The main purpose of the knee joint is to ensure normal motor activity of the lower limbs and achieve a stable position of the torso. In this case, this part of the body is assigned the most important role - participation in the processes of flexion and extension of the limb.
Despite the complex structure and sufficient strength of this joint, it can be subject to injuries, thermal influences, physical overload, various complications due to chronic infectious processes and, as a result, severe inflammatory processes with increased likelihood of limitation of movements and accumulation ofexudate. To prevent such unwanted manifestations, it is recommended to immediately contact a qualified specialist for a thorough diagnosis and preparation of a competent treatment plan.
The knee is the most complex and largest joint in the human body.
Every day a serious load is placed on the knee joint. It is responsible for the process of flexion and extension of the lower limbs, supports the weight of a person and ensures his stable position. It is the knee that allows us to walk, jump, run, squat and turn.
The ability to perform these actions is ensured by the following components:
- tendons;
- Bones;
- Cartilage;
- Ligaments and muscles.
This explains why pain in the knee joint can occur in people of any age group. We can talk about effective treatment and complete recovery only after finding out the cause of the disease.
Reasons why the knees hurt
So, the knee joint has an important role in the human body: it is responsible for the motor activity of the leg, keeps the body in a stable position and supports the weight of a person. In addition, the knee has a complex structure, represented by several interconnected elements.
If a person has knee pain and is trying to find a solution on what to do, it is first of all necessary to find out the factors that cause the discomfort. As a rule, the causes of the disease are the same for all situations.
The risk factors are identical in almost all cases: musculofascial dysfunction. This leads to significant stresses, which cause compression and destruction of the cartilage. As a result, a person begins to experience unpleasant sensations, which signals damage to the knee joint and begins to look for a way to eliminate the pathological process.
Damage
If you don't know what to do when your knees hurt, pay attention - the reasons may be hidden in injuries to the joint. This is the part of the body that gets injured more often than others. As a result, joint dysfunction occurs, which is accompanied by pain.
Such discomfort may be due to ligament damage. Representatives of professional sports activities are most often susceptible to injuries. Also pain and problems with ligaments can occur in people who do not follow the running technique. Knee injuries often occur as a result of being hit by a ball - during a game of football.
It should be noted that such injuries occur quite often. Moreover, discomfort can occur not only during an exacerbation, but also after it.
In a fracture, several bones can be destroyed at once. More often than others, this occurs in elderly patients and people susceptible to degenerative pathologies.
In case of severe damage to the joint, surgery, physiotherapeutic interventions and exercise therapy are carried out.
Bursitis
The main purpose of the joint capsule is to ensure easy sliding of the ligaments and improve the function of the knee joint itself. Chronic injuries and unexpected blows can provoke damage and cause inflammation.
The presence of bursitis is indicated by the following signs: swelling, pain, limitation of motor activity, increased temperature in the knee joint.
If your knees hurt, to understand what to do and how to treat this disorder, you should first carry out a thorough diagnosis. Only an individual approach to the problem will allow you to draw up the correct treatment plan and choose effective drugs with an anti-inflammatory effect. You should also observe a rest regime for the knee joint.
In advanced forms of bursitis, they resort to more serious measures - surgical intervention and special injections are performed.
Dislocations
We are talking about a displacement of the kneecap from its normal position, which is also accompanied by pain of increased intensity.
In this case, only an experienced specialist can answer the question of what to do if there is pain under the knee - after a thorough diagnosis and examination.
To identify fractures and prepare the correct treatment plan, they resort to X-ray examination. In advanced situations, surgical intervention is performed.
Often, a dislocation of the knee joint can cause pain. This is a fairly serious injury that occurs after a heavy blow.
Degenerative disorders
One of the common pathologies associated with degenerative changes in tissues is osteoarthritis. In this case, the cartilage decreases in size, which is accompanied by reduced motor activity of the joint and pain. As a rule, such pathological processes are caused by age-related changes in the body that occur in people aged 55-65 years.
Despite the irreversibility of degenerative changes, there are treatments that can cope with discomfort and help improve the quality of life. In advanced forms of the disease, the implant is installed surgically.
Autoimmune diseases
We are talking about inflammatory processes that affect the joints. They are characterized by malfunctions of the immune system, as a result of which it begins to perceive its own tissues as foreign and destroy them.
This process is accompanied by the following undesirable manifestations: swelling, pain and degenerative changes in the joints, erosive lesions of bone tissue.
Taking into account the clinical picture, the specialist will tell you what exactly to do when your knee joints hurt. As a rule, the patient is recommended to take the following medications:
- Anti-inflammatory drugs;
- Steroid hormones;
- Antirheumatic drugs and biological agents;
- Analgesics and others.
Salt deposition in joints
This is a metabolic disease associated with the deposition of uric acid salts in the body's tissues. The main signs of arthritis are: severe swelling, limited physical activity and intense pain. To break down urate crystals, special drugs and anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed.
Infectious processes
Even a minor scratch in the knee area can contribute to the spread of the infectious process to nearby tissues and organs, including the joint area.
In people with a weakened immune system, this poses a real danger to the body. That is, any damage to the skin can worsen the condition of such a patient.
What not to do when your knees hurt?
Whatever the reason for your knee pain, below we will tell you what not to do to avoid aggravating the condition:
- Avoid knee injury;
- Avoid foods that contribute to weight gain (fried and fatty foods, confectionery, foods with a high salt content, potatoes, sweet carbonated drinks, fast food);
- Avoid excessive physical activity associated with sports;
- If your knees hurt and you do not know what to do with such discomfort, as the reviews indicate, it is better to give up addiction (excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages and smoking tobacco);
- Avoid wearing tight shoes, avoid high heels;
- Minimize the likelihood of stressful situations;
- Ensure healthy, full sleep;
- Avoid staying in one position for a long time.
In which cases is a visit to the doctor required?
There is no need for medical intervention if pain in the knee area is caused by minor skin damage, minor injury or deformation of the joint. In such situations, self-treatment is allowed.
With more serious processes, there is an urgent need to visit a specialist. First of all, this is due to the likelihood of damage to the joint capsule, which can facilitate the penetration of pathogenic bacteria into the body.
If the consequences of the damage are not eliminated in a timely manner, the functionality of the joint may be lost. It is necessary to consult a doctor in the following situations:
- Your knees hurt and you have no information about what to do, what to do;
- The pain syndrome with increased intensity does not go away for several days;
- There is swelling, redness and fever in the joint area;
- Increase in body temperature;
- Decreased motor activity, bruises.
Experienced specialists carry out a thorough diagnosis of the condition of the knee joint, prepare a detailed treatment plan and choose the most effective treatment even for the most advanced pathologies.
Treatment of knee pain
Often people do not know what exactly to do when their knee joint hurts and they try to cope with the discomfort on their own. Uncontrolled use of medicines and use of special ointments can unfortunately produce the opposite result.
To quickly relieve pain, an integrated approach is required. Within the framework of it, not only medicine is used, but also physiotherapeutic procedures are carried out and special orthopedic devices are used. These include knee braces and braces, which help prevent the likelihood of relapse and ensure a faster recovery period.
Use of medication
To relieve pain, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, steroid hormones, vasodilators and chondroprotectors are prescribed. Specialists prescribe painkillers with extreme caution, as they do not allow them to determine the real condition of the knee joint. Next, we will talk about the drugs used in more detail:
- NSAIDs.Since the elimination of the inflammatory process and pain is the key task for discomfort in the knee area, doctors primarily recommend the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. For this purpose, they resort to the help of special tablets and ointments. If the pain becomes painful, patients are given intramuscular injections. If your knees hurt a little, in this case, when you are asked: "What should I do? ", any doctor will advise you to use ointment. Often, when the knee joint is injured, products containing glycosaminoglycan are used. In turn, to eliminate swelling, they resort to compresses with dimethyl sulfoxide;
- Chondroprotectors.Regardless of whether your knees hurt after running or after a long walk or against the background of other pathologies, only an experienced doctor can advise what exactly to do. However, the general recommendation for all patients to relieve pain is to take medication with chondroitin and glucosamine. Thanks to their use, it is possible to speed up the process of cartilage tissue restoration, prevent oxidative stress and ensure the growth of healthy cartilage cells. In addition, chondroprotectors contribute to a faster rehabilitation period after injury, minimize the likelihood of serious consequences and cause almost no side effects. At the same time, experts recommend taking complexes with a high content of minerals and vitamins;
- Antispasmodics and vasodilators.They help improve tissue supply and also help restore connective tissue and eliminate swelling. In the presence of chronic pathological processes, for example, if your knee hurts for a whole year, the discomfort returns and you do not know what to do, you may need to take additional antibacterial therapy and immunobiological drugs.
Physiotherapy procedures
If you are wondering what to do if your knee hurts when you walk, or if the discomfort is chronic, any experienced specialist will suggest undergoing physiotherapy treatment. With its help, it is possible to increase the efficiency of the use of medicines, as well as ensure the delivery of medicines to the deeper subcutaneous layers.
Physiotherapy procedures help to improve blood flow, eliminate pain and reduce the source of inflammation, and also normalize motor activity and ensure the removal of purulent exudate.
Even if your child's knee hurts and you're trying to figure out what to do, the following physical therapy options will be most effective:
- Impact on the body of a magnetic field;
- Laser therapy;
- Exposure to electric current in combination with the administration of drugs;
- UHF;
- Application of galvanic electric current;
- Use of therapeutic mud;
- Therapeutic effects of ultrasound;
- Massage treatments;
- Paraffin treatment;
- Amplipulse therapy;
- Treatment with medicinal leeches;
- Acupuncture;
- Cold treatment;
- Diadynamic therapy and other similar procedures.
The duration of a course of physiotherapy usually reaches 7-10 procedures. However, a prerequisite before carrying out treatment measures is consultation with a specialist.
UVT for knee pain
The UVT method is in great demand to eliminate pathologies in the musculoskeletal system. It is based on short-term exposure to low-frequency acoustic waves on the affected joint.
The powerful analgesic effect during shock wave therapy sessions is achieved through the following processes:
- Improved blood flow;
- Development of new blood vessels;
- Improved metabolism.
It should be noted that under the influence of shock waves, a decrease in fibrotic processes in the tissues inside the knee joint is observed.
The greatest effectiveness is achieved by using the UVT method to deposit calcium phosphate crystals in the tendons. The technique is characterized by increased safety and virtually no side effects.
UVT specialists will clearly determine the number of treatment sessions and their duration, and will also give valuable recommendations regarding the implementation of other restorative procedures.
The need to perform a puncture
If there is significant swelling, specialists remove purulent contents that limit the normal function and supply of the joint. To drain the exudate, a puncture is performed using a syringe under the influence of anesthetics.
If the desired result is not achieved during physiotherapeutic procedures and the use of medication, the doctor injects hyaluronic acid into the knee joint or performs a periarticular anesthetic block. When purulent inflammatory processes are detected, treatment with drugs is combined with the procedure of washing the knee joint with a medical solution (lavage).
Surgical intervention for pain in the knee area is performed in rare cases, most often in advanced situations.
Exercise therapy for knee pain
Often, when experiencing pain in the knee, experts recommend performing therapeutic exercises. By regularly performing simple exercises, the patient can quickly restore the motor activity of the joint, relieve pain and provide optimal load on this part of the body. These beneficial effects are achieved by improving muscle tone. You can get the desired result after 8-10 sessions. It is important to exclude sudden movements during physiotherapy.
The following exercises are suitable for doing at home:
- The patient assumes a "recumbent" position and stretches his legs forward. Next he performs alternate flexion and extension of the fingers in the lower extremities;
- While in the "lying down" position, straighten your legs. After this, the patient turns his feet in different directions and tries to bring them closer to the floor;
- In the "supine" position and with extended legs, the patient should try to stretch the toes towards the knee joint;
- The patient assumes the "recumbent" position. Then he places both hands under the knee and slowly tries to bend the limb. In this case, the knee should be evenly raised towards the chest;
- While in the "lying" position, it is necessary to make movements with your legs similar to riding a bicycle.
Preventive measures
Questions like: "What should you do if the nerve in your knee hurts? ", or "What measures should you take if your knees hurt after a long walk? ", will lose their relevance if you follow simple preventive measures. These include:
- Elimination of infectious processes and conditions after knee injury must be carried out under the supervision of a professional specialist;
- It is mandatory to eliminate pathological processes of a chronic or hereditary nature (arthritis, diabetes, tonsillitis);
- Maintain a normal weight by eliminating excessively sweet, salty and fatty foods as well as alcoholic beverages from the diet;
- Engage in moderate exercise;
- Once a year you need to take chondroprotectors and undergo examination by a specialist;
- Follow the rules for healthy sleep;
- Take about 2-3 liters of still water daily;
- Eliminate any possibility of hypothermia;
- Wear only comfortable shoes and clothes;
- Avoid staying in one position for a long time.