The information in this section cannot be used for self-diagnosis or self-treatment. In case of pain or other exacerbation of the disease, diagnostic tests should be prescribed only by the attending physician. You should contact your doctor to make a diagnosis and prescribe the right treatment.
When we feel discomfort in the knee, we rarely think about joint damage. After forty, there is nothing to worry about: at this age, your joints will inevitably hurt. In fact, it is very important to detect it in timewhy there is pain in the knee joint: This can be a signal of injury, illness or even problems with the nervous system.
What can be injured in the knee?
The knee is one of the largest joints in the human body. It consists of:
- together,
- the end of the femur and tibia,
- muscles,
- ships,
- they are nervous
- gardens,
- knee cap,
- meniscus,
- joint capsule.
All these parts can be damaged, although not all of them can cause damage: bones do not have nerve endings.
Pain in the knee can be caused by damage to the femur and tibia, as well as nearby muscles.
Parts of the injury, such as a dislocated joint, torn or torn meniscus, will reduce mobility. Damage to even small vessels will cause hematoma and inflammation, which will cause discomfort when trying to move the leg. The joint capsule is an excellent environment for infection: after viral and bacterial infections, patients often complain of complications and pain in the joints. And if there is a nerve disease, the patient will feel a sharp shooting pain in the knee even with a completely healthy joint.
Knee pain due to injury
Injuries are one of the most common causes of pain. Knees can be injured by an unfortunate fall, playing sports or sudden movement; even uncomfortable shoes can cause complications.
- Knee bruises- very weak and very frequent damage. With it, the knee swells, turns red, and the temperature of the joint may rise slightly. If a bruise occurs, a knee massage may be required;
- Ligament tearoccurs when the leg or thigh is bent too far in an unnatural direction. A complete rupture of the ligaments causes severe pain and excessive joint mobility;
- Meniscus tearcan be caused by high load, unnatural position, impact on the foot or twisting of the calf. This is a common and difficult to diagnose injury that interferes with normal leg movement;
- Fractures of the knee, leg or hipcombined with soft tissue damage, it causes excruciating pain, excessive mobility and deformity of the knee.
Such injuries can be determined by a surgeon or a traumatologist. A visual examination is often sufficient, but if the doctor suspects damage to the ligament or meniscus, you may be referred for an X-ray (if a fracture or sprain is suspected) or a CT scan.
What joint diseases can cause pain?
Any damage to the joint, whether it's destruction of cartilage, infection in the joint capsule, or inflammation of the bones, will cause excruciating pain and reduced mobility. The disease is not always localized specifically in the knee: common joint diseases will affect the whole body. Due to the high load, the knees will deteriorate faster.
- Arthritis— inflammation of the joint that can develop after injury, infection or metabolic problems;
- Bursitis- inflammation of the joint capsule causes serious discomfort when trying to move the joint;
- Horseperiarthritisthe tendons, muscles and ligaments surrounding the knee joint become inflamed. Pain is felt with increased load on the bent leg, for example, when going down the stairs;
- Chondropathy— gradual destruction of the cartilage surrounding the joint and softening friction and impact;
- Neoplasmsthey compress the vessels and can deform the joint capsule, which will cause pain and limit mobility;
- HorseosteoporosisCalcium is gradually leached from the bones and joints, the tissues become weak and fragile. The disease is accompanied by excruciating pain and an increased risk of injury;
- Osteomyelitis- inflammation of bone tissue. Swelling appears in the affected area, the temperature rises and the patient experiences severe acute pain;
- Diseasesof a different nature - for example, flu and tuberculosis - can cause complications due to infection entering the joint capsule. In these cases, there is an increase in temperature, weakness, pain in several joints at once.
To diagnose these diseases, an X-ray, magnetic resonance or computer tomography is performed, which shows all parts of the affected joint. If inflammation is suspected, the doctor recommends conducting a general and biochemical blood test and performing a synovial fluid puncture. You can be sent for additional tests and fluorography to rule out infectious diseases.
Knee pain due to nerve damage
Less often, pain in the knees appears due to disruption of nerve tissue. This is accompanied by sharp shooting pains, and numbness and tingling in the leg may begin.
- Neuritis- inflammation of the nerve in one or more areas. With it, the patient feels throbbing pain and loses sensitivity, mobility may decrease, the leg begins to contract involuntarily at the knee;
- A pinched nerve- general result of inflammation, neoplasms and injuries. As a result of physical pressure on the nerve roots in the knee, burning pains, numbness, loss of mobility and even paralysis occur.
Depending on the patient's contraindications, MRI or CT is used to diagnose nerve diseases. If the pain is caused by a pinched nerve, blood and synovial fluid tests may be needed to determine the cause of the joint deformity.
Is it possible to determine why there is pain in the knee joint from the symptom?
The exact cause of pain can be understood only by a specialist and after appropriate tests. However, it is quite possible to at least roughly determine the affected area:
- If you experience numbness or tingling in addition to the pain,nerve damage;
- Increased temperature and swelling in the knee -signs of inflammation;
- General weakness, fever and ill health -co-morbidities after illness;
- Pain is felt not only in the knees, but also in other joints, for example, in the shoulder or fingers: it can be like this.osteoporosis, and resultsinfectious disease;
- Sharp pain in the joint when trying to bend or straighten the leg, and very weak at rest.bursitis or advanced chondropathy;
- It is a disorder of mobility in the joint without loss of sensitivityjoint destruction, neoplasm or arthritis;
- Fractures, dislocations and bruises will precede a bump or fall, which you can ignore. Wherejoint dislocation, ligament and meniscus damageaccompanied by excessive mobility in the knee.
After you have roughly determined the cause of the pain, you can prepare for a visit to the doctor and take the necessary tests and pictures. This will reduce the diagnosis time and speed up the recovery. Do not try to treat knee pain yourself, because you can mistake the cause of the disease and make the condition worse. Severe pain can be relieved with analgesics, and it is better to consult a doctor about anti-inflammatory drugs, chondroprotectors, bandages and physiotherapy.