Knee Pain: Causes and Treatment

Severe knee pain means there is a problem with the joints. The peculiarity of the knee joint is that it takes a major load during movement and physical exertion, therefore it is often injured. The affected knee is difficult to repair, so it is very important to take steps to eliminate the cause of the pain in a timely manner.

Main reason

Causes of knee pain can be:

1. Injury (acute injury).They are the most common cause. It occurs after a strong blow, excessive flexion of the joint and a sharp fall on it. With mechanical injuries, there is a sharp pain, swelling, there may be a feeling of tingling, numbness, skin color in the joint area changes.
2. Arthrosis (gonarthrosis)is the destruction of joint tissues. Gonarthrosis is primary and secondary. The primary disease affects the elderly, while the latter results in injury or it is a complication of another disease (e. g. , rheumatoid arthritis). Symptoms: pain and stiffness in the joints. With a long course of gonarthrosis, movement of the joints may become impossible.
3. Arthritis (gonarthritis)- inflammatory diseases. Distinctive symptoms: pain that increases with movement, increase in joint size, fever in the affected knee, redness at certain times.
4. Meniscopathy- damage to the meniscus, which is indicated by sharp pain. In the absence of proper treatment, a transition to a chronic form is possible, as a result of which osteoarthritis develops.
5. Vascular disease. Thrombosis or embolism (blockage) of the arteries that supply the knee joint leads to osteonecrosis of the articular cartilage, making walking impossible. There is no effective treatment for osteonecrosis. Arthroplasty of the affected joint is performed.
6. periarthritis- this is an inflammation of the articular bag and the tissues that surround it. With periarthritis, there is pain in the knee joint area with no obvious localization. Periarthritis is often a complication after trauma.
7. Bursitisis inflammation of the synovial sac (bursa). Bursitis can be caused by overuse on a joint, infection, or injury. With this disease, severe persistent pain is observed, but freedom of movement is preserved.
8. TendinitisIt is an inflammation of the ligaments and tendons. The symptoms are swelling and pain in the affected area. They increase with knee flexion-extension. Symptoms of prolonged tendinitis indicate tendinosis.
9. Cyst Baker- this is a complication after trauma, gonarthrosis or hemarthrosis. Baker’s cyst is an accumulation of joint fluid in the popliteal sac. The pathology is characterized by pain when bending the knee and discomfort during movement. To avoid complications, it is highly recommended not to squat.
10. Osteomyelitis of the bones of the feetis a purulent disease associated with infection, which is the result of hematogenous osteomyelitis, open fractures, or postoperative complications. The most common infectious agents are staphylococci.

Various pains

There are types of pain in the knee:

1. When squatting. It is usually caused by joint disease, viral infection, lack of physical activity, poor diet. seen in athletes. If your knees hurt when squatting, then the exercise should be stopped. For prolonged and frequent pain, you should see a doctor.
2. When bending the legs. This is one of the most common joint problems. It is observed with Osgood-Schlatter disease, damage to the ligaments and meniscus, Baker's cyst, infectious lesions, and others. When pain occurs, it is necessary to limit the load on the feet, refuse to play sports, and wear comfortable orthopedic shoes.
3. After running. Associated with diseases such as arthrosis, bursitis, synovitis, etc. In this case, the normal function of the joint stops, and under heavy load, it begins to collapse. It is necessary to carry out timely treatment of this disease, otherwise complete loss of motor function is possible.
4. Crunch. If there is no swelling, pain and stiffness in movement, then there is nothing to fear. However, these symptoms can be caused by a dangerous disease - osteoarthritis, in which the articular cartilage is damaged and severe pain appears. It is very important to start treatment of this disease on time.

Diagnostics

You can diagnose the cause of pain in the following ways:

1. General blood analysis. Allows you to detect anemia, leukocytosis, etc.
2. Blood chemistry. Detects an increase in uric acid in gout.
3. X-ray study. This method allows you to detect bone tissue pathology. With its help, fractures, osteomyelitis and osteoarthritis were diagnosed. X-ray studies are complemented by computed tomography (CT). Menisci, ligaments, bursae, and other soft tissues are not visible on x-rays and CT scans.
4. MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), NMRI (nuclear magnetic resonance imaging). This is modern research. With its help, the pathology of the soft tissues of the joints (menisci, ligaments, etc. ) is diagnosed.
5. Bone puncture biopsy. It is carried out in the presence of suspected osteomyelitis or bone tuberculosis.
6. Arthroscopy. It is performed for diagnosis and for treatment, for example, with meniscus injuries.
7. Ultrasound (ultrasound examination). This is a screening study conducted in cases of suspected traumatic injury, osteoarthritis, meniscus disease, etc. Ultrasound results should be confirmed by radiography (CT) and / or MRI.

Treatment

Treatment should be comprehensive and include both conservative methods and surgical intervention. Let's consider them in more detail:

conservative methods

During exacerbations, treatment should relieve pain and swelling, and then restore normal joint mobility. For the first time after an injury, it is not recommended to move without assistance.

The basis of treatment is anti-inflammatory therapy. It involves the use of the following agents: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, pyrazolone derivatives, indoleacetic acid derivatives, oxicams, glucocorticoids.

To strengthen the immune system, the following procedures are prescribed: cryoapheresis, plasmapheresis, hemosorption, plasma filtration, immunostimulants.

Specific medications and treatment methods are selected by the attending physician.

Also, conservative treatment involves ice compresses on the damaged area to relieve pain or hot compresses to improve blood microcirculation.

With hemarthrosis, the punctured joint and blood accumulated as a result of the trauma are removed.

Also, conservative treatments include physiotherapeutic methods: massage, therapeutic exercises and spa rehabilitation. If necessary, the doctor prescribes a special diet that provides a limited calorie content.

Chondroprotectors are used to nourish cartilage and reduce destructive processes.

The most common methods of physiotherapy are magnetotherapy, laser therapy, cryotherapy, acupuncture.

With gonarthrosis, special shoes and knee pads - orthoses are used. These shoes contribute to the normalization of gait, and knee pads repair diseased joints.

Surgical intervention

If, after undergoing conservative treatment, it is not possible to achieve the required joint stability, surgical intervention is indicated.

The most common surgical techniques are arthroscopy and arthroplasty.

Arthroscopy is a technique that can relieve pain in a joint and increase its mobility. This method of treatment not only eliminates the underlying disease, but also allows you to insert medication into the joint cavity that reduces inflammation.

Doctor's advice

Significant therapeutic effect in 2nd and also 3rd stage osteoarthritis is given by the preparation of hyaluronic acid, which is given intraarticularly. The introduction of hyaluronic acid is considered an alternative to arthroplasty when it is unlikely due to therapeutic contraindications. This is a medical manipulation, it has contraindications.

This technique is performed with problems such as:

• damage to the meniscus and cartilage;
• ruptured ligaments;
• the presence of foreign bodies in the joints;
• rheumatoid arthritis;
• intraarticular fractures.

During the postoperative recovery period, it is recommended to strictly follow medical recommendations by performing therapeutic exercises, avoiding unreasonable initial load on the limbs.

Endoprosthetics (arthroplasty) is a surgery in which the damaged part of the knee joint is replaced with an artificial implant (endoprosthesis).

More than 95% of endoprostheses are placed under the function of compulsory medical insurance for 10-15 years, and then need to be replaced. Today, far from all regions, endoprosthesis replacement, in contrast to major surgery, can be issued under compulsory medical insurance. Not all patients after 10–15 years are able to undergo a second surgery because of other cardiovascular and somatic risks. Therefore, it is not worth rushing with endoprosthetics. I recommend that you use this surgery only when all other treatment options have been exhausted.

Endoprosthetics are performed when the restoration of painless knee joint function is not possible with conservative methods and with the help of arthroscopy. After arthroplasty, purulent complications are possible. Antibiotics are prescribed for its prevention. After endoprosthetics, long -term rehabilitation of the patient (up to 6 months) is required.

Restoration of the people

Folk remedies can help in relieving pain, but it should be done in parallel with conventional treatments.

When using folk remedies, be sure to consult a doctor.

Let's look at some popular methods:

1. ointment. For knee pain, prepare 1 tbsp. l. hypericum and 2 tbsp. l. yarrow, destroy them. In a water bath, dilute 1 tbsp. l. vaseline. The grass is poured into hot Vaseline and rubbed into a homogeneous mass. This ointment should be applied on a sore knee at night.
2. Rye seed -based mixture. You need to take 250 g of rye seeds, pour with 2 liters of water and boil. After the mixture has cooled, it is filtered, and 500 g of vodka, 1 kg of honey, 3 teaspoons added to it. barberry roots. The mixture was stirred thoroughly and left for 21 days in a dark place. It is recommended to use a mixture of 3 tbsp. l. before eat. It is required to drink 9 liters of the mixture during the treatment period.

If you have knee pain, don't panic. However, if the pain persists for a long time, you should definitely see a doctor. This will avoid many problems.