The knee joint is one of the largest joints in the human body. It is subjected to a heavy load, as it takes almost the entire weight of our body. The knee joint is often injured.
The presence of pain in the knee can be a sign of a serious pathology. Knee pain not only limits movement and causes discomfort, but can lead to disability.
What is 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. Sharp pain in the knee 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. The presence of pain in the knee joint is most characteristic of a chronic process.
By nature, pain in the knee joint can be twisting, painful and accompanied by a number of other manifestations:
- Swelling and redness in the joint area;
- deformity of the joint;
- Limitation of movements in the joint;
- The presence of a crunch in the joint 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 acute knee pain is trauma and damage to the joint. The most common knee injuries are:
- Fractures and bruises, which most often occur when falling and are accompanied by sharp pain;
- Torn ligaments or tendons;
- meniscus tear;
- Dislocations of both the knee joint itself and the patella.
Against the background of knee joint injuries and damage, diseases such as bursitis and tendinitis 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 an inflammation of the joint bag, which is accompanied not only by pain, but also by swelling.
- Tendinitis. Tendinitis is inflammation of one or more tendons. This inflammation can occur when the tendons of the patella are damaged. They are very common in people who are professionally engaged in running, jumping, skiing, as well as cyclists.
- Arthritis is inflammation of a 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 press on 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, increasing 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, increase the risk of fractures.
Knee pain when walking
Pain in the knee joint, which increases with movement, is most often a sign of degenerative-dystrophic diseases (osteoarthritis). The pain occurs due to contact during movement of the joint surfaces, which are to some extent devoid of cartilage tissue.
Knee pain when extending and bending
Pain in the knee during extension and bending 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-ligament apparatus of the knee joint can occur when the patellar tendon is damaged. Most often, this pathology occurs in people engaged 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 most often a sign of osteoarthritis. Other causes include sprains, damage to the meniscus, cartilage, inflammation of the tendons (tendinitis), inflammation of the bursa (bursitis).
Knee pain at night increases with age and is often seen in people who are overweight.
What not to do with the 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 luxation, 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.
Diagnosis
If you have pain in the knee joint, you should consult an orthopedist. First of all, the specialist questions 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.
Treatment of knee pain
Depending on the nature of the lesion, the specialist prescribes a specific treatment scheme. Often, the treatment of knee pain is complex and includes drug and non-drug treatment.
Drug therapy includes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and analgesics. These drugs reduce inflammation and pain in the joint. A group of slow-acting drugs or chondroprotectors are also prescribed in courses of 3 to 6 months, which help to reduce inflammation, pain in the joints and also help to slow down the destruction of cartilage, for example, these drugs include combined drugs that contain the substances glucosamineand chondroitin sulfate.
Non-drug therapy is based on physiotherapeutic methods: UHF, massage, physiotherapeutic exercises, mud therapy, magnetotherapy, etc. 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 can recommend various surgical methods of treatment.