Of all the joints in the human body, knee pain is the most common complaint of people. The knee joint is complex, carries a large load during different types of physical activity, so there can be many reasons for pain in it. Knee pain, even if it appears occasionally and goes away on its own, should not go unnoticed.
Knee pain, regardless of intensity, significantly impairs quality of life. There is no joy from your favorite type of outdoor activity, efficiency decreases and a simple shopping trip becomes a problem.
In our article, we will look at what to do if your knee joints hurt, how to treat them, and whether it is possible to get rid of knee discomfort forever - the last question is especially important for older people consideringsedentary movement and joint pain. syndrome an indispensable companion of age.
Diagnosis of pain
- It is necessary to discover the nature of the pain. The pain can be sharp, burning, stinging, aching.
- Abolition of the circumstances of the onset of pain - at night, after exercise, while walking, in the morning, sudden sharp pain.
- Were there any other signs of joint damage: swelling, hyperemia (redness), deformity of the joints, cracking, limited mobility.
- Check for a history of infection, stress, leg injury or increased physical activity.
- Perform an instrumental examination at a medical and preventive institution (LPU) - blood test, X-ray diagnosis, synovial fluid analysis.
Causes of knee pain
There are more than 200 joint pathologies, most of which are associated with more than just pain. Only on the basis of a complex of symptoms and examinations can you determine what is causing your knee pain.
Traumatic pathology
In traumatic pathologies, knee pain occurs with joint damage (stroke, fall, prolonged joint stress - typical of athletes) or with general body disease.
Let's examine the main traumatic pathologies.
Knee fracture
Fracture or displacement of the patella, fracture of the femoral condyle and / or tibia. When you fall from a height on your knees, in case of car accidents, etc.
The victim experiences a sharp sharp pain at the moment of impact, over time the pain does not stop, may weaken slightly, but intensifies with pressure or walking.
The joint swells, deforms, fills with blood (hemarthrosis), the knee does not bend and the patella becomes abnormally mobile.
Dislocated knee
It is characterized by the displacement of the ankle bones relative to each other. Knee joint dislocation is of varying complexity (complete, incomplete, complicated by soft tissue rupture, etc. ).
The usual dislocation occurs as a result of a knee injury or as a result of a congenital anomaly: weakness or excessive elasticity of the ligaments, flat sliding paths of the femur at the joints, excessively high patellar position.
Dislocation of the knee joint is a very serious injury and if you do not take care of it in time, it can all end in serious complications. Knee dislocation is the most painful of all types, although it is a rare occurrence.
Serious injuries such as dislocations should be treated in medical institutions, so there should be no independent intervention. This is what traumatologists do.
Tightening, rupture of tendons, ligaments
Depending on the degree of damage (partial rupture of individual fibers, incomplete rupture, complete rupture), symptoms appear: cracking and clicking during movement, bruising below the rupture site, limitation of bending-extension of the joint, swelling of the knee, very mobile joints. (with complete ligament fracture). The pain is sharp and strong, but with a slight injury it may not appear immediately, but after a while.
bursitis
Inflammation of the periarticular bursa due to trauma, infections, metabolic disorders, autoimmune diseases. It often appears in athletes and overweight people. The knee swells, the pain varies in intensity, but increases with exertion and at night.
Meniscus rupture
It may be the result of trauma or degenerative changes in cartilage tissue. Acute trauma is characterized by severe pain, swelling, and limited mobility. The symptoms for degenerative changes are mild.
Joint diseases
Knee pain can be a symptom of a medical condition.
We have listedThe most common diseases with knee pain syndrome:
Rheumatism
Diagnosis is much less common than in the 19th and 20th centuries. This is due to the discovery of penicillin (and subsequent production of other antibiotics), and low diagnostic capabilities in the past, when almost all joint diseases iattributed to rheumatism.
A characteristic sign of rheumatism is alternating joint pain: first one joint becomes inflamed, then the other. For example, knee pain decreases but appears in another large joint (elbow, thigh).
Rheumatism is more common in children and adolescents, the disease develops after a streptococcal infection of the upper respiratory tract.
Note: advanced rheumatism leads to damage to the heart (rheumatic heart disease) or nervous system (korea).
Reactive arthritis
It is more common in people of reproductive age, as inflammation of the joints is most often caused by pathogenic microbes that enter sexually into the human body.
Very rarely, reactive arthritis is caused by infections of the gastrointestinal tract or infectious inflammation of the nasopharynx (sore throat, flu). After 1-4 weeks after the illness, the patient notices that his feet started to ache at night.
Both large joints (knees, ankles) and small ones (pain or toe pain) can become inflamed and painful. Knee pain is accompanied by swelling and / or redness.
Sometimes symptoms include conjunctivitis (inflammation and pain in the eye), keratoderma (thickening of the skin on the soles of the feet).
Reiter syndrome
Urethritis (frequent and painful urination) and bowel disorders are associated with the symptoms of common reactive arthritis.
Osteoarthritis
Disease of the elderly. Periodically the knees ache at night "for the weather". Load on the joints (long walk) increases pain, swelling and impairs joint mobility.
After resting and warming up, the pain disappears.
Baker's cyst
Swelling in the back of the knee, causing a feeling of tightness, difficulty moving.
Osteochondritis dissecans (Köning disease)
The cartilage that covers the bone is stripped, the injured knee hurts, and when the fragment is completely detached, the movement of the joint is impeded.
Osgood-Schlatter disease
It is most often diagnosed in adolescents. Knee pain increases when climbing and descending stairs, sitting down.
Rheumatoid arthritis
An autoimmune disease, the mechanism of which is unclear. It is noted that the initial circumstances are the usual list of loads on the immune system: from stress and infection, to hypothermia. Immune bodies that attack their cells cause inflammation of the joint, especially its synovium.
Under the influence of an attack by immune cells, the membrane swells, increases in volume and then begins to grow in cartilage and nearby bone tissue. The result of the process is pain in the knee joints, which becomes unbearable in the second half of the night.
The disease lasts for years, treatment consists of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroid hormones, gold preparations, immunosuppressants, antimalarial drugs.
Occurs from improper metabolism. Due to alcohol abuse, "purine" products (meat, smoked meat, pickles).
Blood-produced uric acid is deposited in the joints in the form of sodium urate crystals. Increasing "deposits" gradually affect the mobility of the joint, appear strong pain attacks, the time interval between attacks is gradually reduced.
Vascular pain in the knee is characterized by a tingling sensation along the vein, sometimes patients notice an acute tingling sensation.
Only a doctor, after a detailed examination, can tell why the knee hurts, if there were no obvious injuries. It is not wise to rub the knee joint with a medicine that "helped a neighbor". After all, what helps heal a joint injury can provoke a deterioration in the autoimmune mechanism of the disease.
Treatment of knee pain
The doctor chooses a treatment regimen depending on the diagnosis.
Therapeutic measures are aimed at combating:
- with the cause of the disease - infection, tumor, abnormal metabolic processes, immune system failure.
- with pain syndrome - symptomatic treatment includes pain relievers, intra-articular blockade.
- with degenerative processes - chondroprotective drugs help to restore the cartilage tissue of the joint.
If necessary, resort to surgery, endoprosthetics, use physiotherapy and therapeutic exercises for the joints.
Pain relief products
Checklist for those with knee pain - what to do to alleviate the condition.
| Cause of pain | What to do |
|---|---|
| Pain that clearly results from trauma | Provide joint and limb immobility, ice or cold compress on the knee. Immediate medical attention. |
| Pain in arthritis (reactive, rheumatoid, etc. ) | Specific treatment with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory drugs is prescribed only by a doctor. For night pains, you can apply a warming compress, ointment based on bee venom. |
| Osteoarthritis pain (post-traumatic, age-related, overweight people) after exercise or at night | Any warming compress with herbal solution, rubbing in ointments with chondroprotectors. |
Severe joint pain is relieved by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
But most patients (overweight people, age-related changes in the joints) will not have to think about what to do with the pain if they follow the preventative minimum:
- Proper nutrition with a sufficient amount of calcium, vitamins, fight against excess weight;
- Reduction of severe stress in the joints until the change of work, if it consists of "standing" all day;
- Systematic physical therapy for strengthening muscles and ligaments - a good muscular corset reduces the load on the bones;
Joint diseases can develop over the years and lead to a significant deterioration in quality of life. A timely visit to a doctor and an arsenal of folk remedies will help maintain the joy of moving into old age.
Joint treatment at home - popular recipes
The courses use homemade recipes for oils and compresses based on natural ingredients - this is the only way to achieve a lasting result.
7 Simple Folk Remedies For Knee Pain:
- Cabbage leaves. On a fresh leaf cuts are made so that the juice comes out. Put a spoonful of honey in the middle and apply this "compress" on the knee. The sheet is fixed with a bandage. Wear a bandage all day or do the procedure at night. Burdock and plantain leaves are used similarly.
- Propolis tincture for arthritis. If the knees "twist" at night (causes of dull pain may be from changing weather to stress on the feet), lubricate the joint with a mixture, rubbing it into the skin until it dries. If the knees hurt a lot, then they make a complete compress: moisten the soft tissue with solution and apply to the joints, cover with a film and wrap with a scarf. The tool is also used to warm the joint if the injured knee has cooled. Also used tinctures from natural stimulants: aloe, Kalanchoe, zombie, dead bee.
Important:Biologically active substances can not be used if the disease is of an autoimmune nature. Stimulants activate the immune system and aggravate the disease.
- Compresses with gelatin. A piece of gauze soaked in hot water is squeezed, 1 tablespoon is poured in the center. gelatin, applied to the joints, wrapped in parchment paper and wrapped. Repeat the procedure for 14 days overnight. The product promotes joint nutrition and cartilage regeneration.
- A mustard compress will help you if your knee hurts a lot. Take honey and dry mustard in equal proportions, add warm water and salt until a firm consistency is created. Lubricate the knee with a mixture, spread it with a cloth with a film and bandage. Exposure time 20–40 min. , Remove in case of severe burning sensation. A mustard compress is used for pain every other day.
- In order not to hurt the feet, prepare a medicine for oral administration: gelatin is mixed in 0. 5 liters of water in the evening, heated in the morning until completely dissolved. The mixture is taken before meals for ¼ - 1/2 cup, drunk for a month.
- Internal goat fat (100 g) is mixed with balm "Zvezdochka" (1 jar), the resulting ointment is rubbed for venous and key pain in the knee.
- Mask with kefir. 0, 5 l of crumbled kefir bread, add 1 tbsp. soda. The mixture is insisted for 6 hours. The fluid is then filtered, moistened with gauze and compressed overnight for a few days, until the pain disappears.
It is advisable to apply regular home treatment with folk remedies, combining with traditional medicine and modern methods. Do not wait until the disease is already firmly established and declared with severe pain, deformity of the joint. An early visit to the doctor will speed up recovery, while the chronic form of the disease is more difficult to cure.
Note:treatment with folk remedies is allowed only with the approval of the doctor, after examination and diagnosis.