The knee joint is more prone to injury and deformity than other joints. It carries the weight of the body, it accounts for the proportion of lions bruised in icy conditions, playing sports and carrying. Therefore, knee pain can appear at any age - from children to the elderly.
Doctors identify at least a dozen possible reasons for pain syndrome. How to understand why feet are nervous and how to get rid of knee pain?
Causes of knee pain
Knee pain is acute and chronic. Acute pain, as a rule, is characteristic of rapidly progressive diseases (eg, reactive or post-traumatic arthritis), and chronic pain is characteristic of those slowly requiring treatment. lifelong (arthritis). The causes and treatments for knee pain are different.
However, it is not possible to self-diagnose based on the nature of the pain alone.
Acute knee pain
Acute knee pain occurs immediately after the injury, a few days after the injury (usually in the morning), or some time after an infection. Injury can occur even in everyday activities - its risk increases overweight, bad habits, occupations that involve heavy lifting.
Bruise
When bruised (which may be accompanied by blue, purple or purple bruises or petechiae), the tissues swell due to the accumulation of secretions, their nutrition is disrupted. Due to the fact that the knee joint is not protected by soft tissues, its bruising is very painful and dangerous. Knee pain from a bruise can signal damage to cartilage and periosteum tissue, small cracks in the bone, and other serious problems. Therefore, when pain occurs, it is important to go to the emergency room within 1-2 days after the injury, even if the pain syndrome is not very intense.
A bruise is characterized by severe pain in the knee when pressed, swelling, or noticeable hematoma. Sensation in the knee joint area may be lumpy or tight. If the knee "shoots", an inflammatory process can occur - it must be stopped by an orthopedic doctor.
Lengthen
Severe knee pain is sometimes caused by a sprain that goes unnoticed. With overstretched or overstretched muscles, ligaments, tendons, symptoms may resemble a bruise (accumulation of discharge, pain on pressure, limited mobility in the knee, hematoma)). But the nature of the pain was shot, sharp. The knee is also unstable when stepping on the painful foot - the joint seems wobbly. When prolonged, symptoms develop very quickly.
Gaps and tears
In the event of sudden braking, a flip of a limb, or a direct impact, the ligaments can become detached, allowing the joint to function normally. Typical cotton is often heard. The foot swells rapidly within an hour, the size doubles, the victim feels a sharp pain in the knee. After using a decongestant, abnormal mobility of the knee joint becomes noticeable. This condition needs professional treatment!
Cupping tears
Injuries typical for athletes, often occur when the leg is bent and simultaneously flipped at the knee joint. The pain is usually felt on the inside of the knee. The bleeding is obvious, the swelling is severe, the injured person can't bend the leg at the knee. Patients may require quick surgery to repair the meniscus.
Chronic knee pain
Chronic pain is characterized by a progressive pain syndrome. Its rate of progression can vary from several months to several years. Initially, flexion knee pain occurs after holding a prolonged position, after sleep, at the start, or after physical activity (requires a warm-up). The cause of such pain is usually inflammatory or degenerative-dystrophic in nature.
Knee arthritis
With osteoarthritis, the inflammatory process in the joint sac travels to the ends of the bones. The cartilage tissue of the knee joint wears down and becomes thinner, which is why the ends of the bones can no longer slide freely in the knee when flexing and extending.
In this disease, joint effusion is formed, which interferes with healthy movement as well as friction of the bones. Osteoarthritis of the knee can occur due to genetic causes, trauma (eg, improperly treated ligament damage), etc. v.
Rheumatoid arthritis
The cause of knee pain in this autoimmune disease is the body's own protective cells attacking its own tissues. If the synovial membrane of the knee joint is damaged, the knee joint loses mobility, swelling, heat, and pain. In addition, the patient feels more tired, anorexia, general body temperature may increase (up to below threshold and higher).
With rheumatoid arthritis, the feeling of stiffness and other uncomfortable symptoms is especially noticeable in the morning, right after waking up. This disease requires basic lifelong treatment and follow-up by a rheumatologist.
Pelvic pain syndrome
Young people (especially women) are more likely to be concerned about this issue. There are no structural changes in the knee joint, but the patella may move forward with increased exertion. Causes of pelvic pain can be due to improper positioning of the feet (congenital and acquired), excessive loads - when the muscles are not fully developed to perform the exercise.
Other causes of knee pain include bursitis and bursitis, tendinitis, and tendinitis (inflammation of the bursa, ligament, and tendon, respectively). They are characterized by sharp pain. In addition, patients may suffer from disorders due to gout, neurological disease or spine problems, cysts, cancer and other diseases. Remember: only a rheumatologist can fully assess symptoms after diagnostic tests. Your doctor may prescribe a minimum of 2-3 weeks of maintenance therapy (spontaneous recovery is possible) or develop a long-term treatment strategy for an uninterrupted or recurrent course of treatment.
Diagnosing knee pain
Before treating knee pain, you need to work with your doctor to find out the cause. Diagnosing knee pain begins with oral questioning and physical examination. It is important to determine if the patient has had an injury or infection just before the onset of pain, is there any accompanying symptoms, and under what conditions the pain is most pronounced. Additionally, during the initial examination, the physician may palpate the area of concern and perform motor tests (eg, knee flexion-extension) to assess the extent of the pathological process. .
If I am concerned about knee pain, which doctor should I contact? First, go to an orthopedic or rheumatologist. They will schedule an examination and, if necessary, send you to another doctor.
To determine the preliminary diagnosis, symptoms, and treatment of knee pain, experts order one or more tests:
- X ray;
- Supersonic;
- Magnetic resonance imaging;
- arthroscopy (minimally invasive diagnostic surgery);
- aspiration to obtain joint fluid.
Knee pain treatment
Treatment of knee pain requires an integrated approach, including drug therapy, physical therapy (including therapeutic exercises to strengthen muscles), general health improvement, and wearing an orthopedic brace. especially. It can be elastic bands, knee pads, bandages and other devices that help relieve knee pain, eliminate re-injury due to abnormal mobility, and accelerate rehabilitation.
Treatment of knee pain with medicine
To treat knee pain, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), glucocorticoids, chondroprotectors, and vasodilators play a major role. Specialists are cautious in prescribing simple analgesics, because they do not allow the attending physician and the patient himself to assess the condition of the knee, the patient does not adhere to a gentle regimen.
Anti-inflammatory drugs for knee pain
Eliminating inflammation and pain is one of the top priorities for knee injuries. For this, topical and systemic NSAIDs (knee pain ointments and tablets) are used.
For aches and pains, the patient is given injections to relieve pain in the knee.
For mild to moderate pain, NSAIDs may be prescribed as an ointment to relieve pain in the knee joints. For knee injuries, preparations with a mucopolysaccharide of an ester of polysulfuric acid are recommended. To reduce edema - with dimethyl sulfoxide (also in the form of a compress, if the composition does not irritate the skin).
If NSAIDs are not effective and the patient continues to experience severe pain, the attending physician will choose to give them a glucocorticosteroid in tablet form or intra-articular injection.
Chondroprotectors
Any disease that causes discomfort in the knee, doctors recommend using chondroprotectors for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes. The use of these drugs accelerates the regeneration of connective tissue, especially cartilage tissue, protects it from oxidative shock and promotes the growth of healthy chondrocytes. Chondroprotectors have a positive effect on the rate of rehabilitation after injury, reduce the risk of complications and have practically no side effects.
It will not be superfluous to supplement with vitamins and vitamin-mineral complexes, especially those with a high content of vitamins B12 and C.
Vasodilators and antispasmodics
These knee pain remedies are also known as vasodilators and microcirculation modifiers. They improve tissue nutrition, help reduce swelling, and protect cartilage from starvation.
Special treatment may also be required if the knee pain is not primary but is caused by an infection or chronic systemic disease. It involves taking antibiotics, immunosuppressants, and other specialized drugs.
Physiotherapy for knee pain
Physiotherapy procedures have been shown to be excellent in the relief of acute and chronic pain. They help strengthen and maintain the effects of knee pain medications, as well as deliver them deeper into the soft tissues (especially effective for relatively shallow knees). Physical therapy improves blood microcirculation, reduces inflammation and pain, promotes exudation, and restores mobility of the knee joint.
How to relieve knee pain and restore freedom of movement, the following procedures are possible:
- acupuncture therapy;
- laser therapy;
- drug electrophoresis;
- galvanized;
- UHF;
- tonic bath therapy and mud therapy;
- therapeutic ultrasound;
- ozokerite and paraffin applications;
- hirudotherapy;
- amplipulse;
- Acupuncture;
- massage and manual therapy;
- diadynamic therapy;
- electrical stimulation;
- cryotherapy method;
- and others.
Physical therapy is usually done in 7-12 sessions (depending on the type of exposure).
Attention! Before proceeding with physical therapy, be sure to consult your doctor. Several techniques can be used on the knee only in the absence of inflammation, the condition is in remission (eg, massage). And some (eg, electrophoresis) are allowed during the acute phase of the disease.
Treatment related to joint intervention
With severe swelling, doctors need to remove the buildup of secretions that interfere with the normal functioning and nutrition of the joint. For this, a puncture is made - inject the excess liquid with a syringe. The procedure is performed under local anesthesia.
If standard medical and physical therapy isn't effective, your doctor may prescribe peristaltic blockade, joint lavage, or intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid cocktails. With purulent arthritis, use the drug in combination with purulent aspiration and joint lavage.
Surgical operations for knee pain are rarely performed - usually when meniscus repair after injury or joint rehabilitation for arthritis and advanced joint disease is needed.
Therapeutic exercises for knee pain
Physical therapy is used to relieve knee pain, restore range of motion, and compensate for stress on the affected joint or tendon by toning muscle tissue. The effect occurs within 10 days. When performing exercises, the so-called. "Unloading position" - lying, sitting. It is important not to miss a day. Avoid sudden movements, pain when moving.
The exercises below are suitable for use at home.
- Lie down straight. We flex-don't bend the toes.
- Lie down straight. We rotate the paws left and right, trying to put them on the floor.
- Lie down straight. With the help of muscles, we pull the toes towards the knee.
- Lay up. Keeping the leg below the knee with both hands, bend it gently, pulling the knee toward the chest.
- Lay up. Without lifting the shoulder blades off the floor, we rotate the pelvis and both legs to the left, then to the right. The arm (on the side where we rotate the leg) can be extended over the head along the body line.
- Lay up. We bend the right leg at the knee, the right toe rests on the floor. We straighten the left leg and raise it to the level of the right knee, then rotate the foot in a circle (clockwise and counterclockwise). We repeat in a mirror image for the other leg.
- Lay up. The left leg is straight, the right leg is bent at the knee. We flip our right foot to the left (to the side) and turn our head to the right. Repeat for the other leg.
- Lay up. We do the exercise "bike" in gentle mode.
How to protect your knee joint
Prevention of knee pain includes improving the whole body and taking a careful attitude towards one's health. Important:
- strict treatment of injuries and infectious diseases under the supervision of a specialist;
- not neglect in the treatment of chronic, congenital diseases (diabetes, gout, tonsillitis, hip dysplasia);
- monitor weight and diet, fight obesity, excess salt and sugar in food, limit alcohol consumption;
- maintain daily physical activity without overloading;
- annual intake of chondroprotectors in courses with a predisposition to diseases of the joints;
- 1-2 times a year to undergo a preventive examination by a rheumatologist;
- follow a healthy regimen, treat insomnia;
- drink enough water (2-3 l / day);
- do not overcool;
- wear comfortable underwear, clothes and shoes that are not too tight;
- Choose comfortable furniture and don't sit cross-legged.
When you have knee pain for the first time, don't delay or delay - see a doctor right away!