Knee Pain Treatment

Knee pain can affect the inside, outside, and the area surrounding your knee. Your knee can feel painful, stiff, and sore. Knee pain stemming from injury is common, and you can typically recover at home. However, when the pain is severe, long term, your knee is red and swollen, and or warm, you should visit a doctor. Knee pain can become a problem for anyone, and every age group can suffer from it. Unfortunately, about 25% of adults live with knee pain, which can be caused in multiple ways.

What Causes Knee Pain?

 

ACL Injury

ACL stands for anterior cruciate ligament, which is one of the four ligaments (tissue) that connects your thighbone (femur) and shinbone (tibia) together at the knee. An ACL injury is the tearing or spraining of the ligament. ACL injuries happen most frequently while playing sports. The signs of an ACL injury are a popping sound coming from your knee, swelling, intense pain, and a limited motion range. ACLs are injured more than other ligaments in the knee, and women may be at a higher risk for ACL injuries.

Fractures

Signs of a knee cap fracture can include pain in or around the knee, swelling, an inability to walk, bend, or extend the knee, and bruising. There are several different types of fractures that can cause knee pain.

Comminuted

A comminuted fracture is when your kneecap or knee bone (patella) is broken into three or greater pieces.

Displaced

Displaced knee cap fractures are when the bone is not in the proper place, so the pieces of the bone do not line up with one another.

Open

An open fracture is when bone fragments pierce through your skin.

Stable

If a knee cap fracture is stable, the bones are correctly lined up with each other, and the knee cap can heal well on its own.

Torn Meniscus

First, a meniscus is shock-absorbing cushion-like cartilage between your thighbone (femur) and your shinbone (tibia). You can tear your meniscus from sharp, fast turns and twists; these tears most commonly occur while playing sports. When the meniscus is torn, you will hear a popping noise followed by pain, stiffness, and swelling.

Knee Bursitis

Knee Bursitis is inflammation of a bursa sac in or around the knee. A bursa is a tiny fluid-filled sac. You have four bursae in front of your knee joint, four behind the knee joint, and four surrounding the joint. These bursae help the movement of your joint and aid in minimalizing friction. Any of the twelve bursae can become inflamed, causing knee bursitis; more commonly, the inflamed bursa is situated on top of your knee cap. Knee Bursitis pain can fluctuate depending on which bursae is inflamed but, your knee will typically feel swollen and warm with or without putting pressure on it. You are at a higher risk of developing knee bursitis if you have a job that requires a lot of kneeling, play certain sports, and or suffer from obesity.

Patellar Tendinitis

Patellar Tendinitis is frequently referred to as Jumper’s Knee. Patellar Tendinitis occurs when you injure the tendon that connects your kneecap to your shinbone. Jumper’s knee is most common in athletes whose sport consists of repetitive jumping. People with Jumper’s Knee will feel pain and soreness in and around their knee and a tender lower kneecap.

Iliotibial Band Syndrome

Let’s start by explaining what the iliotibial band is. The iliotibial band is a thick band of connective tissue (fascia) made up of collagen that begins at the hip, runs down your thigh, over your knee, and ends at your shinbone. Its purpose is to stabilize your hip and help hip movements. Iliotibial Band Syndrome is when your iliotibial band swells, gets too tight, and rubs against your bone. As a result, you can get ITBS in one of both legs, mainly affecting athletes.

Dislocated Kneecap

Kneecap dislocation occurs when your knee cap moves out of place. Often a kneecap can return back to its normal placement on its own, but it is not a bad idea to have a doctor take a look at it. A dislocated kneecap is common among athletes and is usually caused by impact or a sudden change in direction. When your kneecap is dislocated, it may have a strange appearance, other ways to indicate an out-of-place kneecap are intense pain, swelling, an inability to walk and straighten your leg, and a popping feeling.

Arthritis

There are a few different types of arthritis that are more frequently associated with knee pain.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease, is the condition where the flexible cushion-like cartilage located at the ends of your bones deteriorates and breaks down over time. This is the most common form of arthritis and slowly begins alongside the aging process. 80% of older adults show signs of arthritis, but not all of them show symptoms. The knee is a common place for osteoarthritis to affect.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that causes the body to attack its own tissue and targets smaller joints first. As a result, Rheumatoid Arthritis causes painful inflammation that can cause bone deterioration and deformed joints. Rheumatoid Arthritis affects both sides of your body simultaneously, so if RA is the root of your knee pain, you will most likely be experiencing pain in both knees.

Gout

Gout is the build of urate crystals in your joint. Urate crystals are the byproduct of uric acid which creates a “salt” (crystal) material when you have too much uric acid in your body. Gout causes pain, swelling, and redness in the joints.

Pseudogout

Pseudogout most commonly affects the knee and wrists but can affect any joint. Pain and discomfort from pseudogout is caused by calcium deposits forming in the joints. As you can see, the majority of knee pain comes from injuries and overuse of your knees, whether through your career or hobbies. Additionally, being overweight can also lead to knee pain and increase your risk for knee injuries due to the pressure the weight it puts on your knees.