. The most common causes of pain in the knee are trauma and damage to the joint. 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;
- Dislocation of both the knee joint itself and the patella.
Against the background of injury to the knee joint and damage, 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 tissue, as well as inflammatory processes:
- Bursitis. Bursitis is an 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 tendon is damaged. Most often it occurs in people who are professionally involved in running, jumping, skiing, as well as cyclists.
- Arthritis is inflammation of the joints. The most common is osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease in which all components of the joint are affected, especially the cartilage, ligaments, capsule 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 tissue, thereby causing pain in the knee joint.
Several factors can increase the risk of knee pain:
- Overweight. Being overweight or obese puts more pressure on the knee joint, which increases the risk of osteoarthritis.
- The presence of knee joint injuries in the past.
- certain sports. Some sports put a lot of stress on the knee joint, which increases the risk of chronic injury.
- The presence of diseases such as osteomyelitis and osteoporosis, which lead to brittle bones, thereby increasing the risk of fractures.
Knee pain when walking
Pain in the knee joint, which increases with movement, is often a sign of degenerative-dystrophic disease (osteoarthritis). Pain occurs as a result of contact during movement of the articular surface, which has little cartilage tissue.
Pain in the knee during extension and flexion
Pain in the knee during extension and flexion indicates an inflammatory process in the tendon-ligamentous apparatus of the knee joint, and also occurs with inflammation of the articular bag (bursitis). Inflammation of the tendon-ligamentous apparatus 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 is degenerative-dystrophic changes in the cartilage tissue of the joint (osteoarthritis).
Knee pain at rest
Knee pain at rest, especially at night, is often a sign of osteoarthritis. Other causes include sprains, damage to the meniscus, cartilage, tendon inflammation (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 any case, if there is a dislocation, do not try to straighten the joint yourself.
Avoid sudden movements, do not put a large load on the joint - this can only increase the 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 pathology, the doctor may prescribe a consultation with another specialist, for example, a neurologist.
Instrumental diagnostic methods include X-ray examination, magnetic resonance or computed tomography (MRI / CT) and ultrasound of the knee joint.
Laboratory research methods are general blood and biochemical tests.
Knee pain treatment
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 therapy.
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 a course of 3 to 6 months, which help to reduce inflammation, joint pain, and also help to slow down the destruction of cartilage, for example, this drug includes a combination drug containing 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 special orthopedic insoles or 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 various methods of surgical treatment.