Does your knee hurt because of an injury or a medical condition? Do they give you pain as you age?
These two questions are often asked by people. As knee pain is among the most common problems that can limit your daily activities and interrupt your quality of life. If it gets worse, your life can also be put at stake.
Your knees can damage due to injury, ligament tear, cartilage tear, muscle strain or any other medical condition. Hence, it is essential to know in-depth about the most stressed joint in your human body.
Moreover, knowing about the right treatment for knee pain can help you
About Knee Pain
Knee pain is considered as one of the most common symptoms of a chronic condition or a traumatic injury. Any type of pain or discomfort that you may feel around or in your Knee joint is called knee pain.
Knee joint is the joint that connects the thigh to the lower leg. Knee is called the biggest joint in the body. Hence, it absorbs all your body weight when you move. That is why there are high chances of injury to the knee joint.
When you are having knee pain, you may feel pain in:
● Above or behind your knees
● Pain coming from your bones or cartilage
● Pain coming from multiple parts of your leg
Knee pain can be short term. However, there can also be long term effects of this pain. Hence, it is essential to not ignore your knee pain. Discovering its symptoms on time and taking the right type of treatment for knee pain can be ideal in the long run.
Causes of Knee Pain
Muscles and tendons are vital for moving your knee joint. When any structure of your knee gets damaged, it causes pain. So, you need to get the ideal treatment for knee pain. Though, it is important to know about the causes of your knee pain.
Some of the most common causes of your knee pain includes:
● Osteoarthritis: In this condition, your knee cartilage wears gradually.
● Rheumatoid Arthritis: Your knee may swell or cartilage may get destroyed. This condition is also checked while you undergo the treatment for knee pain.
● Ligament Injuries: Injuries to the Anterior Cruciate Ligament usually happen from twisting motions. Whereas injuries from the Posterior Cruciate Ligament is caused by a direct impact like an impact from the car or any sport activity.
● Tendon Injury: These injuries basically range from inflammation to tear or to overuse of the knee in sports.
● Cartilage injuries: Injury, muscle weakness , knee misalignment, overuse can soften cartilage or may tear it off.
● Broken Kneecap: A small, round bone known as patella which sits on the front of a knee joint can break as a result of fall or a direct blow to your knee.
● Obesity: Extra weight can alo be the cause of your knee pain. Excess weight can tax your knee joint and put more pressure or discomfort on your knee.
● Overuse and Underuse: People who twist, pound or sprint their feet often on the hard surface have probabilities of getting knee pain or knee injuries. Your medical conditions are checked thoroughly while doing the treatment for knee pain. Moreover, underuse of the knee because of prolonged bending or sitting can also cause knee pain.
Management of Knee Pain
Pain management is an essential part or the first step in treating knee pain. A pain management specialist aims at lessening the discomfort and assisting in fastening recovery.
Various treatment options help in diagnosing knee pain. Though, getting the best treatment for knee pain depends upon the severity or cause of your pain. Therefore, it is required to know about all the treatment options that can help in giving relief from knee pain.
Home Care For Knee Pain
Knee pain can vary from person to person. Inflammation is called the response that your body gives to knee pain. Hence, in different knee pains, a doctor usually tries to break the inflammation cycle. This cycle mainly starts with a knee injury. When inflammation becomes long and chronic, knee pain can occur. In this case, right treatment for knee pain becomes vital.
In case of knee pain, you can first adopt some home treatments. To break your inflammatory cycle, you can follow the PRICE Method. It stands for; Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.
● Protection: You need to protect your knee from any further injury. You can make use of splints or knee pads. A knee pad helps in controlling various symptoms of knee injuries like bursitis.
● Rest: Rest is essential to reduce your knee strain. It is the best home treatment for knee pain to let it heal.
● Ice: Icing the knee helps in reducing swelling. It can be used for short and long term knee injuries. You can do it for 10 to 20 minutes in a day for two to three times.
● Compress: Compressing your knee with the help of a wrap or a knee brace is good to reduce the overall swelling.
● Elevate: Elevating your knee helps in reducing the overall swelling. This method basically works with the help of gravity as it helps in keeping fluid from building up in the knee.
When do you Need to See a Doctor?
There is one simple thumb rule. It applies to both long-term and short term knee pains. Before going to get the treatment for knee pain, wait for a week after your PRICE therapy. If the symptoms won’t go away with the therapy, medication or other home methods, make an appointment with your doctor.
Though, there are symptoms for which you need not to wait to see the result of PRICE therapy. These symptoms include:
● Unbearable pain
● Pain that is waking you
● Pain that is not getting better with rest
● Large wounds
● Fractures
● Severe infections
● Swelling
● Puncture wounds
Diagnosis of Knee Pain
Before starting the treatment for knee pain, a doctor or an orthopedic surgeon will first go for proper diagnosis to understand the severity of your knee pain. In a physical exam, a doctor will:
● Inspect knee for any sort of swelling, tenderness, pain or visible bruising
● Check the movement of your lower leg in varied directions
● Push or pull the joint in order to evacuate the structure of your knee
Imaging Test
After asking several questions and checking your symptoms, a doctor may also suggest certain tests to rule out some consequences. These tests form an integral part of a good treatment for knee pain. Some of these tests include:
● X-ray: A doctor can recommend x-ray for detecting a bone fracture. X-ray can also be useful to detect degenerative joint disease
● CT Scan: CT scanners are also a combination of x-rays. It is being taken from varied angles for creating the cross-sectional images
Non-Surgical Treatment for Knee Pain
In several cases, your knee pain may not require any type of surgical intervention. There are several non-surgical treatments for knee pain that can give you relief and comfort in no time.
Medications
Medications can be another safe route for getting effective and timely treatment for knee pain. In case of fast-pacing pains, medications would be an apt choice.
Medication can also be prescribed for the treatment of an underlying medical condition or to get immediate pain relief. When you take anti-inflammatory medications, you need a doctor's analysis or evaluation.
● There are some commonly used drugs or pain relievers like naproxen or ibuprofen that help in treating your knee pain. These drugs help in controlling knee pain. When they are taken in high doses as a part of treatment for knee pain, they act as inflammatory agents. Thus, helping in breaking the cycle of inflammation.
● Acetaminophen is also used for treating knee pain. Though, it doesn't possess anti-inflammatory agents. It is helpful in giving relief from conditions like osteoarthritis.
● inside your body. It also help in the diagnosis of bone issues or subtle fractures
● Ultrasound: In this technology, sound waves are being used to get real-time images of tissue structures around your knee. A doctor may ask you to move your knee in different positions. Ultrasound helps in ruling out several problems before starting treatment for knee pain.
● MRI: In MRI, radio waves or a powerful magnet is being used for creating 3D images inside your body. This one test is useful in detecting injuries related to soft tissues. These injuries can be related to tendons, muscles or cartilage.
● Lab Tests: In case of an infection or an inflammation, you may need to go for a blood test before starting your treatment for knee pain.
Bracing
Bracing is suggested in order to give external stability to your knee joint. Braces are usually designed in such a way so as to stabilize your joint, reduce pain or strengthen your knee muscles.
Braces help in the realignment of your joint by putting pressure on both sides. This helps in increasing mobility and reducing overall pain. This is an ideal treatment for knee pain.
Injections and Infusions
When you undergo treatment for knee pain, certain medications are directly injected in your knee. There are several injections available to get better relief from knee pain. Moreover, with the help of infusion therapy, medications are also given directly into your muscles for reducing overall pain.
Physical Therapy
Exercise programs and physical therapy can help in strengthening your muscles and softening the tissues of your knee joint. This can improve the overall flexibility of a knee joint. Physical therapies are touted to be a healing treatment for knee pain and to alleviate it.
Surgical Options for the Treatment of Knee Pain
In certain cases,surgery would be an ideal alternative for your knee pain treatment. There are several surgical options available that a doctor may suggest as a part of your treatment for knee pain.
The most common knee pain surgical option includes:
● Arthroscopic Surgery: A doctor can manage or repair a joint damage with the help of an optical fiber camera by using narrow tools with the help of small incisions around your knees. This surgery is a highly recommendable treatment for knee pain to remove loose bodies from a knee joint or repair your knee cartilage. It can also be used to reconstruct your torn ligaments.
● Partial Knee Replacement: This is a procedure in which a surgeon replaces all damaged portions from your knee with metal or plastic instruments. It is also performed with the help of small incisions so that you can heal quickly.
● Total Knee Replacement: It is a surgical procedure in which a surgeon cuts your damaged bone or cartilage from thigh bones while replacing it with high-grade plastic or metal made artificial joints.
● Osteotomy: This procedure involves removal of bones from shinbone or thighbone in order to align your knees or relieve you from the pain of arthritis.
Conclusion
Any type of pain or discomfort around your knees or knee joint could be a symptom of severe knee pain. Hence, it should not stay ignored or unattended. Getting the right treatment for knee pain is vital to get back to the normalcy of your life.
FAQ
What type of injury can cause knee pain?
Knee pain can cause several types of injuries. These injuries can be in the form of strains, ligament tears, sprains, broken bones or cartilage tears. These injuries can cause serious knee pain and you may need immediate treatment for knee pain.
Can my posture affect my knees?
Yes, your posture can affect your knees. For example; if you hunch forward or slouch, you may be putting excess weight in front of your knees. It can cause pain or discomfort. Improving your posture can be an ideal self treatment for knee pain.
What could be the cause of stiff joints?
There can be several causes of stiff joints. Several conditions like gout, arthritis, bursitis, bone cancer and lupus can cause stiffness of joints.
Can hip pain be caused because of knee pain?
Knee pain can affect your body joints and can cause severe pain in your hips and back. This pain can be felt while you walk, sit or move. Hence, this pain can also be treated alongside the treatment for knee pain.
Can knee pain occur because of arthritis?
If your age is above 50 and you don’t have any injury, the pain can probably occur because of arthritis. This pain can be caused by wear and tear on your knee.
When do I need a knee replacement?
You may need to undergo a knee replacement surgery in the following conditions:
● Severe pain in knee that is interfering your day to day activities
● Swelling that is not getting better with medications
● Knee pain hurts when you are resting
● Knee stiffness
Is walking good for knee pain?
Walking can be good to get relief from knee pain. It is easy for your joints and can also help in improving your heart health.