People of all ages and different lifestyles can complain of knee pain while walking, although this symptom is most common in elderly and professional athletes. Causes of knee pain include minor injuries and serious illnesses. When exercising, healthy people usually do not experience painful feelings, their appearance can be caused by daily wear and tear of the joints, excessive physical exertion or injuries. In this case, the occurrence of discomfort and limited mobility can be felt during sports activities, recreation, housework or work.
Knee pain: causes
Knee pain can occur if you have the following conditions:
- arthrosis of the knee joint (gonarthrosis);
- meniscus damage (meniscopathy);
- arthritis (arthritis);
- arthrosis of the hip joint (coxarthrosis);
- circulatory disorders of the knee joint;
- inflammation of the tendons of the knee (periarthritis of the "magpie's sac").
Pain in the knee joint with gonarthrosis
30-40% of knee pain is due to gonarthrosis. Arthrosis of the knee joint is most commonly diagnosed in people older than 40-45 years. The pathological process can develop in one or both knee joints. At first, the intensity of the pain is mild, the discomfort is observed only after a long walk. As the disease progresses, severe pain is observed in the knee joint, which bothers a person while walking, even for short distances.
It becomes difficult for the patient to get up from the chair, get up from his feet, go down and go up the stairs. A sore knee at rest, at night does not bother you, except in cases where the previous day overloads the knee.
In the next stage of gonarthrosis, the pain is complemented by the cracking of the knee (while walking) and deformity of the joint. This symptom becomes more pronounced year by year.
Meniscopathic pain in the knee joint
Meniscopathy (damage to the meniscus) as well as gonarthrosis are also common causes of knee pain (up to 40% of cases).
The meniscus of the knee can be damaged at any age and is just as common in both women and men. Damage to one of the knee joints is mainly observed.
Meniscopathy can be attributed to injuries, but can often occur in a seemingly flat area. A characteristic feature of knee meniscus injury, in contrast to gonarthrosis, is a rapid and often rather unexpected development triggered by unsuccessful movement of running, walking, jumping, skiing, and so on.
The injury is accompanied by a crack in the knee, a feeling of acute pain in the knee joint, the intensity of which is so high that the victim is unable to move. After a slight attenuation of the acute pain, which usually occurs after 10-15 minutes, the patient's mobility is restored. The next day or one day, however, the pain syndrome intensifies again, with the knee becoming very swollen. At this stage, the clinical picture of meniscopathy is complemented by a characteristic feature of the pinched meniscus - a knee piercing while walking, a feeling of "hammered nails" in the knee, or a possible fracture of the knee while walking.
The duration of the acute period of the disease is usually two to three weeks, after which the patient is relieved. In the absence of proper therapy, the disease becomes chronic. The painful feelings subside and then all the circumstances (strong load, squats, unsuccessful sudden movements) provoke their recurrence.
Meniscopathy, unlike gonarthrosis, is extremely rarely accompanied by deformity of the bones of the knee joint, which can only occur with the development of arthrosis of the knee joint, which is associated with damage to the meniscus.
Knee pain with arthritis
Knee pain is associated with arthritis in 5-10% of cases. This disease is common in people of any age, but most often begins to develop in youth. The inflammatory process of arthritis is found in one or both knees.
Defeat of the knee joints can be caused not only by arthrosis and meniscopathy, but also by a type of arthritis that is rheumatoid, reactive, psoriasis. In addition, diseases such as gout, ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, are also called arthritis.
Arthritis of the knee joint is characterized by a rapid onset (within 1 to 3 days) accompanied by overt swelling and swelling of the knee and increased nocturnal pain in the affected joint. The severity of pain in arthritis at rest may be stronger than during exercise, which distinguishes the disease from arthrosis and meniscopathy, which have similar symptoms - pain in the knee joint. Treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs for arthritis can reduce pain and relieve inflammation.
Pain in the knee joint with coxarthrosis
Coxarthrosis (arthrosis of the hip joint) affects 3-7% of people who see a doctor for pain in the knee joint. The disease manifests itself in the fact that, despite the lack of difficulty in maintaining knee mobility and painless flexion and extension, it is difficult for a patient with coxarthrosis to spread his leg to the side, the leg "the hip. "
Pain in the knee joint with poor circulation
Vascular knee pain with circulatory disorders accounts for 5-10% of knee problems with a doctor.
Deterioration of blood circulation in the knee joints, accompanied by pain, is familiar to many. Usually, these uncomfortable feelings first appear in adolescence, as the rate of vascular development during a child’s period of active growth is sometimes much lower than the rate of bone growth.
In case the vascular pain occurs once, you need to be prepared for it to appear throughout your life. However, their intensity most often decreases after 19-20 years.
The pain of vascular disorders is usually symmetrical, i. e. , their expression is the same in the left and right knees. The occurrence of pain syndrome is associated with changes in weather, changes in air temperature, colds, and physical exertion. Warming ointments, massages, self-massages (vigorous rubbing of the knee) and vasodilators are used to treat such pain. There is no need to treat these conditions.
Knee pain due to inflammation of the tendons of the knee
About 10-15% of knee pains are associated with inflammation of the knee tendons (magpie periarthritis). This pathology most commonly occurs in the female half, especially after 40 years. Pain syndrome occurs when walking down stairs and carrying weights. Smooth walking on a flat surface with inflammation of the knee joints is extremely rarely accompanied by the appearance of pain.
The pain caused by periarthritis does not extend to the entire knee, but is localized only on the inner surface of the knee, 3-5 cm below the point of contact of the knee when brought together. Unlike periarthritis of the "goose bag" bag, arthritis, arthrosis, and meniscopathy do not limit the mobility of the knee joint. The bending and extension of the knee is not disturbed, and there is no deformity and swelling of the knee.
Knee pain
The main objectives for the treatment of knee pain, which are defined by the doctors of the therapeutic clinic, are the following:
- eliminates swelling;
- relieve the patient of discomfort;
- restore the function of the knee joint;
- prevent new attacks.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics are used to relieve pain. The use of warming and disturbing ointments as well as strengthening medications is effective.
In the remission phase, patients prescribe physiotherapy techniques, massages, and therapeutic practices.
In the absence of the effectiveness of conservative therapy, experts consider the appropriateness of surgical treatment, taking into account all the advantages and disadvantages.
In addition, there are a number of traditional medications that help reduce pain, but their use should first be discussed with professionals who will monitor the progress of treatment to relieve knee pain. Treatment of this pathology can only be decided by an experienced, highly trained physician who is familiar with the patient’s research findings, individual characteristics of his or her body, and many other important nuances.