The main purpose of the knee joint is to ensure normal motor activity of the lower limb and to achieve a stable position of the torso. In this case, this part of the body is assigned the most important role - participation in the processes of bending and extending the limb.
Despite the complex structure and sufficient strength of this joint, it can be subjected to injury, thermal effects, physical overload, various complications due to chronic infectious processes and, as a result, serious inflammatory processes with an increased likelihood of movement limitation and exudate accumulation. In order to prevent such unwanted manifestations, it is recommended to immediately contact a qualified specialist for a thorough diagnosis and drawing up a competent treatment plan.
The knee is the most complex and largest joint in the human body.
The knee joint is subjected to serious stress every day. It is responsible for the process of bending and extending the lower limb, supports a person's weight and ensures his stable position. This is the knee that allows us to walk, jump, run, squat and spin.
The ability to perform these actions is provided by the following components:
- tendons;
- Bones;
- Cartilage;
- Ligaments and muscles.
This explains why knee pain can occur in people of any age group. We can talk about effective treatment and full recovery only after establishing the cause of the disease.
Causes of knee pain
So, the knee joint has an important role in the human body: it is responsible for the motor activity of the leg, keeps the body in a stable position and supports a person's weight. In addition, the knee has a complex structure represented by several interconnected elements.
If a person has knee pain and is trying to find a solution on what to do, first of all it is necessary to find out the factors causing the discomfort. As a rule, the causes of the disease are the same for all situations.
The risk factors are identical in almost all cases: musculofascial dysfunction. This results in significant stress, which causes compression and destruction of the cartilage. As a result, a person begins to experience unpleasant sensations, signaling damage to the knee joint, and begins to look for a way to eliminate the pathological process.
Injury
If you don't know what to do when your knees hurt, pay attention - the reasons may lie in an injury to the joint. This is the part of the body that gets injured more often than the others. As a result, joint dysfunction occurs, which is accompanied by pain.
Such discomfort may be due to ligament damage. Representatives of professional sports are most often susceptible to injuries. Also, pain and ligament problems can occur in people who do not follow the running technique. Often knee damage occurs as a result of being hit with a ball - during a football game.
It should be noted that such injuries occur quite often. In addition, discomfort can occur not only during an exacerbation, but also after it.
In the case of a fracture, several bones can be destroyed at once. More often than others, this happens in elderly patients and people prone to degenerative pathologies.
In case of severe damage to the joint, surgical interventions, physiotherapy procedures and exercises are performed.
bursitis
The main purpose of the joint capsule is to provide easy sliding of the ligaments and improve the functioning of the knee joint itself. Chronic injuries and unexpected blows can provoke damage and inflammation.
The presence of bursitis is indicated by the following signs: swelling, pain, limitation of motor activity, increased temperature in the knee joint.
If your knees hurt a lot, in order to understand what to do and how to treat this disease, you must first carry out a thorough diagnosis. Only an individual approach to the problem will allow you to draw up the right treatment plan and choose effective drugs with an anti-inflammatory effect. You should also adhere to a knee rest regimen.
In advanced forms of bursitis, more serious measures are resorted to - surgical intervention and special injections.
Dislocations
We are talking about displacement of the knee cap from its normal position, which is also accompanied by pain of increased intensity.
In this case, only an experienced specialist can answer the question of what to do if there is pain under the knee - after a thorough diagnosis and examination.
In order to identify fractures and draw up a proper treatment plan, they resort to X-ray examination. In advanced cases, surgical intervention is performed.
Often, a sprained knee joint can cause pain. This is a fairly serious injury that occurs after a strong impact.
Degenerative disorders
One of the common pathologies associated with degenerative changes in tissues is osteoarthritis. In this case, the cartilage decreases in size, which is accompanied by impaired motor activity of the joint and pain. As a rule, such pathological processes are caused by age-related changes in the body, which occur in people aged 55-65 years.
Despite the irreversibility of the degenerative changes, there are treatments that can manage the discomfort and help improve the quality of life. In advanced forms of the disease, the implant is installed surgically.
Autoimmune diseases
We are talking about inflammatory processes that affect the joints. They are characterized by disturbances in the work of the immune system, as a result of which it begins to perceive its own tissues as foreign and destroy them.
This process is accompanied by the following undesirable manifestations: swelling, pain and degenerative changes in the joints, erosive lesions of the bone tissue.
Considering the clinical picture, the specialist will tell you exactly what to do when the knee joints hurt. As a rule, the patient is recommended to take the following drugs:
- Anti-inflammatory agents;
- Steroid hormones;
- Antirheumatic drugs and biological agents;
- Analgesics, etc.
Salt deposition in the joints
It is a metabolic disease associated with the deposition of uric acid salts in body tissues. The main signs of gout are: severe swelling, limited physical activity and severe pain. Special medications and anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed to break down urate crystals.
Infectious processes
Even a minor scratch in the knee area can contribute to the spread of the infectious process in nearby tissues and organs, including in the joint area.
In people with a weakened immune system, this represents a real danger for the body. That is, any damage to the skin can worsen the condition of such a patient.
What not to do when your knees hurt?
Regardless of the cause of your knee pain, below we'll tell you what not to do to avoid making the condition worse:
- Avoid knee injury;
- Avoid foods that contribute to weight gain (fried and fatty foods, confectionery, foods with a high salt content, potatoes, sweet carbonated drinks, fast food);
- Avoid any excessive physical activity associated with sports;
- If your knees hurt and you don't know what to do with such discomfort, as the reviews show, it is better to give up addictions (excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages and smoking tobacco);
- Avoid wearing tight shoes, avoid high heels;
- Minimize the likelihood of stressful situations;
- Ensure a healthy, fulfilling sleep;
- Avoid standing in one position for a long time.
In what cases is a visit to the doctor necessary?
There is no need for medical intervention if the pain in the knee area is caused by a slight damage to the skin, a minor injury or a deformity of the joint. In such situations, self-medication is allowed.
In case of more severe processes, there is an urgent need to visit a specialist. First of all, this is due to the possibility of damage to the joint capsule, which can facilitate the penetration of pathogenic bacteria into the body.
If the consequences of the injury are not eliminated in time, the functionality of the joint may be lost. It is necessary to consult a doctor in the following situations:
- Your knees hurt a lot and you have no idea what to do, what to do;
- The pain syndrome with increased intensity does not disappear for several days;
- There is swelling, redness and fever in the joint area;
- Increase in body temperature;
- Decreased motor activity, bruises.
Experienced specialists carry out a thorough diagnosis of the condition of the knee joint, prepare a detailed treatment plan and choose the most effective treatment even for the most advanced pathologies.
Treatment of knee pain
Often people don't know exactly what to do when their knee joints hurt and try to deal with the discomfort on their own. Unfortunately, the uncontrolled use of drugs and the use of special ointments can lead to the opposite result.
An integrated approach is needed for rapid pain relief. Within it, not only medicines are used, but also physiotherapy procedures and special orthopedic means. These include knee braces and braces that help prevent the likelihood of relapse and provide a faster recovery period.
Use of drugs
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, steroid hormones, vasodilators and chondroprotectors are prescribed for pain relief. Specialists prescribe painkillers with extreme caution, as they do not allow them to determine the real condition of the knee joint. Next, we will talk in more detail about the drugs used:
- NSAIDs.Since the elimination of the inflammatory process and pain is the main task for discomfort in the knee area, doctors recommend first of all the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. For this purpose, they resort to the help of special tablets and ointments. If the pain becomes painful, the patients are given intramuscular injections. If your knees hurt a little, in this case, when you ask: "What should I do? ", Any doctor will advise you to use an ointment. Often, products containing glycosaminoglycan are used when the knee joint is injured. In turn, to remove the swelling, they resort to compresses with dimethyl sulfoxide;
- Chondroprotectors.Regardless of whether your knees hurt after running or after a long walk or against the background of other pathologies, only an experienced doctor can advise you exactly what to do. However, the general recommendation for all patients for pain relief is to take medications with chondroitin and glucosamine. Thanks to their use, it is possible to accelerate the process of cartilage tissue recovery, prevent oxidative stress and ensure the growth of healthy cartilage cells. In addition, chondroprotectors contribute to a faster rehabilitation period after an injury, minimize the likelihood of severe consequences and almost do not cause side effects. At the same time, experts recommend taking complexes with a high content of minerals and vitamins;
- Antispasmodics and vasodilators.They help improve tissue supply and also help repair connective tissue and eliminate swelling. In the presence of chronic pathological processes, for example, if your knee hurts for a whole year, the discomfort returns and you do not know what to do, you may need to take additional antibacterial therapy and immunobiological drugs.
Physiotherapy procedures
If you are wondering what to do, if your knee hurts when walking or the discomfort is chronic, any experienced specialist will suggest that you undergo physical therapy. With its help, it is possible to increase the efficiency of the use of drugs, as well as to ensure the delivery of drugs in the deeper subcutaneous layers.
Physiotherapy procedures help to improve blood flow, eliminate pain and reduce the source of inflammation, as well as normalize motor activity and ensure the removal of purulent exudate.
Even if your child's knees hurt and you're trying to figure out what to do, the following physical therapy options will be most effective:
- Impact on the body of a magnetic field;
- Laser therapy;
- Exposure to electric current in combination with administration of drugs;
- UHF;
- Application of galvanic electric current;
- Use of healing mud;
- Therapeutic effects of ultrasound;
- Massage procedures;
- Paraffin therapy;
- Amplipulse therapy;
- Treatment with medicinal leeches;
- acupuncture;
- Cold treatment;
- Diadynamic therapy and other similar procedures.
The duration of the physiotherapy course usually reaches 7-10 procedures. However, consultation with a specialist is a mandatory condition before carrying out treatment measures.
UVT for knee pain
The UVT method is widely sought after in the elimination of pathologies of the musculoskeletal system. It is based on a short-term impact of low-frequency acoustic waves on the affected joint.
The powerful analgesic effect during shock wave therapy is achieved through the following processes:
- Improved blood flow;
- Development of new blood vessels;
- Improved metabolism.
It should be noted that under the influence of shock waves, a decrease in the fibrous processes in the tissues inside the knee joint is observed.
The greatest effectiveness is achieved by using the UVT method to deposit calcium phosphate crystals in the tendons. The technique is characterized by increased safety and practically no side effects.
UVT specialists will clearly determine the number of treatment sessions and their duration, and will also give valuable recommendations regarding the application of other restorative procedures.
The need to perform a puncture
If there is significant swelling, specialists remove purulent contents that limit the normal functioning and supply of the joint. To drain the exudate, a puncture is performed using a syringe under the influence of anesthetics.
If the desired result is not obtained during the physiotherapy procedures and the use of drugs, the doctor injects hyaluronic acid into the knee joint or performs a peri-articular anesthetic block. When purulent inflammatory processes are detected, drug treatment is combined with the procedure of washing the knee joint with a medicinal solution (lavage).
Operative intervention for pain in the knee area is performed in rare cases, most often in advanced conditions.
Exercise therapy for knee pain
Often, when you experience knee pain, experts recommend performing therapeutic exercises. Regularly performing simple exercises, the patient can quickly restore the motor activity of the joint, relieve pain and ensure optimal loading of this part of the body. These beneficial effects are achieved by improving muscle tone. You can get the desired result after 8-10 sessions. It is important to avoid any sudden movements during physical therapy.
The following exercises are suitable for performing at home:
- The patient assumes a "supine" position and stretches his legs forward. He then performs alternate flexion and extension of the fingers of the lower limbs;
- While in the "lying" position, you need to straighten your legs. Then the patient turns his legs in different directions, trying to bring them closer to the floor;
- In a supine position and with outstretched legs, the patient should try to stretch his fingers towards the knee joint;
- The patient assumes a "recumbent" position. Then he places both hands under the knee, trying to slowly bend the limb. In this case, the knee should be smoothly raised to the chest;
- While lying down, it is necessary to make movements with your legs similar to riding a bicycle.
Prevention measures
Questions like: "What to do if the nerve in your knee hurts? " Or "What measures to take if your knees hurt after a long walk? " will lose their relevance if you follow simple preventive measures. They include:
- The elimination of infectious processes and conditions after a knee injury should be carried out under the supervision of a professional specialist;
- It is necessary to eliminate pathological processes of a chronic or hereditary nature (gout, diabetes, tonsillitis);
- Maintain a normal weight by removing from the diet overly sweet, salty and fatty foods, as well as alcoholic beverages;
- Engage in moderate exercise;
- Once a year, take chondroprotectors and be examined by a specialist;
- Follow the rules for healthy sleep;
- Take about 2-3 liters of still water daily;
- Eliminate any possibility of hypothermia;
- Wear only comfortable shoes and clothes;
- Avoid standing in one position for a long time.