A trauma doctor has named 6 causes of knee pain. Pay attention to these symptoms

Knee pain can significantly reduce the quality of life. Swelling, stiffness of movement, lameness – the main complaints of patients. What does this mean and what to do? Let’s deal with the doctor-traumatologist.

Every day the knee joints are subjected to stress. We walk, play sports, carry heavy weights – all this affects their condition. Some tolerate pain, others reduce their activity, but both are wrong. In order not to aggravate the condition, it is important to consult a specialist in time.

What kind of pain is there?

• stabbing;
• dull;
• burning;
• on movement;
• chronic.

In the nature of pain will help to understand the specialist.

sports doctor, traumatologist, expert of the company “First Living Collagen”

Not only elderly people and professional athletes face discomfort in the knees. Complaints can also occur in young people without serious injuries and sports loads in the past. So why do they appear?

Causes

“The culprits” of the occurrence of knee pain and crunch in the joints can be both normal (physiological) processes and injuries, diseases.

Injuries

Symptoms: uncharacteristic clicking, cutting pain, “shooting” in the knee, swelling.

Athletes, particularly track and field athletes and soccer players, are most often affected by injuries. Regular friction of the patella against the thigh bone, falls and blows negatively affect the condition of the knee joint.

In addition to professionals, amateurs can also encounter injuries. This happens when exercises are performed incorrectly, which provokes bruises, dislocations, torn or sprained ligaments, torn or damaged meniscus and cracks.

Collagen deficiency

Symptoms: uncharacteristic clicking, chronic pain on movement.

Collagen deficiency can also cause knee pain. Why. It is it that provides strength and elasticity of the cartilage of the joints. Otherwise, cartilage thins, congruence (conformity of shapes) of joint surfaces is disturbed, and osteoarthritis develops.

Remember that without timely treatment and prevention, it can lead to surgical intervention.

This problem is also relevant for athletes. They experience enormous physical loads on the musculoskeletal system. As a result, large joints wear out 10-15 years earlier than in people who have never practiced professional sports.

Collagen synthesis in our body is a very energy-consuming process. Therefore, preventive intake of preparations with fibrillar protein in athletes is considered a prerequisite. In addition, after 25-30 years of age, the risk of developing diseases of the musculoskeletal system increases.

Inflammatory process

Symptoms: accumulation of fluid in the joint, pain when bending and extending, discomfort below the knee.

Another cause of crepitation (this is the crackling, popping sound that occurs when moving the joints) can be tendinopathy (tendon damage).

During the disease process, there is an imbalance of collagen within the tendons. As a result, there is an inflammatory process. This can be the result of chronic injuries, allergies, metabolic disorders, and even infection.

Joint disease

Symptoms: variable pain, swelling, redness, aching pain at night that increases in bad weather, pain when walking, bending and squatting.

Commonly occurring conditions include rheumatism (can occur even in adolescents), reactive arthritis (most common between the ages of 25 and 35), Reiter’s syndrome, osteoarthritis, Osgood-Schlatter disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout.

Degenerative tissue changes

Symptoms: stiffness of movement.

Most often affects the elderly. With age, the joints wear out. Of course, it is impossible to regain full youth and the former ease of movement, but it is important not to start the problem. Otherwise, chronic pain and surgical intervention await you.

What are the degenerative disorders? Osteoarthritis (joint disease), osteochondropathy (a chronic disease of the musculoskeletal system), meniscopathy (a disease in which the integrity of the meniscus is violated) and tenopathy (a pathology in which there is damage to the tendon at the place of its attachment to the bone).

Psychosomatics

Symptoms: intermittent pain.

Our emotional distress can manifest itself in bodily sensations. As a rule, pain is not associated with physical activity or illness. Most often, the presence of discomfort in the legs is indicated by fear for the future. But the causes can be and individual. In this case, it is necessary to consult a specialist.

Kako zdraviti?

With any discomfort, unpleasant sensations, it is important to consult a doctor.

Who should I contact?

If you have an injury or bruise after a fall, a blow, then make an appointment for a consultation with a traumatologist. If you have symptoms that indicate a torn ligament or meniscus, you need to get to a surgeon. He will also be able to advise if you complain of sharp pain and severe swelling.

If you need to restore joint mobility after a fracture, visit a neurologist. If there are diagnoses such as autoimmune disease or a mild form of osteoarthritis, a rheumatologist will help. In more complex cases, a consultation with an orthopedist is necessary. In case of redness and swelling of the knee after an insect bite or scratch, consult an infectious disease specialist.

Additionally, you can visit a massage therapist and a physiotherapist. These specialists will help speed up the healing process.

Treatment and diagnosis

Orthopedic traumatologist, doctor of physical therapy and sports medicine FNAC FMBA Russia

Treatment of knee pain depends on the cause of its occurrence. It may include rest and limiting activity to reduce strain. Also, applying ice to reduce swelling and pain, taking anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy and exercises to strengthen the muscles around the knee joint. Injections are often prescribed.

Therapy begins with diagnosis. This is necessary to make a diagnosis and choose effective methods of recovery. To do this, the doctor will conduct the necessary clinical tests, and also send to additional studies (X-ray, ultrasound, computer tomography, MRI).

In severe cases, arthroscopy is performed. This is a way of treating intra-articular injuries and diseases. It involves the introduction of an endoscope.

A number of laboratory tests are also prescribed. As a rule, general and biochemical blood tests, serologic studies, analysis of joint fluid. In some cases, it may be necessary to reposition the bones, wearing a cast.

Do not engage in self-medication. Warming compresses or massage can aggravate the situation.

Prevention

To avoid knee pain, watch your weight. Modern recommendations for the prevention of osteoarthritis and tendinopathy are based on normalizing the body mass index.

Regularly perform exercises aimed at strengthening the stabilizer muscles of the joint. This is especially true for athletes who are involved in sports where there are impact axial loads. If you are an amateur, then consult a specialist.

In the presence of joint diseases, some physical exercises in the gym are contraindicated. This point should be controlled by a doctor of LFC. He will choose the optimal complex, involving the necessary muscle groups and joints. It will also help to learn how to move correctly and safely every day.

Avoid prolonged sitting or standing in one position. Do not forget to take vitamin D and “live” collagen (no fermentation is done in its creation so that the beneficial properties of the protein are not lost) to maintain cartilage and tendon tissue.