Knee pain can be caused due to a number of reasons but the most
common are a sudden injury or an ailment in the knee joint. When your
knee gets injured the ligaments, bursae or tendons around the knee
joint are affected. You would wonder, why is it so that the knee gets
affected easily? This is simply because of complex design of the knee
joints, and that they are supposed to carry the maximum amount of
weight.
If there is an ailment in the soft tissues and
bones close to the knee, or the nerves that are responsible for
transmitting sensation to the knee, you are likely to experience knee
pain. In case of rheumatic disease – immune diseases that affect
various tissues of the body including the joint are often responsible
for arthritis, which causes extreme pain in the knee.
Some of common causes of knee pain
Pain
in knee joint can occur due to constant use of this particular part of
the body. Often poor posture during several physical activities,
inadequate warming or cooling down and insufficient training before
exercise are responsible for knee pain. The most common cause of a pain
in the knee is obesity and overweight, which put undue pressure on your
knee joint.
Here are some other reasons for knee ache:
Torn cartilage or a meniscus tear – This causes pain both on the interior or exterior of the knee joint
Torn ligament – This severe knee pain and makes the knee joint weak and unstable
Arthritis – This includes rheumatoid, osteo arthritis, and gout or disorders of several connective tissues like lupus
Hip disorders – A problem in the hip can make your knee ache all the
more. Have you heard about iliotibial band syndrome? It is a kind of
injury to the thick band that runs from the hip to the exterior part of
the knee
Tendinitis – It is a kind of knee pain that tends to get worse when you climb up and down the stairs or inclines.
A dislocation of the knee cap
An infection in the knee joint
Baker’s cyst – This is a kind of swelling filled with fluid. It is
formed at the back portion of the knee with other infections and
inflammations. When the cyst raptures the pain at the back of the knee
tends to travel down to the calf area
Bursitis – A kind of inflammation due to constant pressure on the knee (like kneeling)
Precautions and remedy
When
you suffer from an excruciating condition of the knee joint you should
see a doctor immediately. The orthopedic surgeon will judge the status
of your knee and prescribe treatments and medications accordingly.
Avoid self-diagnosis, for you may not be able to understand the real
cause of the pain, and therefore you may land up with wrong
conclusions.
Knee pain is often caused by osteo arthritis.
This is more common with aged people. In case of osteo arthritis, the
cartilage starts to degenerate. Thus, it is essential to exercise your
knee joint regularly in order to maintain the strength and flexibility
of the muscles supporting the knee.
To avoid pain in knee
joint, you can go for light jogging and walking. If you intend to work
out, you should warm-up your body, before you start exercising. To get
rid of knee pain, make sure to wear the right kind of footwear,
especially when you are walking or running on hard surfaces.
Knee
pain in most cases respond well to a combination of non-invasive
treatments like application of heat or cold to the painful area of the
knee, taking medicines which can control pain and inflammation, and
avoiding activities that could aggravate the painful conditions.
However if everything fails, a surgery becomes essential to cure
conditions of acute knee pain.