What is Knee Pain ?

What is Knee Pain ?
Knee pain is a common compliant and occurs in most people atleast once in their lifetime. Some of the causes for knee pain include:

Arthritis: Diseases such as arthritis

Injuries: Ligament or cartilage injuries or tears which commonly occur during athletic activities or accidents.

Bursitis: Caused due to overuse or pressure on the knee for extended periods of time.

Tendonitis: Knee pain which can get worse when climbing up or down stairs.

Kneecap dislocations: Pain caused by dislocations of the knee which occur when the knee is under stress. Women are more prone to this condition.

Baker’s cyst: This is a swelling behind the knee joint and may be caused by other conditions like arthritis.

Hip disorders: Sometimes hip conditions can cause knee pain as due to injury to the band which runs to the knee from the hip.

Risk Factors for knee Pain Include
Age: Injury related knee pain such as Osgood-Schlatter is more common among young people, where as older people are more prone to degenerative conditions such as arthritis.

Gender: Women are generally more at risk for knee pain than men. Certain conditions which develop more commonly in boys than in girls are Patellar Tendonitis and Osgood-Schlatter disease.

Injury: Any previous injury can put the knee more at risk for developing knee pain.

Overuse: Excessive activity and overloading your muscles and joints can cause knee pain.

Muscle strength and mechanical problems: Poor muscle strength and flexibility as well as abnormalities in structure such as having uneven legs or flat feet.

Diagnosis
Knee pain can be difficult to diagnose as it can occur due to a wide variety of causes. The diagnosis is conducted by a thorough physical examination taking into account the patient’s medical history and the symptoms reported. The doctor might ask you to perform a variety of exercises to check your knee for range of motion, pain and tenderness. Other Blood tests and imaging tests may be ordered after the examination. The imaging tests may include:

X-ray: This is used to help detect fractures and other degenerative conditions of the bone and joint.

MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging): This can identify problems with the ligaments and other soft tissue which cannot be detecting by an X-ray.

CT (Computerized tomography) scan: This type of scan takes images of the cross-sections of the body and is more detailed than an MRI.

Treatment
Knee pain is treated depending upon the cause and the severity of the condition. Some of the methods include patient education, self-care, medication and surgery in severe cases.

Some of the Common Self-care Methods Include
• Resting the affected knee and protecting it from further injury by splinting or bracing it.

• Applying ice and heat alternately to the affected area.

• Elevating the affected knee to help reduce swelling

• Taking over-the-counter medication for pain and swelling.


Other Methods of Treatment after consulting a doctor include
Physical therapy: Physical therapy can help strengthen your muscles and improve flexibility. This can aid in recovery by preventing further atrophy of the muscles involved and the joint.

Corticosteroid injections: These injections are injected directly into the area around the affected knee to reduce inflammation.

Surgical methods such as arthroscopic surgery, partial or total knee replacement are advised in more severe cases.