Knee pain is a widespread symptom that signals trouble in the body - the occurrence of joint disease or simply increased load on the legs.
It is difficult to find a person who has never experienced pain in the knees at a certain period of life. Discomfort, clicking or pain of varying intensity in the knee joints occurs in both adults and children due to many reasons. The older a person gets, the higher the likelihood of developing various diseases, the first sign of which is pain in the knees. This occurs due to the age-related characteristics of the body: a slowdown in metabolic processes, wear and tear of the cartilage tissue of the joints, and the addition of other problems with the musculoskeletal system, blood vessels, and nerves.
Due to the complex anatomical structure, multiple structures and significant loads experienced, and often overloads, the knee joints are very vulnerable. Damage to any element of the structure, for example, the synovial bursa, leads to impaired motor function of the knee and, accordingly, pain. Ligaments and menisci are considered the most vulnerable; they are injured in 80–85% of cases.
The knee consists of the knee joint, the distal end of the femur with two condyles and subcondyles, the tibia, muscles, nerves, blood vessels, ligaments, patella (patella), joint capsules and menisci.
The knee joint is one of the large joints of the body. The femur approaches it from above. The articular surfaces of its lateral (outer) and medial (inner) condyles articulate with the patella and tibia. Menisci, which are connective tissue cartilage, serve as shock absorbers of the joint. Thanks to them, there is a rational distribution of a person’s weight on the tibial plateau and increases the stability of the joint. The gracilis, biceps, semimembranosus and other muscles synchronize the capsular-ligamentous structures, providing motor activity of the knee joint.
The elements of the knee are connected to each other by many ligaments. There are two cruciate ligaments inside the joint - posterior and anterior. The axillae of the femur are connected to the fibula and tibia by collateral ligaments. The oblique popliteal ligament is located at the back of the bursa of the knee joint. From a number of articular cavities, the main one is isolated - the synovial capsule, which does not communicate with the joint. The blood supply to the elements of the knee is carried out through a network of blood vessels, and the innervation is carried out by nerve fibers.
There are many causes of pain in the knee joints, which can be divided into several groups.
The external ligament is torn less frequently than the internal ligament. This occurs due to a strong inward deviation of the shin, when twisting the leg, for example. Rupture of the cruciate ligaments is inevitably accompanied by hemarthrosis.
Complete rupture of both ligaments is often combined with damage to the joint capsule and rupture of the internal meniscus. Such an injury leads to excessive mobility of the knee joint, accompanied by severe pain, the intensity of which depends on the degree of the tear.
Depending on the etiology, the nature and intensity of pain may vary.
Invasive instrumental methods:
Non-invasive instrumental diagnostics:
If the pain in one or both knees is of a non-traumatic nature, then you should first contact a therapist who, based on the patient’s complaints and the results of an objective examination, will refer you to a specialist - an orthopedist, rheumatologist, phlebologist or neurologist. For any knee injury, you must consult a surgeon or orthopedic traumatologist.
Treatment is different in each case and depends on the cause of the pain, that is, on the type of injury or disease. Each disease has its own treatment regimen. But first, the patient must follow several general rules:
Rheumatoid, psoriatic arthritis, and systemic autoimmune diseases require serious complex treatment carried out over many months. Basic therapy consists of immunosuppressants, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and hormonal drugs, gold preparations, etc.
Painkillers and anti-inflammatory medications are used to treat bursitis. If an infection is detected, then a course of antibiotics. Therapeutic puncture of the bursa is performed to remove excess fluid from the synovial cavity and/or administer one of the corticosteroids. Chronic inflammation of the bursa can be eliminated by surgery - surgical excision of the synovial bursa.
For deforming osteoarthritis, intra-articular injections of glucocorticosteroids, long-term use of NSAIDs and chondroprotectors are effective. To relieve pain, compresses with dimexide or bischofite, ointments and gels with an anti-inflammatory effect are prescribed locally. Massage, physiotherapy, therapeutic exercises help. Severe lesions of the knee joint require surgical intervention - joint replacement.
Treatment of osteoporosis consists of a course of taking bisphosphonates, calcitonins, calcium supplements, vitamin D, etc.
Treatment for a torn meniscus can be conservative or surgical. Conservative therapy consists of the use of analgesics, NSAIDs, hyaluronic acid, and chondroprotectors. But first, the joint is repositioned.
Types of surgical intervention:
For any knee injury after treatment, the rehabilitation period is very important, which should take place under the supervision of a rehabilitation specialist or orthopedist. The doctor will create an optimal program for restoring joint function. The main methods of postoperative rehabilitation are massage and therapeutic exercises. Exercises on special simulators are also effective, gradually developing the knee joint.
In the modern world, a diet high in processed foods, meat, smoked meats, and sugar predominates. Bad habits have long ceased to be viewed with hostility by society. This trend leads to changes in the functioning of the body's metabolic forces.
One of the common consequences of overusing unhealthy food and alcohol is gout. This disease is caused by improper metabolism and a sedentary lifestyle, which subsequently leads to the deposition of salts in the joints and their deformation. In this article we will talk in detail about gouty arthritis of the knee joint, analyze its symptoms and treatment.
Gout is an inflammatory process in the joints caused by a long-term increase in uric acid in the blood.
Uric acid has a destructive effect on cartilage, ligaments and tendons, forming salt crystals in them, thus the joint loses its former mobility, periarticular tissues become inflamed, and then other skeletal joints are involved in the process.
First, arthritis affects the small joints of the toes and hands, and in advanced stages it spreads to larger ones - ankle, knee, elbow, shoulder.
The photo shows the formation of osteophytes in areas of joint damage.
ATTENTION ! Elevated levels of uric acid are most common in men who lead a sedentary lifestyle, who prefer to eat meat and fish dishes, smoked meats, pickles, hot spices, and who abuse alcohol.
Primary arthritis develops against the background of an increase in acid in the body, secondary arthritis arises from other metabolic pathologies or autoimmune reactions.
Prolonged lack of treatment leads to intoxication of the body, increased destructive processes in the joints and loss of their functionality.
Sore joints bother people who are exposed to the main risk factors for arthritis:
The accumulation of salts in the knee joint for a long time does not cause pain and is asymptomatic, so the disease is diagnosed, as a rule, already in the chronic stage.
Symptoms can appear as a result of stress, overexertion after sports, infectious disease, fasting, injury, climate change, alcohol abuse and unhealthy food.
Pain from gout in the knee appears during relapses, alternating with periods of asymptomatic chronic course of the disease. The accumulation of salts under the skin may be subtle in the early stages of the disease.
In addition to pain, the patient is concerned about why the knee is swollen due to gout. The reason for this is the inflammatory process of the periarticular cartilage and ligaments.
Other manifestations of the disease include:
The pain intensifies with movement, at night, as a result of stress. Severe symptoms of gout of the knee joint require symptomatic treatment, proper nutrition, physical therapy, and in advanced situations, surgical intervention.
A key factor in diagnosing gout is determining the amount of sodium urate in the patient's blood. This indicator indicates the quality of purine base metabolism in the body.
Attention ! An increase in uric acid in the blood alone is not enough to confirm the diagnosis, so an analysis of biological tissues is required - joint fluid and gouty nodes.
An initial examination of the patient may already indicate the presence of gouty nodes and destructive processes in the knee joint. To confirm the primary diagnosis, in combination with instrumental studies, radiography is performed to determine the degree of cartilage degeneration.
To eliminate the consequences of gouty arthritis, it is necessary to reduce the concentration of sodium urate in the patient’s blood with the help of drugs.
The gradual removal of purines from the body helps restore damaged joint tissue, which leads to an improvement in the patient’s well-being.
To relieve acute pain, doctors recommend immobilizing the injured joint, applying a cold compress and taking an anti-inflammatory painkiller orally (Ibuprofen, Colchicine, Ketorol) or topically (Nise, Diclofenac, Relief, Piroxicam).
Rehabilitation of a damaged joint takes several months and includes, in addition to medications (Allopurinol, Probenecid, Uricozyme), physiotherapy (electrophoresis, reflexology, magnetic therapy), therapeutic exercises, and diet.
Gout of the knee often overtakes the patient with acute attacks, which can be quickly stopped with both painkillers and traditional recipes.
To relieve gout pain, the following compress recipes are effective:
It is recommended to perform procedures in the evening, since relapses of gouty arthritis are most often observed during sleep.
Patients are concerned about the question of how much less often the knee can hurt due to gout if only traditional medicine is used as therapy.
Experts come to a consensus - without medication, nutritional and physiotherapeutic treatment, it will not be possible to achieve a full recovery.
Important ! The disease can worsen and recur repeatedly in the absence of an integrated approach to eliminating excess purine bases.
The deposition of salts in the joints is caused by metabolic disorders, so the success of therapy lies in following dietary recommendations.
The rules of the diet are simple : foods that cause an increase in sodium urate in the blood should be excluded from the diet. These include:
It is recommended to include in your diet foods that reduce the amount of urea and promote its elimination:
Violation of dietary recommendations leads to relapse of inflammation and the occurrence of an acute attack.
As a preventive measure, people with a predisposition to high levels of urea in the blood are advised to pay attention to their lifestyle - get rid of extra pounds if they are present, switch to a vegetarian diet and engage in physical activity.
Following simple tips will protect your joints from destruction and inflammation.
Gouty arthritis limits mobility in the affected joint, leads to swelling and recurrent attacks of inflammation; lack of treatment contributes to the progressive course of the disease and gradual loss of knee function.
Gout occurs as a result of a violation of purine metabolism in the body, so the success of its treatment directly depends on the quality of the patient’s lifestyle.
Traditional healers believe that it is in the knees that the transformation of earthly energy, entering the body through the feet, into biological energy occurs. That is, they perform the function of a transformer for the human body.
Therefore, you need to treat your knees with great care , respect and attention. Pain in this part of the body is a very serious signal .
Causes of knee pain:
Only a doctor can make a diagnosis and prescribe appropriate treatment . But folk remedies can also in combination with traditional medications. All remedies for the treatment of knee pain are divided into external (ointments, rubs, compresses) and internal .
Preparation recipe : you need to take two mummy tablets , dissolve them in a small amount of warm water. Then mix an aqueous solution of the drug with a tablespoon of honey . This ointment should be rubbed on your knees before going to bed. You can first take a warm bath to prepare the skin surface for absorption of the drug.
ATTENTION ! Before use, you must make sure that you are not allergic to honey and mummy. If you have allergic reactions to bee products, it is better to take regular baby cream . After applying the ointment, the knees should be warmly wrapped in wool or cotton cloth. This remedy perfectly helps with pain from hypothermia of the knees, as well as gout and deformation of cartilage tissue .
REFERENCE ! The ointment can be prepared for a week and stored in the refrigerator.
Recipe : two tablespoons of dry calendula, purchased at a pharmacy, pour 100 ml of medical alcohol. Leave in the refrigerator for ten days. Then strain the tincture and squeeze out the raw materials. Melt 50 g of badger fat in a water bath and pour two tablespoons of tincture into it. Mix vigorously until smooth.
IMPORTANT ! During storage, the ointment should not separate! For optimal emulsification of the ointment, you can add a pinch of sea salt to the badger fat. If badger fat is not currently available, you can use ghee instead. This remedy is used for inflammation of the soft tissues of the knees as an addition to traditional drug and physiotherapeutic treatment.
REFERENCE ! It is useful to take the remaining calendula tincture orally, 15 drops per 50 ml of water, half an hour before meals. This will enhance the anti-inflammatory effect of the ointment.
Cooking recipe: to prepare, you need to take half a glass of fresh lingonberry leaves, chop them and mix with 50 g of melted butter. As a preservative and emulsifier, add a teaspoon of regular table salt to the oil. The ointment should be left in the refrigerator for 12 hours, and then used before bed, rubbing it on your knees.
All ointments for treating knees should be used until pain disappears plus ten days.
Perfectly removes all waste and toxins from the joints.
Recipe : 50 g of dry St. John's wort, purchased at a pharmacy, pour a glass of vodka and leave for two weeks in a dark, cool place. After the specified period, strain the tincture and squeeze out the raw materials. Rub the resulting liquid onto your knees twice a day. Store the tincture in the refrigerator.
This knee rub is usually used in the evening due to its characteristic odor. Before use, the oil should be slightly warmed in a water bath, and an hour after rubbing, wash off with warm water and soap. Wrap your knees warmly. This rubbing remarkably relieves pain resulting from hypothermia or rheumatoid nature .
Recipe : grate 50 g of ordinary laundry soap and dilute with a small amount of warm water. Rub this mixture on your knees, leave for half an hour and rinse with warm water. After the procedure, lubricate the skin with any suitable cream or oil to soften the skin. For all its simplicity and accessibility, this remedy helps remarkably against pain in the knees due to gout, after injuries and vascular pathologies.
Apply to the sore spot, bandage and leave overnight. Kalanchoe leaves can be used for the same purpose .
Regular table salt (you can also use sea salt) works wonders! You need to take two teaspoons of salt in a glass of water, moisten cotton wool with this solution, put it on the sore spot, and wrap it with plastic wrap on top.
Method of preparation : grate raw potatoes on a fine grater, place the resulting mass on the sore knee, press on top with a piece of cotton wool or gauze, bandage tightly. This compress is useful for inflammatory pain.
A very effective folk remedy for the rehabilitation of joints and ligaments after injuries, but it requires old hay, that is, last season.
Method of preparation : brew hay dust with hot water so that a paste forms. Let it cool a little, put the steamed hay on your knee, secure it with gauze, wrap it with polyethylene on top, cover it warmly, and keep it for one hour.
The most wonderful and effective remedy for knee pain is black radish juice with honey , which helps remove salt deposits and toxins from the body, improves immunity and has a rejuvenating effect.
Cooking recipe : take a large black radish, wash it, cut it into two halves, cut out the core. Place a teaspoon of honey into the hole formed and leave on a plate until juice forms. Drink the resulting juice two tablespoons three times a day half an hour before meals for two months. Add honey as you drink the juice. Store radish with honey in a dark and cool place.
REFERENCE ! Traditional healers advise women dark honey for treatment , and men to use light honey .
If the pain in your knees is very severe, then first of all you need to determine the cause, which only a doctor can do! Therefore, do not delay, call a doctor or go to see him urgently ! First, of course, you can provide yourself with all possible help. In case of a knee injury, put ice on the sore spot, but do not over-cool it! If the knee is swollen and red, then you should take a foot bath with regular table salt for 10 minutes. You can put gauze on the knee itself, moistened with diluted table vinegar (not acid!) in the proportion of two tablespoons per glass of water. In case of chronic severe pain of a gouty or rheumatoid nature, you should take a hot salt bath, after which you should put on warm woolen socks. Treat the knee with any suitable ointment, wrap it warmly and lie down. In this case, it is also useful to drink hot relaxing tea with mint.
To prevent knee pain, of course, you need to reconsider your lifestyle .
First, follow a diet . As sad as it may be, strong tea, coffee, broths, jellies, fried foods, baked goods, smoked meats and canned goods should be excluded from the diet forever . Severely limit salt intake . All products containing soy, as well as legumes, are prohibited. Potatoes and tomatoes should be consumed in moderation during periods of remission. Fresh fruits and vegetables in combination with dairy products are very Freshly prepared porridges are also recommended , especially buckwheat and oatmeal. It is advisable to eat meat only in boiled form, fish - similarly.
Thirdly, avoid hypothermia. Your knees should always be kept warm. Before going outside, be sure to do a light massage and warm-up to warm up the joint.
If you have any pain in your knees, you should not self-medicate . It is very important to make a correct diagnosis and decide on a traditional course of recovery. Folk remedies, for all their effectiveness, should be used in combination with a course of treatment prescribed by the attending physician. A proper diet will allow you to maintain slimness and youthfulness for a long time. And daily physical activity will lift your spirits, strengthen your immune system and give you strength to solve any problem that comes your way, including successfully treating your knees.
The knee is a large and quite complex joint. This is why knee pain can be a symptom of many diseases, as well as indicate disorders throughout the body, or it can simply be a consequence of overload. In this case, it is necessary to distinguish knee pain, which requires immediate treatment, from, for example, vascular pain, which arises and goes away without a trace.
It must be said that many people experience mild knee pain from time to time. The main concern is pain in the knee when bending, and there is nothing strange in this, because the knee joints are especially vulnerable, they experience heavy loads every day, so they get injured quite easily. Knee damage, knee injury in most cases occurs during sports or during active recreation, as well as during work (household) activities that involve physical effort.
Why do my knees hurt? What types of knee pain are there? To answer these questions, you need to know that knee pain can occur for several reasons. Let's look at these reasons in more detail.
1) Knees hurt due to gonarthrosis or arthrosis of the knee joint
About 30% of cases of knee pain in people over 40 years of age are gonarthrosis. Moreover, this disease is characterized by the fact that it can cause pain in not just one knee, but in both knees.
Causes of knee pain due to arthrosis of the knee joint:
- intra-articular damage to the cartilage and bones of the knee joint
- age-related changes in the knee
- all kinds of bone tumors, arthrosis, rheumatoid arthritis and other damaging factors.
Symptoms: At first, this disease develops unnoticed, only sometimes causing mild pain in the knee. Then symptoms develop such as stiffness in the knee joint in the morning, limited mobility in the knee joint, and it also happens that the knee crunches when moving. It must be said that eventually arthrosis of the knee joint leads to knee deformation. The knee hurts when walking short distances, the knee hurts when getting up from a chair, the knee also hurts when rising from a squat, the knees hurt when going up and down the stairs. Only at rest can the knee calm down and not hurt. Thus, pain in the knee goes away when sitting or lying down, and almost does not bother you during sleep (patients with gonarthrosis rarely have knee pain at night).
It should be noted that, unlike vascular pain, pain due to arthrosis of the knee joints increases with age. You should also distinguish knee pain with gonarthrosis from knee pain after long walks or after jogging.
Diagnosis of knee pain due to arthrosis of the knee joint: interviewing the patient, thorough examination, checking movement in the joint. An X-ray of the joint, an ultrasound of the joint, and, if indicated, arthroscopy - examination of the inside of the joint using a special device (done through a puncture of the knee) are also taken.
Treatment of knee pain due to arthrosis: the use of medications, physiotherapy, and salt baths on the joint area. Radical treatment of gonarthrosis (arthrosis of the knee joints) is an operation that consists of knee replacement. The attending physician for this disease is an orthopedist, traumatologist, or surgeon.
A traditional treatment for knee pain due to arthrosis involves applying red or blue clay to the area of the affected joint, as well as dandelion leaves, garlic, a decoction of Jerusalem artichoke leaves, lemon and celery. You can also use black bean grass, cabbage leaves and burdock to apply. Due to the fact that the listed plants can only be collected in the summer months, the medicine must be prepared in 3-5 liters of volume and used throughout the year when knee pain worsens.
2) Knees hurt due to knee arthritis
Arthritis is a group of diseases characterized by inflammation in the knee, as well as swelling and pain in the knee joint. There are different arthritis, but the most common is osteoarthritis (rheumatoid arthritis and gout are less common). Osteoarthritis begins when the joints rub against each other while walking. This disease occurs in 80% of cases in people over 45 years of age.
Causes of knee pain due to osteoarthritis:
- reduction in the quantity and quality of intra-articular fluid that lubricates the joint (as a result of many years of friction, the surface of the cartilage of the knee joint is worn away)
- overweight person
- frequent joint injuries.
Symptoms: swelling of the knee, pain in the knees when moving, and subsequently it becomes impossible to lean on the injured leg. It should be noted that symptoms increase gradually - over months (and even years). And at first the patient simply feels discomfort in the knee, he is haunted by a feeling of friction, as well as mild pain in the knees.
Diagnostics: an X-ray of the knee joint is taken; if necessary, the diagnosis can be clarified using puncture or arthroscopy - examining the inside of the joint through a small puncture using an endoscope.
Treatment of knee pain due to osteoarthritis: conservative (non-surgical) treatment cannot return a person to their previous joint, but it will help slow down its further destruction, as well as reduce knee pain and return a person to their previous life. Conservative treatment consists of mandatory regular rest, special exercises to strengthen the muscles around the knee joint, and exercises for good blood supply. In this case, it is necessary to restore the patient’s weight to normal, as well as physical therapy for the damaged joint and drug therapy (pain control). Doctors for this disease are an arthrologist and a rheumatologist.
It is important to know that from the first signs of the disease it is necessary to come under medical supervision, otherwise osteoarthritis can lead to disability. Some advanced cases require surgery - knee replacement (when damaged parts of the tissue are replaced with plastic and metal prostheses).
3) Knees hurt due to rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a consequence of problems in the human immune system and affects not only the knees, but also other joints (often in the arms). Moreover, the reliable causes of this disease are still unknown.
Symptoms of knee pain in rheumatoid arthritis: swelling of the knee joint (patients complain that their knee is swollen, and the knee is very red and hot to the touch). And during an exacerbation, even a light touch of bed linen to the sore knee during an exacerbation causes excruciating pain. In rheumatoid arthritis, the affected knee joints change their shape, sometimes becoming noticeably deformed.
It should be noted that a characteristic sign of rheumatoid arthritis is the volatility of pain. The pain in the knees seems to spread throughout the body. Initially, large joints are affected, then the pain can move from one joint to another. Knee joints become more sensitive to weather changes, as well as to physical overload or hypothermia. In this case, the patient suffers from aching pain and aching bones. Also, this disease is characterized by symmetry of damage to the joints, that is, if rheumatoid arthritis affects the left knee, then the right one will definitely hurt as well. If the disease affects many joints, then in this case we are talking about polyarthritis.
Diagnosis includes: examination of the patient by a doctor, questioning the patient about the symptoms. The patient is also given a blood test (including a check for the presence of rheumatoid factor), and an X-ray of the joint is taken.
Treatment for knee pain due to rheumatoid arthritis: This disease cannot be completely cured. With the help of modern therapy, it is possible to reduce pain and inflammation in the knee joint, as well as preserve the function of the joint and the patient’s performance. Treatment includes: drug therapy (drugs that suppress the increased aggression of immune cells on the joints), painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs are also used, and physical therapy for rheumatoid arthritis. If the joint is severely deformed, surgical intervention is required.
4) Knees hurt due to gout
Gout develops as a result of a chronic excess of uric acid in the body (if uric acid is normally excreted in the urine, then in this case it is either poorly excreted or accumulates above the permissible norm). As a result, excess uric acid is deposited in the body, including in the joints.
You need to know that uric acid is formed in the body due to the processing of certain foods that contain purines. In addition, its level may increase due to the use of certain medications and alcohol.
Symptoms: during an attack of gout, acute pain in the knee occurs, as well as redness of one or two knee joints at once. Moreover, if the necessary measures are not taken, this condition can last for several weeks. Most often, the knees hurt at night; the knee joints become hot and sensitive to any touch. The patient may also experience parallel inflammation of the ligaments (tendons). As soon as the first signs of a gout attack are detected, you should immediately consult a doctor. Thanks to properly selected treatment, the attack will disappear within 1-2 days.
Diagnosis includes an examination by a doctor, asking the patient whether he has previously had sudden pain in the joint, which completely disappeared after 1-2 weeks. The patient also needs to undergo a blood test for uric acid concentration and a urine test. An x-ray is taken to detect deposits of uric acid salts in the joint (tophi), and a microscopic examination of the tissues is carried out to detect deposits of uric acid salts in them.
Treatment of knee pain due to gout: medications for the treatment of gout can be divided into two large groups: uricosurics and uricodepressants, which affect the main cause of the disease, namely: reduce the level of uric acid and its salts in the blood. Treatment of gout must necessarily include measures aimed at changing the nature of the diet, in which dairy and plant foods should predominate, and meat (especially fatty and fried) should be reduced to a minimum. It is better to give up strong coffee and tea, as well as chocolate and cocoa and, of course, alcohol. Doctors in the treatment of gout are an endocrinologist, rheumatologist, and surgeon.
Knee pain after physical activity can occur in people of any age as a result of overload in the knee joint or due to damage to it.
Causes of knee pain resulting from physical activity:
1) Chronic microdamage to articular cartilage
It develops unnoticed if the load is too heavy. As a result of continued increased loads in the knee joint, the cartilage is destroyed and inflammatory processes begin in it.
Symptoms: in the normal state, pain in the knee is almost not felt, but the knee hurts when running or when doing bodybuilding. If you have such symptoms, you should consult a doctor: arthrologist, traumatologist, surgeon.
2) Dislocation or incomplete dislocation of the patella
This injury most often occurs in athletes, as well as professional dancers.
Symptoms: sharp pain in the knee, the knee hurts greatly, and it is impossible to move the leg independently; the patient also experiences pain when passively moving the affected leg and an increase in the size of the knee, which is noticeably deformed.
First aid for a dislocated knee: you need to take painkillers, then fix the knee joint with a splint from the gluteal fossa to the ankle joint. It is also recommended to apply ice wrapped in a cloth to the area of injury. After taking measures, you should immediately consult a doctor.
If ruptures and damage to the ligaments occur during a dislocation, they will make themselves felt within a few weeks, and in this case surgery will be inevitable.
Diagnosis: examination by a doctor, an x-ray is also taken.
Treatment of a knee in case of dislocation (or incomplete dislocation): the patella is reduced, and a splint is applied to the knee joint in a stationary state for at least 4-6 weeks. A massage of the quadriceps femoris muscle, which is responsible for the stability of the knee joint, and electrical procedures are required. Proper treatment will prevent frequent recurrence of dislocations and will prevent the disease from progressing into habitual dislocation of the patella. The doctor performing the treatment is a traumatologist, orthopedist, surgeon.
3) Damage to the meniscus (injury to the rounded cartilage in the knee joint)
A tear or rupture of part of the meniscus can occur as a result of one incorrectly made sharp turn or squat.
Symptoms: sharp pain inside the knee, it becomes impossible to move the knee, especially impossible to straighten the knee. The swelling of the knee gradually increases. If timely treatment is not carried out, the joint may become completely immobile.
First aid for damage to the meniscus of the knee joint: taking painkillers, fixing the knee joint with a splint, it is also recommended to apply ice to the knee and immediately consult a doctor.
Diagnostics: a doctor examines you, an X-ray is taken (although the meniscus is not visible in the image, dislocations and fractures can be excluded) and an ultrasound of the joint.
Treatment of the knee for damage to the meniscus: if the meniscus is torn, surgery is performed on the knee joint and parts of the cartilage are sutured; if the meniscus is dislocated, it is realigned by an experienced traumatologist, and then a plaster cast is applied to the bent knee for 3 weeks. You can return to active life after 3-4 weeks of therapeutic exercises after removing the plaster. A doctor who treats a damaged meniscus is a traumatologist, orthopedist, or surgeon.
4) Sprain or tear of the ligaments surrounding the knee joint
Causes of this ligament damage:
- falling to the knee
- a direct blow to the knee
- awkward or unsuccessful turn of the leg with the application of great force to the knee (for example, during collisions between elite sports players).
Symptoms: sharp pain in the knee, increased volume of the knee (knee swelling), stiffness or complete lack of movement in the knee. The victim also complains that the knee hurts when you touch it, in addition, clicking noises may appear when moving the leg. After a few hours, bruising on the knee and swelling of the knee joint may appear.
First aid for a sprain (torn ligament): apply ice wrapped in a cloth to the knee, then give painkillers. When the pain subsides a little, you need to bend your knee at an angle of 90 degrees and apply an elastic bandage to it, while a properly applied bandage should not cause a feeling of numbness. Then you need to apply ice again, which will stop intra-articular bleeding due to ligament injury and reduce swelling. The injured leg should be placed on a pillow so that the knee is higher than the level of the heart - this will reduce swelling and swelling of the knee joint. After all the manipulations done, you must see a doctor. It is important to know: under no circumstances should you use ice on the second and subsequent days.
Diagnosis: examination by a doctor, which includes performing motor tests to determine the damaged ligament. It is also necessary to take an X-ray or MRI - this is necessary in order to clarify whether the victim has fractures or other injuries that were not noticed during the examination.
Treatment of the knee for sprains and ligament ruptures: in the hospital, the doctor may prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, ketanov, diclofenac). Thanks to these drugs, the pain in the knee will subside, the swelling will go away, and a speedy recovery will occur. At home, it is necessary to provide rest to the knee joint, that is, not to load it in the first days after the injury. When the pain in the knee joint subsides, you can begin to gradually work it out - bending and straightening your leg at the knee to the level of mild pain. Instead of an elastic bandage, you can use a knee joint support - a special medical device that fits the knee and takes on part of the load when moving or walking. Rehabilitation after a knee ligament rupture includes physical therapy procedures, as well as special exercises that you can do at home yourself. It must be remembered that rehabilitation is possible only when the pain in the knee and swelling of the knee begin to subside.
Vascular pain in the knees
Cases of vascular pain account for about 5-10% of all calls for knee pain. These problems arise as a result of poor blood circulation in the knee joints and surrounding tissues. Vascular pain primarily affects adolescents, because the body at this age does not yet keep up with the growth of the skeleton, and the vessels may supply the joints with blood in insufficient quantities. As a rule, as you grow older, vascular pain in the knees subsides (although it can accompany a person throughout his life).
Symptoms: the mobility of the knee joints does not suffer, the shape of the knee does not change, there is no swelling. Usually both knees hurt at the same time and equally. At the same time, knee pain intensifies with changes in weather, as well as with physical activity, colds and exposure to the cold. Patients complain that their knees are spinning.
Treatment: It must be said that special therapy for vascular pain in the knees is not required. To relieve knee pain, simply rub warming ointment into the sore spots, as well as massage (vigorously rubbing the knees). In addition, taking vasodilator drugs helps.
People may complain that they have pain in the back of their knee. The cause of this pain is inflammation within the tendons (ligaments) that are located at the back of the popliteal fossa. It must be said that half of healthy people have mucous bags under the knee in the thickness of the ligaments that do not interfere with movement in any way. Well, if inflammation develops in the bags, then they protrude into the upper corner of the popliteal fossa and interfere with movement, causing pain under the knee on the back side.
Symptoms: at the beginning the patient complains of rare unpleasant sensations under the knee. As the size of the cyst increases, pain occurs under the knee, the patient feels numbness and tingling in the foot area of the affected limb, and it is difficult for him to bend his toes (due to compression of the nerves under the knee). And in the popliteal fossa a dense tumor is felt, which hurts when pressed.
Diagnostics includes an examination by a doctor, an MRI is also taken, an ultrasound of the popliteal fossa, arthroscopy of the knee joint, atrography of the knee joint (a special substance is injected into the cavity of the knee joint, which helps to clearly see the joint and periarticular space on an x-ray).
Treatment: if the Becker cyst has formed recently, then in this case you can get by with conservative treatment. The doctor inserts a needle into the cavity of the cyst, with the help of which the pathological fluid is pumped out and a hormone (corticosteroid) is injected. Thanks to these manipulations, inflammation is relieved and healing is accelerated. At the same time, mandatory treatment is carried out for the underlying disease of the knee joint, which is the reason for the formation of the Becker cyst. If the case is advanced, then it is necessary to apply surgical treatment, as a result of which the inflamed mucous bursa (Becker cyst) is completely removed. Doctors for this disease are an arthrologist and a surgeon.
In what cases can knee pain occur? Let's look at the most common risk factors:
1. Osteoporosis (decreased calcium levels in the bones). This disease mainly occurs in women after menopause; people of any age can also suffer from it due to impaired calcium metabolism in the body. Calcium, which is washed out of the bones, disrupts their strength and destroys the knee joint. Knee pain due to osteoporosis most often occurs in the morning and worsens when the weather changes.
2. Excessively intense physical activity on the legs, which leads to microtrauma of the joint, as well as chronic damage to the cartilage and ligaments of the knee.
3. An old injury, untreated chronic joint diseases, as well as an unhealthy lifestyle that interferes with recovery from previous injuries to the knee joint.
4. Disorders in the structure of the knee joint - when the upper and lower articular heads do not fully correspond to each other, which leads to increased friction in places of discrepancy, and, as a result, to damage to the knee.
5. Flat feet or different lengths of the lower limbs - leads to the fact that the load on the knee joints is distributed incorrectly and the knees wear out prematurely.
6. Age factor - with age, the body's reserves decrease, chronic diseases plague us, and all this affects the condition of the knee joints. At the same time, older people are more often worried about osteoporosis, gout or pseudogout, teenagers – patellar tendonitis (inflammation of the patellar ligaments) and Osgood-Schlatter disease (more often it affects boys in adolescence, whose knees hurt when squatting and their legs swell).
Some symptoms that accompany knee pain require immediate medical attention:
- inability to step on one's foot
– knee deformation (change in its shape)
- constant knee pain
- swelling or swelling of the knee
- redness of the skin above the knee
- increase in general body temperature.
It must be remembered that timely treatment of diseases or injuries of the knee joint becomes the key to further health and mobility of the knee.
1) If your knees hurt badly, then you need to take one potato, wash it well and grate it along with the peel. Then the resulting mass must be mixed with one tablespoon of pure aviation kerosene. Apply this mixture to the sore knee for 15 minutes every day before going to bed, then wipe dry and wrap in a woolen cloth. This procedure should be repeated for a week until the pain disappears completely.
2) To relieve pain in the knee, you need to chop the potatoes and horseradish root on a fine grater. Then mix these products in equal parts and put a thick layer on the sore spot for 40 minutes, then wrap it in plastic and wrap it. After removing the compress, this mixture must be transferred to a container, tightly closed with a lid and placed in the refrigerator. The next day, you need to heat the mixture in a water bath and make the same compress again. Do such compresses 4 more times, but with a newly prepared mixture.
3) My knees hurt, what should I do? You can prepare the following ointment: beat the yolk of one egg with one teaspoon of turpentine, then add one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Rub this ointment into the knee joint every day and wrap it with a woolen cloth on top.
4) You can get rid of knee pain in the following way: you need to take one large onion, cut it into two parts, and cut the inside of each half so that the juice flows out. Apply onion to both sides of the knee at night, after which the compress should be bandaged. Do this treatment for knee pain several times until recovery occurs.
5) How to relieve knee pain? You need to take 100 g of elecampane, mix it with 0.5 liters of vodka and put it in a dark place to infuse for three days. Then lubricate the sore knee with this tincture, but before applying the compress, the sore spot must be lubricated with vegetable oil so that there is no burn. The tincture is used externally only.
6) If you are worried about pain in your knees, then you can take 0.5 cups of chamomile flowers and the same amount of black elderberry, then pour a small amount of boiling water over them. Wrap up and leave to infuse for 15 minutes. Then drain the water and put the resulting cake in a cloth bag. Apply to the sore spot and wrap warmly with a woolen cloth.
7) If your knee hurts, green pine branches can help. You need to pour boiling water over a bucket of green pine branches, leave for one day, then heat it up and wash your knee joints with the resulting infusion. Treatment is carried out for one month, and the branches must be changed every day.
8) How to reduce knee pain? You can do the following: stir honey, salt, soda, mustard in equal parts. The resulting mixture should be applied to the sore knee before bed, then wrapped in film and wrapped in a warm (preferably woolen) cloth. This procedure must be repeated for a week until the pain subsides.