Pain on the side of the knee can occur unexpectedly - a symptom of pathology of the musculoskeletal system. Occurs in the elderly, young people, and children.
To determine the cause, it is important to have an understanding of the structure of the knee.
The joint consists of three bones: femur, tibia, and patella. In the lower part there are condyles covered with cartilage tissue. The menisci are made of cartilage tissue and are located between two bones: the femur and the tibia.
Capsules are located in the articular planes of the knee. They produce a joint substance that prevents the abrasion of the cartilaginous part. The joint is secured by ligaments: on the outside and on the inside. When carrying heavy objects and keeping the body in an upright position, the knee joint experiences stress.
Pain in the knee joint is provoked by the factors described below. Common causes of lateral knee pain:
Pain on the outside can be caused by a bruise on the side of the leg - a consequence of sprain, rupture of ligaments and menisci.
If the ligaments are damaged, pain occurs on the outside or inside of the knee, hematoma or swelling. Injuries do not depend on whether a person plays sports or not.
For first aid, provide rest to the victim and apply cold to the damaged area. Perform an ultrasound or x-ray for an accurate diagnosis and treatment.
The menisci are injured by a blow to the side of the leg or by sudden bending of the knee. The cartilage layers can rupture, shift, or tear off. The external meniscus is more often susceptible to injury. Signs of damage are symptoms:
If symptoms appear, you should consult a doctor immediately. In case of untimely treatment, formations appear in the area of the damaged meniscus that degenerate into a cyst. The meniscus ceases to perform its function, leading to arthrosis of the joint.
Inflammatory processes are common causes of knee pain:
Damage to articular cartilage, thinning and destruction. The causes are injuries, previous knee surgeries, excess weight, poor diet, weakened immunity, and congenital defects in a part of the joint.
Inflammation of the knee joint. When it occurs, joint fluid accumulates in the joint cavity. The cause of the development of gonitis is infections that penetrate through damaged tissue or through the bloodstream. As a result, the leg hurts in the knee area.
The symptoms of the disease are similar to arthrosis and are often chronic. Arthritis occurs as a result of injuries, infectious diseases, and problems with the immune system. Symptoms: the side of the knee swells, pain appears when walking, bending on the outside.
Inflammation of the joint capsule. Occurs as a result of physical exertion, if the side of the leg is susceptible to injury, after suffering infectious diseases. Bursitis is accompanied by pain in the knee, swelling, redness of the skin, and increased temperature above the affected knee.
Inflammation of ligaments and tendons. Athletes, children, and people over 40 years of age are susceptible to tendonitis. Stress causes microscopic damage. In the absence of sufficient rest, microtraumas accumulate and lead to tendon degeneration, which leads to the development of the disease.
The appearance of tendinitis is a sharp pain in the knee area on the outside, when moving and bending, redness, swelling of the side of the knee.
With flat feet, the knees take on a greater load because the body weight cannot be distributed correctly. There are many reasons leading to flat feet. This is a congenital pathology of the foot, the consequences of rickets, injuries, and decreased muscle tone.
It is possible to completely get rid of flat feet in childhood. In adults, the disease can only be slowed down with the help of rehabilitation measures.
When the spinal nerve endings are pinched, a process develops that destroys the cartilage of the knee joint and connective tissue. Causes: physical activity, metabolic disorders, hormonal changes.
Having identified the causes of pain on the outer side of the knee, decide on the choice of treatment. Do not self-medicate; your doctor will determine the cause of your knee pain. The prescribed instructions must be strictly followed.
The doctor will order a series of examinations that will help make an accurate diagnosis for the symptoms described above. These include blood tests, x-rays, ultrasound examinations, punctures, and tomography.
The method of treatment depends on the nature of the disease, which are described above. In case of joint injury, bone reduction, plaster application, and surgical interventions are performed.
In case of an inflammatory disease, they resort to therapy. This includes prescribing antibiotics, applying bandages, and removing bone formations. In case of serious inflammation, complex treatment is prescribed.
Among medications, aspirin, diclofenac, paracetamol, and ibuprofen are prescribed to relieve inflammation and pain.
Gonarthrosis is treated with intra-articular injections, physiotherapeutic procedures, physical therapy, massage, and local remedies in the form of compresses are prescribed.
To relieve muscle spasms, vasodilators, ointments, and massage are used.
In some cases, physical therapy is prescribed, which helps slow the progression of the disease and restore joint mobility. A set of exercises is selected by the doctor.
There are a number of folk remedies that can help reduce pain in the side of the knee. Below are some simple recipes:
During the inflammatory process, exclude animal fats, white bread, and sweet foods from your diet. Increase the amount of foods containing plant fiber and B vitamins. Drinking alcoholic beverages is prohibited.
Drink 2 liters of fluid daily, it is useful to drink water before meals. Introduce fish oil and flaxseed oil into your diet. Take a course of vitamin complexes containing vitamins C, E, PP. Or include foods containing them in your daily diet. These are black currants, rose hips, oranges, apples, cauliflower, nuts, seeds.
To prevent pain on the side of the knee, reduce the load on the joints, normalize weight, properly distribute work and rest time, carry out therapeutic measures in the event of infectious diseases, use knee protection when playing sports. It is useful to take walks, swimming, and yoga.
Regardless of the nature of the disease, it is important to diagnose and begin treatment. Only then can you quickly restore the condition of the joint and avoid undesirable consequences.
If you are worried about pain on the inside of the knee (or on the inside side), you need to consult a doctor with a detailed diagnosis, since it is impossible to accurately determine the cause of the pain “in absentia”.
What could be the reasons for this problem:
When a ligament or tendon is sprained or torn, sharp pain usually occurs on the side of the knee joint.
Pain syndrome of varying intensity in the popliteal fossa occurs with subchondral, synovial, parameniscal meniscus cyst, damage to the tibial nerve, and aneurysm of the popliteal artery.
In other cases, the causes of pain in the back or side of the knee are the same. There are many systemic and joint diseases that are symptomatic of pain in any area of the knee (including the back and/or side). For example, this is gonarthritis.
(if the table is not completely visible, scroll to the right)
Injuries of periarticular and intraarticular elements (usually the pain in this case is on the side of the knee)
Tendon sprain or rupture, internal meniscus tear, knee joint fracture, bruise, pinched nerve
Diseases of the structures of the popliteal fossa (pain directly behind the knee)
Baker's cyst, bursitis, tendinitis, tendovaginitis, meniscal cyst, arthritis
Vascular diseases (discomfort may be on the back or side of the knee)
Varicose veins with thrombosis of the popliteal vein, aneurysm or embolism of the popliteal artery
Damage to the nerves of the neurovascular bundle (pain both behind and on the side)
Pinching, inflammation, swelling of the tibial nerve
Types of popliteal artery aneurysm
If pain appears on the inside or side of the knee, you need to contact a therapist, who, having made a preliminary diagnosis, will refer you to a specialist: a rheumatologist, arthrologist, orthopedist or traumatologist.
Some of the diseases listed above have dangerous consequences. For example, gonarthrosis in advanced 3rd degree leads to deformation of the joint with a pronounced limitation of mobility up to immobilization. Other diseases, for example, tendinitis, do not lead to such severe consequences.
You can get rid of pain (stop it) if you get good treatment. The sooner you visit a doctor and start treatment, the more effective it will be.
Next, we will take a closer look at common diseases and types of injuries that manifest as pain on the lateral and inner side of the knee, as well as general ways to combat discomfort.
Meniscus injuries rank first among other injuries of the knee joint. They are diagnosed mainly in people from 18 to 40 years old. Moreover, 75% of cases occur due to damage to the internal (medial) meniscus.
Tendon rupture, meniscal injury with the development of meniscitis or meniscopathy, fractures are accompanied by sharp pain not only on the back of the knee, but also in any area. It is impossible to lean on your leg when walking, or simply bend, straighten, or make any other movement. The intensity of pain decreases after immobilization, application of ice, and novocaine blockade.
With this disease, dissection of the aortic wall occurs with the formation of a sac-like protrusion. The causes of this pathology: endarteritis, atherosclerosis, congenital anomalies of the aorta.
A sharp, unbearable pain occurs, the intensity of which decreases over time, but sensitivity is impaired. Weakness appears in the leg, it freezes and goes numb. The skin turns pale to blue.
Differences from Baker's cyst are the pulsation of the swelling and its persistence after pressing.
Serious complications in the form of vascular thrombosis, gangrene, and acute arterial insufficiency in the ankle vessels cannot be excluded.
Lymphadenitis is accompanied by swelling, local fever, severe pain when palpating the lymph nodes and straightening the knee.
This is a protrusion of the synovial bursa in the form of a hernia into the popliteal fossa. Appears in people after 40 years of age, often under both knees as a complication of synovitis or arthritis.
At first, unobtrusive unpleasant sensations arise. As the cyst enlarges, the vessels and nerves on the inside of the knee are compressed, the pain intensifies, and numbness, tingling or other paresthesia of the sole area occurs.
A characteristic symptom is a reduction in the hernia when pressing on it due to the reverse flow of joint fluid.
This is a severe non-inflammatory pathology of the joints, leading to tissue death due to impaired blood supply. Necrosis of the knee joint is characterized by pain on its inner surface.
Gonarthritis is inflammation of the knee joint of various origins. It can be infectious, rheumatoid, gouty, post-traumatic, reactive, aseptic - and that’s not all its types.
It may affect one knee (monoarthritis) or both (polyarthritis).
At first, the pain occurs periodically, intensifying with physical activity and in the evening. The knee swells, the temperature rises locally, and the skin over it turns red. As inflammation progresses, stiffness in movement, bone deformities, impaired muscle nutrition, contractures, and even complete loss of joint mobility develop.
Of all joint inflammations, knee arthritis is diagnosed in 35–52% of cases. It is detected among people of any age group, but more often in people 40–60 years old.
With this pathology, the tendons of the knee become inflamed and affected. A nagging or sharp pain occurs in the affected area.
In stage 1 tendonitis, the pain is moderate, occurs only in response to normal load on the knee, and goes away with rest. At stages 2–3, it intensifies, not disappearing even after many hours of rest. A moderate restriction appears in the joint, microtears or complete rupture of the tendon are possible.
Other causes of pain on the back of the knee joint include Hoffa's disease, malignant or benign neoplasms, such as hygroma.
Treatment in each case is developed individually, taking into account the type, stage of the disease, and the severity of the pain syndrome. In this block we will talk about common common methods of therapy.
NSAIDs, corticosteroids, chondroprotectors, anticoagulants, antiplatelet agents, antibiotics
Used for injuries and according to indications depending on the disease
Ozokerite, laser and magnetic therapy, paraffin and mud applications, ultraphonophoresis, electrophoresis
Endoprosthetics, arthroscopy, synovectomy, meniscus resection, cyst removal
Author: Nadezhda Martynova
At the top of the comments feed are the last 25 question-answer blocks. I answer only those questions where I can give practical advice in absentia - this is often impossible without personal consultation.
Good afternoon A 78-year-old woman presented with intense pain on the inside of one knee, especially when standing and walking. There are no pathologies on the X-ray, a month of pills and injections and ointments (everything that treats various pathologies of the knee) did not give any results. Now we tried aspirin 2t. 4 times a day - 5 days. It immediately became easier, but the pain remained less intense and was relieved by ichthyol ointment. What could it be? What research needs to be done to make a correct diagnosis? At the district hospital, doctors shrug their shoulders.
Hello Ella. The best informative study is MRI. At this age, diseases such as arthrosis, coxarthrosis, arthritis are common, and there may be a deterioration in blood circulation. You can do an ultrasound of the blood vessels.
My leg hurts, more precisely the back of my knees. WHEN I bend my legs I have a sharp pain. While sitting and lifting something heavy, there was a characteristic crunching sound, which went into the X-ray; all the bones were intact and inviolable. The doctor said (traumatologist) that the blood had pooled inside, it needs to be cleaned and put in a plaster
Hello, Bakyt. Usually, with acute pain, the menisci are damaged. This is clearly shown by MRI studies. The resulting effusion must be removed using a puncture.
In May 2017 (Almost a year ago), during a football match, I felt a sharp pain in the inside of my knee, then I thought that it was a sprain. I didn’t go to the emergency room for a week, it was difficult to climb stairs and I felt pain when bending my leg, then the pain seemed to disappear and I resumed training and in the very first training the pain returned and does not go away to this day, without stress it gets better, if you don’t run in the morning and don’t play football, then there is no pain, but when playing a sharp pain appears, it can be tolerated, but not for a long time. Even an ordinary run after the bus is accompanied by pain. There were never any fractures, there were problems with the cruciate ligaments, but that was a long time ago, and there was pain on the inside of the knee. When contacting the hospital, the doctor did not take an x-ray and twisted the leg, saying that it was not a meniscus, but a normal sprain, but 11 months had already passed
Afanasy, go to the clinic to see a traumatologist or surgeon, you need an examination by a specialist and an x-ray is required. You can't make a diagnosis in absentia.
I’m 22, after a long walk (16 km) I feel pain on the inside of my knee when I straighten my leg. Which specialist should I contact? Is it possible to continue walking like this?
Hello Anna. If the pain continues, you can consult an orthopedic doctor. You either have a sprain or a torn meniscus. Cancel walking for this distance for now.
Hello! I woke up at night with a piercing pain in my knee. The pain was at one point near the kneecap and the feeling was as if in this place the knee was being pierced with a hot knitting needle and at the same time it was impossible to straighten the leg. When the attack began to pass, I suddenly began to feel sick and felt like I was about to vomit. Please tell me what this could be? Thank you.
Hello Tatiana. Facts such as what exactly preceded such pain are of great importance. Namely, whether there was a long walk, a blow to the knee, a bruise, or maybe you constantly wear high-heeled shoes, etc. Pain will not arise out of nowhere, but it is almost impossible to determine your diagnosis without examination and x-rays. Sharp, severe pain most often indicates a meniscus tear. Take an x-ray.
Hello! I am 29 years old. I have ostearthrosis of the knee joint with bursitis. They also diagnosed synovitis. I took ab, rheumatoid tablets (surunjan). When I was doing physical therapy, I walked on my knees for 2-3 minutes. Then I noticed how my left knee (inside) was sticking out a little. Apparently this was complicated by walking on my knees. How can I fix this? Is it possible ?
Hello, Gulinosa. I can't see through the Internet what happened to your knee joint. You see a doctor (traumatologist or surgeon) and have them examine you.
In addition to the previous letter, I am sending the result of an X-ray of the knee joints.
Full name: Chirkov Mikhail Ivanovich; Date of birth: 03/28/1950
Date of study: 10/19/2015; Study No: 2819; Dose: 0.0068 mSv.
On radiographs of both knee joints: uneven narrowing of the joint spaces, more medially, subchondral sclerosis of the articular surfaces with their flattening, sharpening of the intercondylar elevations, marginal osteophytes of the articular surface of the patellas and on the lateral surfaces of the femur and tibia. Local calcifications in the soft tissues on the right.
RG-signs of osteoarthritis 2-3 degrees.
Mikhail, I had a lot of patients after you, so I cannot remember each person’s questions, as well as my own answers. A patient with osteoarthritis must perform certain procedures that are aimed at restoring it and fully strengthening damaged limbs: exercise therapy (helps strengthen the leg muscles), massage, manual therapy. In addition, it is imperative to select medications that could significantly improve all metabolic processes taking place in cartilage tissue. Quite often, taking such medications is long-term; some patients take medications for several years. After a few months, you will be able to notice the first results of treatment with these drugs from the group of chondroprotectors. All prescriptions are made by the attending physician, taking into account your medical history.
Hello, we need injections for knee joints
Golfira, there are a huge number of drug names. They are selected taking into account the diagnosis, severity of the disease, the presence of other chronic diseases, age, etc. And on the Internet there can be no talk of any purpose. Go to the doctor's clinic for an appointment.
I have gonarthrosis. What effective treatment will help me. I took Teraflex for 3 months, took breaks and want to drink Dona. ADVICE. I live in a village, there are no doctors.
Tamara, you can read articles on the site on this topic:
Often a person pays attention to his health only when the disease is at a late stage of its development and is accompanied by unpleasant symptoms. However, we should not forget that health is the highest value, and once you lose it, you will have to spend a lot of time and effort to restore it.
If a person has pain on the side of his knee , then, as a rule, he is in no hurry to seek medical help and hopes that the pain will go away soon on its own. WE RECOMMEND YOU TO CONTACT OUR SPECIALISTS FOR A SECOND OPINION (For this you will need x-rays).
Not only elderly patients suffer from this disease, but also young people. Most often, knee pain occurs in people involved in active sports (equestrianism, bodybuilding, cycling, etc.). During training, these people can get microtraumas and sprains. Many people pay attention to the fact that knee pain appears on the side. The causes of such sensations are not necessarily diseases of the knee joint itself. Pain can also occur due to pathologies in other areas of the human body.
Pain on the side of the knee can be caused not only by bruises and various types of injuries, but also by injuries to the knee in childhood. If the knee joint becomes inflamed or becomes infected, a person will experience pain while walking not only on the side of the knee, but throughout the entire leg. Dystrophic-degenerative diseases of the joint can also cause pain on the side of the knee and discomfort.
If you feel pain on the side of your knee, it may also be a sign of a muscle strain or torn ligament. Also, pain on the side of the knee can be caused by neurological disorders.
AND IN THIS CASE, WE RECOMMEND YOU TO CONTACT OUR SPECIALISTS FOR A SECOND OPINION (The cost of such a service depends on the complexity of the case).
Treatment methods for such diseases are extremely varied, so our clinic’s specialists recommend that you find a competent doctor who will select adequate treatment.
To eliminate pain on the side of the knee, it is necessary to determine its cause. Our specialists will prescribe a thorough examination and comprehensive diagnostics (x-ray, CT, arthroscope, MRI, etc.).
An extremely important procedure is a laboratory analysis of the patient’s blood.
Most often, such pain occurs due to osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine. In this case, the sensory roots of the lumbosacral nerve plexus are displaced. During this, lumbar pain radiates to the hip and knee area. Since our knees are often exposed to stress, certain changes occur in them.
One of these changes is the disease gonarthrosis of the knee joint.
During this pathology, dystrophic changes in the articular cartilage are observed, resulting in its depletion. Then the bone tissue of the tibia and the condyle of the femur are affected. When the condyles of the femur are affected, a person experiences knee pain on the side .
Another well-known disease is inflammation of the knee joint - knee arthritis or knee arthritis. The most famous type of monoarthritis. It can also be one of the manifestations of polyarthritis. Patients suffering from gonarthritis complain of severe pain and difficulty moving the knee. Often the cause of gonitis is an infection that penetrates the joint through damaged tissue during injury. Infections can also enter the body from other foci during a general purulent infection. It also happens that after infection, an immunological breakdown begins and then damage to the articular cartilage.
The specialized orthopedic center of the Friedrichshafen Clinic, founded in 1987, provides high-quality diagnosis and treatment of joints.
In case of ligament rupture, meniscus or cartilage injury, the patient is advised to undergo atroscopic examination and treatment. Thanks to computer navigation, it is possible to accurately determine the location of the meniscus lesion and restore damaged fibers. Arthroscopy for the diagnosis and treatment of lateral knee pain is performed on an outpatient basis at the Friedrichshafen Clinic. The cost of this procedure varies, usually from €5,000 to €6,000. Every year the clinic performs about 500 such interventions.
With extensive destructive processes in the knee joint, endoprosthetic surgery may be required. There are complete and partial knee replacements. In the first case, we are talking about replacing the front part of the joint and part of the kneecap. With total endoprosthetics, a complex endoprosthesis, the so-called “artificial” knee, is installed. The cost of knee replacement in our clinic in Germany is about € 12,000 - € 14,000. Since the cost depends on the individual situation of the patient, the exact cost can only be determined after reviewing the patient’s medical documentation and x-rays. The estimate for treatment is formed as follows: accommodation, cost of patient care, fees for the chief physician and anesthetist.
Due to the fact that knee pain can be caused by different reasons and, accordingly, different types of treatment can be applied, our clinic offers a second opinion service. This service involves reviewing your case from the point of view of an outside expert who makes a recommendation for effective treatment. The recommendation is drawn up in the form of a detailed written opinion. How you apply this recommendation and where your knee joint will be treated is up to you. If you decide to undergo treatment at the Friedrichshafen Clinic, the cost you paid for the “second opinion” service will be counted towards you as an advance payment for the knee joint treatment you have chosen.
WE RECOMMEND YOU TO CONTACT OUR SPECIALISTS FOR A SECOND OPINION RIGHT NOW! More than 3,000 patients from Russia have already received qualified assistance in a timely manner thanks to this service!
The cost of the service is 350 Euro. Payment is made in advance by bank transfer or credit card.
Who can I contact if I have pain in the side of the knee joint? Highly qualified specialists from the Friedrichshfen Clinic, experienced orthopedists and great masters of their craft can find the cause. Thanks to modern medical technologies and state-of-the-art equipment, our doctors will help every patient. We will develop an individual treatment plan for you, aimed at your speedy recovery!
Any dysfunction of the musculoskeletal system creates problems for human movement. Knee pain on the outside or inside creates not just discomfort, but calls into question the very ability to move freely. Diagnosis and successful treatment of pathology directly depend on timely seeking qualified help. Every time a person in such situations refuses to visit a doctor, he may be taking a step towards his own disability.
Pain in the knee joint can occur in people of different age groups. Even a completely healthy person can periodically experience pain on the inside or outside of the knee. The intensity of pain in the knee can vary and does not always reflect the entire picture of the pathological process.
It is worth noting that the leg in the knee joint can hurt both children and adults, and women are more prone to developing such a pathology. The pain can be acute and severe, or moderate, aching in nature. Sometimes the side of the knee hurts during physical activity or at rest. A person may limit his movements due to pain, which changes his gait. Any disruption of the normal functioning of the knee joint should force the patient to find out the causes of his condition and take appropriate measures.
Leg pain in the area of the knee joint in children may occur due to congenital developmental anomalies or rickets. Sometimes adults experience knee pain after intense physical activity or due to poorly chosen shoes. The following pathologies are the culprits of pain on both sides of the knee:
These are the reasons when the leg in the knee hurts due to diseases that develop directly inside the joint. But sometimes the cause of discomfort and pain can be located below or above the knee. Thrombophlebitis, varicose veins of the extremities, flat feet, degenerative diseases of the hip joint and spine sometimes manifest as pain in the knee on the side.
Active sports and intense physical labor are often associated with the likelihood of injury. The consequences of this can be swelling, damage to the tendons, bones and cartilage of the knee joint. In this case, the leg may swell, and acute pain spreads above and below the knee. Sometimes injuries received in childhood make themselves felt already in adulthood and old age.
Arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, rheumatism and infectious lesions, causing inflammation of the joint, cause pain of varying intensity in the knee on the inside. Sometimes such diseases are accompanied by a local increase in temperature and redness of the skin.
30-40% of cases of pain on the inside of the knee are due to arthrosis. The disease is characterized by the gradual destruction of the cartilage tissue of the joint. Before the leg hurts severely, many months and days pass, during which the person experiences occasional discomfort or dull pain. Later, when the cartilage becomes thinner and destroyed, joint deformation occurs, and pain spreads above and below the joint, making itself felt even during complete rest.
The development of osteoporosis and the appearance of pain in the knee joint is associated with a decrease in bone density and an increase in the risk of fractures, even with minor injuries. Sometimes the cause of osteoporosis is insufficient absorption of calcium salts due to pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract or consumption of foods where the content of this mineral is below the required level. Bone density generally decreases with age, especially in women during menopause.
Many people associate Baker's cyst with neoplasms. However, this is a misconception. The consequence of some injuries, arthrosis and arthritis can be a Baker's cyst, formed in the area of the popliteal fossa by a cavity with fluid from the joint capsule. Reaching a certain size, the cyst can put pressure on nearby vessels and nerve endings, causing pain in the knee joint, as well as lower down the leg.
Pain on the side of the knee joint may also indicate malignancy or metastasis. To find out the exact causes of pain, you should consult a doctor and undergo an examination.
Discomfort, pain and other unpleasant sensations in the knee joints should be a reason to visit a medical facility and find out the cause of such symptoms. After examination and questioning, the doctor may prescribe additional examination methods to clarify the diagnosis. As a rule, rheumatologists, traumatologists and orthopedists deal with issues related to knee diseases. However, a visit to a surgeon, infectious disease specialist or oncologist is not excluded if the disease is not associated with the pathology of the joint itself.
If injury is present, surgery may sometimes be indicated. If the knee injury does not involve bone fractures, conservative treatment methods can be used successfully. To eliminate swelling, cold compresses are applied to the injured joint. A cast or special bandage may be placed on the knee, since the bones or tendons heal faster when at rest, and restriction of movement does not cause unnecessary suffering.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are universal drugs for the treatment of almost all joint diseases. They can be prescribed in the form of injections, tablets, capsules, ointments, gels and patches. The range of such products is constantly growing. The most popular drugs in the group of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are drugs containing ketoprofen, diclofenac, nimesulide, and ibuprofen. Under the influence of these drugs, the level of the main participants in the inflammation process (prostaglandins, histamine) becomes lower, and the conduction of the pain impulse is disrupted.
If the cause of pain in the side of the knee is an infectious process, antibiotics are prescribed. Inflammation in the joint during arthritis is eliminated with the help of hormonal drugs from the glucocorticoid group: prednisolone, dexamethasone, betamethasone.
Therapy for arthrosis is usually based on the use of chondroprotectors (glucosamine, chondroitin), which are capable of restoring cartilage tissue. These products are used for a long time to ensure a lasting effect. If treatment is unsuccessful, knee replacement surgery is recommended.
Osteoporosis cannot be overcome without calcium supplements. In addition, agents are shown that allow calcium to be transported directly into bone tissue: alendronic and risendronic acid.
Moderate physical activity, special gymnastics, and weight loss are recommended as preventive measures for lateral knee pain. You should not rely on your own intuition to find the causes of unpleasant sensations and self-medicate. Therapy must be agreed upon with a doctor.
Every day our feet experience enormous stress. Therefore, sometimes people experience pain in their legs. Most often, few people pay attention to such a symptom, attributing everything to fatigue or wearing high-heeled shoes. But it turns out that such sensations can indicate serious problems. Why do my legs hurt below the knees and how to get rid of these unpleasant sensations?
There are many causes of leg pain below the knee. Conventionally, they can be divided into previous injuries, pathologies of the spine or diseases of the cardiovascular system. If we look at them closer, we can say that the right or left leg may hurt for the following reasons:
Why do my legs hurt? doctor of the highest category, doctor of medical sciences Ilya Egorov will answer the question:
If pain in the legs below the knee joint appears after intense training, physical activity or long walking, then after rest, the discomfort will disappear. But there are times when, if pain occurs, you need to consult a doctor. This should be done if pain is accompanied by:
A doctor can understand why the lower leg hurts below the knee in front, behind or on the side after conducting a comprehensive examination. To do this, he will assign:
Sometimes the doctor only needs a visual examination and a clinical blood test. But there are situations when additional diagnostic procedures are indispensable, especially if you need to carefully examine a bone, muscle or joint.
Treatment for pain that occurs in the leg below the knee joint will depend on the diagnosis. It is important that it be comprehensive. This is the only way to achieve the maximum effect of therapy and avoid serious consequences.
As a rule, to treat pain that occurs in the legs below the knee, the doctor prescribes the following medications:
Chiropractor Anton Epifanov will tell you more about anti-inflammatory drugs:
The use of physiotherapeutic procedures helps to stop the inflammatory process, improve blood circulation and metabolic processes, relieve pain and speed up recovery. For this, patients are prescribed:
To alleviate the patient’s condition and relieve him of pain occurring below the knee joint, the doctor may recommend the use of folk remedies:
To avoid pain in the legs below the knee joint, it is important to follow some preventive rules:
Leg pain that occurs below the knee can occur for various reasons. Sometimes, it is associated with high physical activity or intense training the day before. In this case, it goes away on its own after a few days. But, in some cases, pain becomes a consequence of the development of a serious illness. This condition requires immediate consultation with a doctor and initiation of treatment. This is the only way to quickly get rid of pain and prevent the development of serious complications.
There are no people who have not experienced knee pain at least once in their lives. Pain sensations can be very different: wavy, aching or excessively sharp. Excessive pain can appear after a dislocation, bruise, subsequently microtrauma, or be a symptom of a serious illness occurring in the body. If acute pain in the knee occurs and goes away, you should not worry too much, but if it recurs with unenviable frequency, you should see a specialist.
The knee joint is considered the most unprotected part of the body. Its vulnerability is due to the fact that the knee almost always experiences severe stress due to human weight. In addition, the knee joint has an intricate structure, so it is quite difficult to understand why the lower leg hurts. According to experts, the knee is considered the most easily injured part of the body. Almost every second patient who went to the doctor with severe knee pain received serious damage to the lower limb. And only in a small part of patients, the cause of knee pain is a consequence of an infectious disease.
Structure of the knee joint
In order to find out why your knees hurt, you need to determine the features of their structure.
The knee joint consists of:
The two main bones touching each other are covered with hyaline cartilage, which allows the knee joint to move in any direction. At the junction of the large bones there is a membrane filled with synovial fluid. It makes it possible to significantly ensure joint mobility. The knee joint also contains muscle tissue, connections, nerve endings, blood vessels and tendons.
For the most part, pain in the knee joint occurs due to a bruise. Even after receiving a minor injury, at first, the patient may not experience any discomfort. Initially, after an injury, pain appears and goes away. After a while, if serious measures focused on therapy are not taken, the patient begins to feel that the knee hurts unbearably. The injury may affect the cartilage joint, tendons, or ligaments.
If your knee joint hurts after a bruise, you should definitely see a specialist to determine the severity of the injury. Within a few hours after the injury, severe swelling and swelling is observed in the knee joint, and acute pain under the kneecap completely destabilizes the motor reflexes of the knee. Due to injury in muscle tissue, blood microcirculation is disrupted, and nerve damage can lead to hemorrhages of varying severity.
If your knee hurts after a bruise, the question arises, what to do? First of all, the specialist must confirm the injury and only then he prescribes appropriate treatment.
Hemarthrosis is the most common cause of pain in the knee joint. This disease occurs due to severe damage. When a severe injury occurs, hemorrhage occurs into the joint cavity, which causes severe pain in the knees, swelling or rupture of the synovial membrane.
As a rule, a disease such as a meniscus tear occurs very often. The injury is accompanied by a sharp movement in the knee joint and rotation of the femur when the foot or lower leg is at rest. This results in the patient being unable to straighten his knees.
Meniscopathy requires immediate consultation with a specialist. If the patient does not go to a medical facility for emergency care, the meniscus tear remains undetected. After a week, the pain in the knees subsides a little, and sometimes completely disappears, but this does not mean the patient is cured. After some time, the situation repeats itself and provokes re-incarceration of the meniscus, which leads to arthrosis, which deforms the knee joint beyond recognition. Removing the meniscus does not help correct the situation, therefore, with advanced meniscopathy, knee pain cannot be treated.
A disease such as tendonitis is provoked by prolonged loads on the knee joint over a long period of time. A pronounced symptom of the disease is excessive pain in the knee, which does not go away, but on the contrary, intensifies over time.
With this disease, not only the knees hurt. The body completely weakens against the background of the ongoing inflammatory process, body temperature rises, and perspiration appears. The cause of bursitis is strong physical stress directed at the knee or a bruise, as a result of which inflammation begins in the area of the synovial bursa. The disease can be diagnosed using the visual method. In the area of the injury, you may notice excessive redness, severe swelling appears, and the pain under the knee becomes unbearable.
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint is a consequence of damage to the joints of the knee joint. Its development proceeds slowly and for a very long time, so the course of the disease sometimes goes unnoticed by specialists, since the patient does not go to a medical institution. When the joint is at rest, the disease does not manifest itself in any way, the pain under the knee becomes unbearable and a strong crunching sound is heard when a person climbs the stairs or squats.
If the knee joint is not treated, the cartilage wears out and the distance between the bones decreases. This leads to compression of the blood vessels, and the kneecap is subject to deformation. Therefore, if your knee hurts badly, you should not delay going to a medical facility; an experienced traumatologist will be able to conduct a competent diagnosis and prescribe appropriate treatment.
When they say that the popliteal fossa is aching or pulling, they mean the lower leg. In cases where the legs hurt just below the knees, the cause may be thrombosis of the veins of the lower extremities. If the disease is not detected in a timely manner, the blood clot may break off, leading to death. Therefore, if the patient suffers from severe, persistent pain under the knee, you should consult a specialist.
If the leg hurts below the knee in front, and the patient has recently been injured, you need to think about an abscess of the popliteal fossa. Lymph nodes are located in this place. Pathogenic bacteria or infections that have entered the popliteal fossa can move freely along them. A negative property of this disease is the minimum number of symptoms that make it possible to determine why the kneecap hurts.
As the pathology develops, the leg may swell slightly in the knee area, and nothing more. When palpating the popliteal fossa, sharp pain in the knee may occur. To treat an abscess, an operation is prescribed to open the damaged part of the body, and then the abscess is drained.
Many people wonder why their legs hurt below the knees? The leg may become ill as a result of the manifestation of neurovascular pathologies. For example, a tumor of the nerve in the tibia, aneurysm and thrombosis of the knee joint are increasingly being diagnosed by specialists when patients come to see them and are interested in the problem, why their leg hurts and how to cure it.
If a person experiences excessive pain behind the knee, he has only one question: what disease provokes it? In this situation, you cannot hesitate; you need to seek help from a specialist who can carry out a competent diagnosis. Diagnosis will allow you to make the correct diagnosis and determine why a person is experiencing pain in the back of the knee.
The most common cause of pain behind the knee is a Baker's cyst. As a rule, the development of the disease occurs in people who are elderly due to inflammation occurring in the synovium.
The inflammatory process is a strong provocateur of excess accumulation of intra-articular fluid. As a result, at the weakest point, the periarticular membrane is strongly pressed onto the back of the knee, which provokes the appearance of pain.
Unfortunately, joint diseases do not bypass children either. When visiting a pediatrician, many parents complain that their child’s legs below the knees hurt a lot. Most often, if the knees hurt in the lower part of the shin, this is a consequence of an injury. Children run like mad along the street, which is fraught with constant falls. After receiving a bruise, the shin or knee hurts greatly.
The most common disease plaguing athletes and people involved in heavy physical labor is meniscal cyst. The leg may become very swollen, inflamed, and extremely painful. New growths called cysts, filled with fluid, form in the meniscal cavity. The appearance of a cyst provokes pain in the lower part of the leg. The shin not only hurts in the back, but also in the front, and the pain is not sharp, but aching.
Without appropriate diagnostics, a cyst is difficult to identify. If the patient does not say that his legs ache below the knees, the disease will remain undetected.
With a cyst, pain in the knees can have different causes, but the treatment is the same - removal of the meniscus. Sick patients are in a medical facility where appropriate treatment is provided. For several days, patients should not disturb their leg or get out of bed. After surgery, pain in the knee joint is treated with medication.
Pain in the knee on the inside is a consequence of the development of such pathologies:
External damage to the knee joint
There are several factors that can cause knee pain on the outside of the side. These include:
Symptoms and treatment for lateral knee pain are different for each pathology. Therefore, they require a special approach.
Arthralgia of the knee joint can cause numerous inconveniences to a person. It causes severe pain in the joints and muscles, and may be accompanied by a strong crunching sound in the area of the injured limb.
The source of arthralgia can be a large bruise, an infection in the joint, intense and prolonged muscle work, tumor diseases and heavy weight.
What to do if your knee hurts? The first step is to identify the cause of the pain, and only then look for treatment methods. However, compliance with certain rules is necessary for any disease:
During bruises, experts recommend the use of chondroprotectors. These drugs are aimed at restoring cartilage tissue, reducing inflammation, relieving swelling and pain. Chondroprotectors include:
If your knees hurt, you should consult a specialist before treating them yourself. It should be remembered that only a correctly diagnosed disease will allow the appropriate treatment method to be prescribed. Therefore, get up from your knees, Russian people, and go ahead!