Knee pain is a common symptom that everyone experiences at least once.It can happen only once and occurs after an injury, overload or unsuccessful movement.Less commonly, it is pathological, caused by inflammatory, degenerative and dystrophic processes in the knee joint, knee ligaments, adjacent bones or surrounding soft tissues.
The intensity and nature of the pain may vary: from minor discomfort to debilitating, burning, sharp or cutting pain.Often, the pain is accompanied by additional symptoms - soft tissue swelling, local increase in skin temperature, redness and swelling.If pain in the knee area bothers you periodically or for longer than 1-2 days, do not ignore the symptoms and seek help from a doctor.An orthopedist or traumatologist will carry out a diagnosis, determine the cause of the pain and choose the appropriate course of treatment.
Causes of knee pain
- Bruises after falling on the knee or a blow, where the exudate accumulates outside the joint capsule or inside, and the skin quickly acquires a characteristic reddish-blue color;
- sprains caused by excessive tension - with damage to muscles, ligaments, synovial bursa, popliteal muscles - accompanied by the accumulation of exudate and often instability of the knee joint;
- partial avulsion or complete rupture of the ligament due to a strong external force, which is accompanied by a prolonged loss of stability and significant functional limitation of the limb.
- A meniscus tear is the result of simultaneous flexion and twisting of the knee, when the meniscus is partially or completely torn from the tibia;
- rupture of the cruciate ligament, most often occurs during braking movements;
- primary osteoarthritis - wear pathology of articular cartilage, which loses elasticity and causes increased friction in the joints and constant pain in the knee area;
- rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which immune cells attack the synovial membrane, gradually destroying the articular cartilage and connective tissue;
- patellofemoral pain syndrome is pain in the knee joint, in the anterior part, which develops due to excessive load and is not accompanied by any structural changes.
Types of knee pain
Painful sensations in the knee are divided into several groups according to the following criteria:
Due to the incident
- Physiology - the body's natural response to periods of standing, sitting, or being in an uncomfortable position;
- traumatic - as a result of damage to the knee joint itself and adjacent tissues;
- pathology - as a result of inflammation of the knee joint, dystrophic or degenerative processes in it.
By frequency
- Once - usually it is physiological, not intensive and disappears on its own within a few minutes or hours;
- periodic - associated with frequent repetitive loads, for example, in professional athletes or recurrent diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis;
- chronic - they constantly bother a person, most often occur with joint pathology and can increase as the disease progresses.
According to the time of the event
- Occurs only after exercise, for example, while walking or squatting;
- worse after trying to step on foot;
- constantly disturbing, regardless of physical activity and pressure on the injured leg.
Diagnostic methods
When a patient complains of pain in the knee, the doctor writes down the symptoms, determining when the pain started, what injury and other factors preceded its development.To limit the list of lesions and suspected diseases of the joints, he conducts an examination by palpation and checks the mobility during the test.Specialists make an accurate diagnosis after blood tests and hardware diagnostics, for example, radiography or magnetic resonance imaging:
Which doctor should I contact?
To diagnose the cause of your knee pain, see a rheumatologist or orthopedic specialist.If the pain syndrome is preceded by an injury, make an appointment with a traumatologist.Depending on the accompanying symptoms, consultation with a surgeon and neurologist may be necessary.
Treatment for knee pain
The course of treatment for painful knees depends on the cause.Minor bruises and sprains are treated with rest and the use of local warming and healing ointments.For more serious injuries, it may be necessary to immobilize the limb using an orthosis or cast: in such cases, to relieve pain, the patient is given analgesics in tablets or injections.The treatment of joint diseases is carried out comprehensively, with the use of anti-inflammatory drugs, chondroprotective drugs, and physiotherapeutic procedures.
Consequences
After an injury, the prognosis depends on the severity of the injury.As a rule, recovery from bruises and sprains takes up to 1-2 weeks.Recovery after ligament rupture takes longer;The worst prognosis for a meniscus tear is that the instability of the knee joint can persist for a long time.
Joint diseases without timely treatment lead to gradual destruction, deformation and loss of mobility.Often the changes are irreversible, and if treatment is not started on time, the normal function of the joint cannot be restored.
Prevent knee pain
- Do a regular warm-up if you stand for a long time or sit in an uncomfortable position;
- avoid overloading and knee injuries;
- avoid hypothermia, wear warm pants in winter;
- eat more foods with vitamin D and phosphorus;
- regularly undergo scheduled medical examinations with an orthopedic specialist and do not trigger any degenerative and inflammatory processes in the knee joint.