Unarguably, knee pain is a source of discomfort. It affects persons of all ages, and sometimes occurs without any known form of injury, and it may even get chronic long after. Knee pain can be restricted to one area or spread throughout the entire knee. in the region, It could affect the bone, ligaments, cartilage or the kneecap. Fortunately, for some, the pain only lasts a short period of time, while for others, it lasts a while.
What Causes Knee Pain?
Generally, there are three categories of the causes of knee pain. Let`s take a look.
Injury
Injury to the knee can occur as a result of falls, traumatic forces on the bones within the knee, fractures, vehicular accidents, or sports-related accidents. Injuries weaken the normal function of the knee joint and prevent weight-bearing or free movement. Injuries can also affect the ligaments within the knee. Ligament injuries are common with persons that are actively involved in sports.
Overuse
Overuse of the knees is characterized by acute or chronic pain. Endurance athletes such as long-distance runners are more likely to experience knee pain as a result of overuse because repeated high impact stress on the knees leads to degeneration of the kneecap
Medical Conditions
This is the most common cause of knee pain. It can occur in the form of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, or even gout, which causes accumulation of uric acid within joints.
Obesity
Obesity too is a cause of knee pain, as obese people have a higher risk of developing arthritis or premature degeneration of connective tissue within the knees.
Symptoms of Knee Pain
Asides transient knee pain that occurs and resolves on its own without any intervention, knee pains that come with serious pain that lingers needs medical attention.
Severe knee pain has these symptoms:
Difficulty Rising from a Seated Position
People who have a proper posture, when getting up from a seated position, use our their muscles to propel the body upwards, not having the kneecaps go past the tip of the toes. People with knee pain have problems rising from a seated position in the normal way.
Difficulty Walking
Because walking requires some coordination and stability, there’s a need to bend the knee. When some damage has been done to the knees, bones may not be able to slide smoothly over each other, and this causes immense pain.
Tenderness of the Knees
Pain in the knee region homes with some redness and swelling. It may be painful when touched. They get so tender that one may not be able to comfortably apply some pressure to the knees.
Knee Locking
Knee locking is the inability to bend the knee forward or backward. Under normal circumstances, the knees should be bent without any trouble.
Weight Shifting
When a knee is fatigued, by default, there is a weight shift from that leg to the other. Now that stress the knee that bears the weight shift, and it may be hurt afterward.
Treating Knee Pain
Over-the-Counter Medication
Over-the-counter medication such as NSAID painkillers glucosamine and chondroitin supplements which provide short-term analgesia and anti-inflammatory actions. They aren’t for long-term use, except they’re specifically prescribed by a physician.
Prescription Medication
Corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, narcotic analgesics, and gout medication can control uric acid levels. When prescribed, they are found helpful.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is one of the most effective methods of treating a knee injury. Physical therapy aims at ensuring the muscle and joints regain normal mechanical function, so that loadbearing becomes less painful, hence preventing loss of mobility.
RICE
No, take your mind off food. This is a mnemonic for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. These are techniques that are helpful in the management of acute pain. Knee pains that occur suddenly, or as a result of minor injury do heal after the RICE approach.
Surgery
Knee surgery is of various kinds. It can be simple arthroscopic outpatient procedures, during which small injuries are treated, and tiny fragments of damaged bone are removed with the help of a fiber-optic camera.
There can also be knee replacements where part of, or even the entirety of the knee joint is replaced with metal or plastic components.
Knee replacements are usually done for persons whose connective tissue within the knee have degraded so badly that normal function may never again be possible.
Knee Facts
- There are four major bones in the knee: the femur, the tibia, the fibula, and the patella.
- The knee has 14 ligaments. This includes 7 intracapsular ligaments including the anterior cruciate (ACL) and posterior cruciate (PCL); and 7 extracapsular ligaments including the medial collateral (MCL) and the lateral collateral (LCL).
- The knee requires at least 12 muscles to perform its function.
- The primary function of the knee is weight-bearing activities such as walking, running and going up/down the stairs.
- The load distributed over the kneecap can be up to 5 times the body weight, particularly when going down the stairs.
- Babies are born without obvious kneecaps. Their kneecaps don’t become visible until about age 2 to 6 years.
- The kneecap houses a unique type of bone called the sesamoid bone. This bone is buried within a tendon or muscle.
- The knee is the largest and most complicated joint in the body; like the elbow, it’s a hinge, allowing the joint to bend and straighten.
- In order for the knee to work perfectly, it relies on a perfect balance between hip and ankle support.
- An elephant is the only land mammal that cannot jump. This is because its bodyweight is too much for any joint to survive that impact.
- The knee is one of the most complex joints in the human body.
- Arthritis is one of the most common diseases found in the knee, and it occurs when the surfaces of the bone that make up the knee become rough due to wear and tear, inflammation or infection.
General Joint Facts
A joint is a place where two bones meet.
Ligaments are short bands of tough fibrous connective tissue that function to connect one bone to another, forming the joint.
Tendons are made of elastic tissue and they play an essential role in the functioning of joints. They connect muscle to bone.
A coating of a fibrous tissue called cartilage covers the bone surface and keeps the bones from rubbing directly against each other.
Some joints move, while others don’t: synovial joints are movable joints, while joints in the skull don’t move. Synovial joints make up most of the joints in the body and are located mostly in the limbs, where mobility is crucial. They contain synovial fluid, which helps them to move freely.
Ellipsoidal joints, as present at the base of the index finger, allows bending and extending.
Gliding joints are present between flat bones that are held together by ligaments. Some bones in the wrists and ankles move by gliding against each other.
Hinge joints are those in the knee and elbow. They enable movement similar to the way a hinged door moves.
Ball and socket joints, such as hip and shoulder joints, are the most mobile type of joint. They enable the movement of arms and legs in many different directions.
Final Words…
Now you can boast of a better understanding of how joints work, and particularly how to prevent and treat knee pain. Share your knee testimonies with us, and help someone who may need to save their knees too by sharing this.
