Of all the joints in the human body, knee pain is the most common complaint in people. The knee joint is complex, it bears a great load during different types of physical activity, therefore, there can be many reasons for pain. Knee pain, even if it occurs occasionally and goes away on its own, should not go unnoticed.
Knee pain, whatever its intensity, significantly impairs quality of life. His favorite type of outdoor activity is not enjoyable, efficiency decreases, and a simple shopping trip becomes a problem.
In our article, we will consider what to do if knee joints hurt, how to treat them, and whether it is possible to get rid of knee discomfort forever; The last question is especially relevant for older people who consider sedentary movement and joint pain. syndrome an indispensable companion of age.
Pain diagnosis
- It is necessary to find out the nature of the pain. The pain can be sharp, burning, stabbing, aching.
- Eliminate the circumstances of the onset of pain: at night, after exertion, while walking, in the morning - sudden sharp pain.
- Were there other signs of joint damage: swelling, hyperemia (redness), joint deformity, creaking, restricted mobility?
- Look for a history of infection, stress, leg injuries, or increased physical activity.
- Undergo an instrumental examination in a medical and preventive institution (LPU): blood tests, X-ray diagnosis, analysis of synovial fluid.
Causes of knee pain
There are more than 200 joint pathologies, most of them are accompanied by more than pain. Only on the basis of a complex of symptoms and tests can you determine what causes your knees to hurt.
traumatic pathology
In traumatic pathologies, knee pain occurs with joint injuries (blows, falls, prolonged stress on the joints, typical of athletes) or with general diseases of the body.
Let's consider the main traumatic pathologies.
knee fracture
Fracture or displacement of the patella, fractures of the condyles of the femur and / or tibia. When you fall to your knees from a height, in case of car accidents, etc.
The victim experiences severe and sharp pain at the moment of impact, over time the pain does not stop, it may weaken a bit, but intensifies when pressing or walking.
The joint swells, becomes deformed, 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 bones of the joint with respect to each other. Knee joint dislocation is of various complexity (complete, incomplete, complicated by soft tissue rupture, etc. ).
Common dislocation occurs as a consequence of a knee injury or as a consequence of a congenital anomaly: weakness or excessive elasticity of the ligaments, flat sliding paths of the femur in the joint, excessively high patellar position.
A dislocation of the knee joint is quite a serious injury, and if it is not taken care of in time, everything can lead to serious complications. Knee joint dislocation is the most painful of all types, although it is rare.
Serious injuries, such as dislocations, must be treated in medical institutions, so there should be no independent intervention. This is what orthopedists do.
Sprain, ruptured tendons, ligaments
Depending on the degree of damage (partial breaks of individual fibers, incomplete tear, complete rupture), symptoms occur: crunching and clicking during movement, bruising below the rupture site, limitation of flexion-extension of the joint, swelling of the knee, joint too mobile (with complete rupture of the ligaments). The pain is sharp and severe, but with a minor injury it may not appear immediately, but after a while.
Bursitis
Inflammation of the periarticular bursa due to trauma, infection, metabolic disorders, autoimmune disease. It often occurs in athletes and people with increased body weight. The knee swells, the pains vary in intensity, but increase with exertion and at night.
Meniscus tear
It can be the result of trauma or degenerative changes in the cartilage tissue. Acute trauma is characterized by severe pain, swelling, and limited mobility. Symptoms of 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
The diagnosis is much less common than in the 19th and 20th centuries. This is due to both the discovery of penicillin (and later the production of other antibiotics) and poor diagnostic capabilities in the past, when almost all joint diseases were attributed to rheumatism.
A characteristic sign of rheumatism is alternating joint pain: first, one joint becomes inflamed, then the other. For example, knee pain subsides, but occurs in another large joint (elbow, hip).
Rheumatism is more common in children and adolescents, the disease develops after a streptococcal infection of the upper respiratory tract.
Note: Advanced rheumatism causes damage to the heart (rheumatic heart disease) or the nervous system (chorea).
Reactive arthritis
It is more common in people of reproductive age, as joint inflammation is most often caused by pathogenic microbes that enter the human body sexually.
Much less often, reactive arthritis is caused by infections of the gastrointestinal tract or infectious nasopharyngeal inflammation (sore throat, flu). After 1 to 4 weeks after the illness, the patient notes that his legs began to ache at night.
Both large joints (knees, ankles) and small joints (the big toe hurts or hurts) can become swollen and painful. Knee pain is accompanied by swelling and / or redness.
Sometimes symptoms include conjunctivitis (inflammation and pain in the eyes), keratoderma (thickening of the skin on the soles of the feet).
Reiter's syndrome
Urethritis (frequent and painful urination) and intestinal disorders join the symptoms of common reactive arthritis.
Osteoarthritis
Disease of the elderly. Periodically the knees hurt at night "from the weather. "Load on the joint (walking a lot) increases pain, swelling, and affects joint mobility.
After resting and warming up, the pain goes away.
Baker's cyst
Swelling in the back of the knee, causing a feeling of constriction, difficulty in movement.
Dissecting osteochondritis (Köning's disease)
The cartilage covering the bone sheds, the sore knee hurts, and when the fragment sheds completely, movement of the joint is impeded.
Osgood-Schlatter disease
It is most often diagnosed in adolescents. Knee pain increases when going up and down stairs, squatting.
Rheumatoid arthritis
An autoimmune disease, the mechanism of which is unclear. It is noted that the starting circumstances are the usual list of burdens on the immune system: from stress and infection, to hypothermia. Immune bodies that attack your own cells cause inflammation of the joint, especially your synovium.
Under the influence of an attack by immune cells, the membrane swells, increases in volume, and then begins to grow into nearby cartilage and bone tissue. The result of the process is pain in the knee joints, which becomes excruciating in the second half of the night.
The disease lasts for years, the treatment consists of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroid hormones, gold preparations, immunosuppressants, antimalarial drugs.
It arises from improper metabolism. Due to alcohol abuse, "purine" products (meat, smoked meats, pickles).
The uric acid produced in the blood is deposited in the joints in the form of sodium urate crystals. Increasing "deposits" gradually affect the mobility of the joint, severe attacks of pain appear, the time interval between attacks is gradually reduced.
Vascular pain in the knees is characterized by a pulling sensation along the vein, sometimes patients notice a sharp tingling sensation.
Only a doctor, after a detailed examination, can tell why the knee hurts, if there was no obvious injury. It is unwise to rub the knee joint with a remedy that "helped a neighbor. "After all, what helps heal a joint injury can lead to an exacerbation in the autoimmune mechanism of the disease.
Knee pain treatment
The doctor selects a treatment regimen based on the diagnosis.
Therapeutic measures are aimed at combating:
- with the cause of the disease: infection, tumor, abnormal metabolic processes, failure of the immune system.
- with pain syndrome - symptomatic treatment includes analgesics, intra-articular blockages.
- with degenerative processes - drugs with chondroprotectors help to restore the cartilage tissue of the joint.
If necessary, resort to surgery, endoprosthesis, use physical therapy and therapeutic exercises for the joints.
Pain Relief Products
Knee Pain Checklist: What To Do To Relieve The Condition.
| cause of pain | To do |
|---|---|
| Pain clearly resulting from trauma | Provide joint and limb immobility, ice or cold packs 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 pain, you can apply a warm compress, ointments based on bee venom. |
| Pain in osteoarthritis (post-traumatic, age-related, overweight) after exercise or at night | Any warming compress with herbal tincture, rubbing ointments with chondroprotectors. |
Severe joint pain is relieved with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
But most patients (overweight people, age-related joint changes) would not have to think about what to do about pain if they observed the preventive minimum:
- Proper nutrition with a sufficient amount of calcium, vitamins, fight against excess weight;
- Reduction of severe stress on the joint until a change of job, if it consists of "standing" all day;
- Systematic physiotherapy to strengthen muscles and ligaments: a good muscular corset reduces the load on the bones;
Joint diseases can develop over the years and cause a significant deterioration in the quality of life. A timely visit to a doctor and an arsenal of folk remedies will help to maintain the joy of movement into old age.
Joint treatment at home - folk recipes.
Homemade recipes for ointments and compresses based on natural ingredients are used in the courses; this is the only way to achieve a lasting result.
7 simple home remedies for knee pain:
- Cabbage leaves. On a fresh leaf cuts are made so that the juice comes out. Put a tablespoon 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 in a similar way.
- Propolis tincture for arthritis. If the knees "twist" at night (the causes of dull pain can be due to change of weather or stress on the legs), lubricate the joint with a mixture, rubbing it on the skin until it dries. If the knees are very sore, then they make a full compress: moisten the soft tissue with dye and apply it to the joint, cover it with a film and wrap it with a scarf. The tool is also used to warm the joint if a sore knee has cooled down. They also use tinctures of natural stimulants: aloe, Kalanchoe, mummy, dead bee.
Important:biologically active substances cannot be used if the disease is autoimmune in nature. Stimulants activate the immune system and aggravate the disease.
- Gelatin compress. Squeeze a piece of gauze soaked in hot water, pour 1 teaspoon into the center. gelatin, applied to the joint, wrapped with foil and wrapped. Repeat the procedure for 14 days at night. The product promotes joint nutrition and cartilage regeneration.
- A mustard compress will help if your knee hurts a lot. Take honey and dry mustard in equal proportions, add warm water and salt until a consistency of porridge forms. Lubricate the knee with a mixture, put a cloth with a film and a bandage. Exposure time 20–40 min. , Remove in case of strong burning sensation. A mustard compress is used for pain every other day.
- So that the legs do not hurt, a drug is prepared for oral administration: the gelatin is stirred 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 glass, it is drunk for a month.
- The inner goat fat (100 g) is mixed with the balsam "Zvezdochka" (1 bottle), the resulting ointment is rubbed for venous and joint pain in the knee.
- Kefir mask. 0, 5 l of kefir crumbled bread, add 1 tsp. soda. The mixture is insisted for 6 hours. The liquid is then filtered, moistened with gauze, and compresses are made overnight for several days, until the pain subsides.
It is advisable to regularly apply a home treatment with folk remedies, combining them with traditional medicine and modern methods. Do not wait until the disease has already become firmly established and has declared itself with severe pain, deformation of the joint. An early visit to the doctor will speed recovery, while the chronic form of the disease is more difficult to cure.
Note:treatment with folk remedies is only allowed with the approval of a doctor, after examination and diagnosis.