Knee Pain Causes | Types | Treatment

Knee Pain

Knee Pain Causes | Types | Treatment

• Overview
• Types of Knee Conditions
• Treatment

Overview

Knee pain is by far the most common joint pain that million of people around the word suffer from. 

It can be experienced either on separate occasion (Short term problems) or chronically (Lasting for longer time) depending on the type of condition is there. 

Short term knee pains generally don’t need any medical interference, and can be dealt with simple routines at home.

Knee pain can stem from different reasons such as a sudden trauma, injury due to overuse or an underlying condition like arthritis. 

Various symptoms that can range from different levels of pain, swelling and stiffness can be noticed.

However not every single symptom is the only true indicator of what type of condition one is having; diagnosis involves reviewing medical history and performing some moves with the knee joint to know the exact cause of the pain. 

In case of doubt, however, other tests like X ray, Ultra sound and MRI are performed to have a clear image of the bones, tendons, ligaments and cartilage condition.

Types of Knee Conditions

Injuries or other conditions of the knee are not confined to a particular group of people. 

A wide range of people with different fitness levels and ages may have knee conditions resulting from injuries, mechanical problems or types of arthritis.

1. Injuries

Injuries can occur at the level of tendons, ligaments or bursa (The fluid-filled sacs around the knee joint). 

Injuries can also be worse enough to affect bones and cartilage. These injuries are:

• ACL Strain or Tear

• PCL Strain or Tear

• MCL Strain or Tear

• Bone Fractures

• Patellar Tendinitis

• Patellar subluxation (Dislocation)  

• Brusitis

• Meniscal Tear

2. Mechanical Problems

Some problems related to wrong body mechanics can also be a cause of knee pain. 

Here are a few of them:

• Loose Bodies (Floating inside knee joint)

• IT Band Syndrome (Iliotibial Band Syndrome)

• Anterior Pelvic Tilt

• Poor Foot Biomechanics (Foot Pronation)

• Lack of Flexibility and strength (Of muscles)

• Obesity

3. Arthritis

There are about 100 different types of arthritis that cause different kinds of knee pain. 

The most common types of arthritis are:

• Rheumatoid Arthritis

• Osteoarthritis

• Psoriatic Arthritis

• Fibromyalgia

• Gout

• Pseudogout

• Septic arthritis (Infectious arthritis)

Treatment

Treatment of knee conditions is dependent on the cause of pain; however, in all cases a specialist ought to be consulted to determine what type of condition it is. 

This is because different types of pain may overlap in different conditions and makes it hard to diagnose it without professional help.

Most minor injuries or mechanical problems can be treated at home or by a physical therapist. 

Only chronic pain that results from damage like tendon, ligament or cartilage tears and fractures require surgical interference.

As for the home remedies, and rest applying ice on the knee may relieve pain. 

Yet, excessive rest can worsen the problem; too much rest and refraining from moderate exercise make the muscles around the knee weak and hence all stress will be handles by the injured knee. 

This complicates the problem and may cause further injuries.

Physical Therapy for Restoring an Injured Knee

This is why physical therapy and exercise to strengthen the muscles around the knee is really helpful to take excessive stress off the knee.

Along with keeping the knee on the move during minor or short term injuries, having over the counter medicines that relieve pain is beneficial.