The main purpose of the knee joint is to ensure normal motor activity of the lower limb and to achieve a stable position of the body. In this case, this part of the body is assigned the most important role - participation in the processes of limb flexibility and extension.
Despite the complex structure and sufficient strength of this joint, it can be subject to damage, thermal effects, physical overload, various complications due to chronic infectious processes and, as a result, serious inflammatory processes with an increased probability of limiting movement and accumulation. exudate. To avoid such unwanted manifestations, it is recommended to contact a qualified specialist in time for a thorough diagnosis and to draw up 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 limb, supports the human weight and ensures its stable position. It is the knee that allows us to walk, jump, run, squat and turn.
The ability to perform these actions is provided by the following components:
- tendons;
- bones
- cartilage
- ligaments and muscles.
This explains why knee joint pain can occur in people of any age. We can talk about effective treatment and full recovery only after determining the cause of the disease.
Reasons why my 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 human weight. Moreover, the knee has a complex structure, represented by several interconnected elements.
If a person has knee pain and is trying to find a solution, what to do, first of all it is necessary to find out the factors causing the discomfort. As a rule, the causes of the disease are the same in all situations.
The risk factors are almost identical in all cases: musculoskeletal dysfunction. This causes significant stress, which causes the cartilage to shrink and destroy. As a result, a person begins to experience unpleasant sensations that indicate damage to the knee joint and begins to look for a way to eliminate the pathological process.
trauma
If you don't know what to do when your knees hurt, pay attention - the reasons may lie in joint damage. 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 can be caused by damage to the ligaments. Representatives of professional sports activities are most often prone to injury. Also, pain and ligament problems can occur in people who do not follow the running technique. Often, knee injuries occur as a result of hitting the ball - during a football game.
It should be noted that such injuries occur quite often. Moreover, discomfort can occur not only during an exacerbation, but also after it.
In case of fracture, several bones can be destroyed at the same time. More often than others, it happens in elderly patients and people prone to degenerative pathologies.
In case of severe damage to the joint, surgery, physiotherapeutic procedures and exercise therapy are performed.
Bursitis
The main purpose of the joint capsule is the easy gliding of the ligaments and improving the functioning of the knee joint itself. Chronic injuries and sudden shocks can cause 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 a lot, in order to understand what and how to treat this disease, you must first conduct a thorough diagnosis. Only an individual approach to the problem will allow you to draw up the correct treatment plan and select effective drugs with an anti-inflammatory effect. You should also observe the mode of rest of the knee joint.
In advanced forms of bursitis, more serious measures are taken - surgical intervention and special injections are performed.
dislocations
It is about displacement of the knee cap 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 the pain is in the knee - after a thorough diagnosis and examination.
In order to identify fractures and draw up a correct treatment plan, an X-ray examination is used. In advanced situations, surgical intervention is performed.
Often moving the knee joint can cause pain. This is a fairly serious injury that occurs after a strong blow.
Degenerative disorders
One of the common pathologies associated with degenerative tissue changes is osteoarthritis. In this case, the cartilage decreases in size, which is accompanied by a decrease in motor activity of the joint and pain. As a rule, such pathological processes are caused by age-related changes in the body, which occur in people aged 55-65.
Despite the irreversibility of degenerative changes, there are treatments that manage the 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 a malfunction 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 exactly what 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 the joints
It is a metabolic disease associated with the deposition of uric acid salts in body tissues. The main symptoms of gout are: severe swelling, limited physical activity and severe pain. In order to dissolve urate crystals, special medicines are prescribed, as well as anti-inflammatory drugs.
infectious processes
Even a slight scratch in the knee area can contribute to the spread of the infectious process in nearby tissues and organs, including the joint area.
In people with a weakened immune system, this poses a real threat 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?
Regardless of why your knees hurt, here are some things you shouldn't do to prevent the condition from getting worse:
- Avoid knee injury;
- Avoid foods that contribute to weight gain (fried and fatty foods, pastries, salty foods, potatoes, sweet carbonated drinks, fast food);
- Avoid excessive physical activity related to sports;
- If your knees hurt and you don't know what to do with such discomfort, as the reviews indicate, it is better to give up addictions (excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages and tobacco smoking);
- Avoid wearing tight shoes, avoid high-heeled shoes;
- Minimizing the likelihood of stressful situations;
- ensure healthy, complete sleep;
- Avoid staying in one position for too long.
In what cases is it necessary to visit a doctor?
There is no need for medical intervention if the pain in the knee area was caused by a small skin injury, minor injury or joint deformation. Self-medication is allowed in such situations.
During more severe processes, it is necessary to visit a specialist. First of all, this is due to the possibility of damage to the joint capsule, which can facilitate the entry of pathogenic bacteria into the body.
If the consequences of the injury are not eliminated in time, the functionality of the joint may be lost. Consultation with a doctor is necessary in the following situations:
- Your knees hurt a lot and you don't know what to do, what to do;
- Pain syndrome of increased intensity does not disappear 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, establish 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 exactly what to do when their knee joints hurt and try to cope with the discomfort on their own. Unfortunately, the uncontrolled use of medicines and the use of special ointments can give us the opposite result.
An integrated approach is needed for rapid pain relief. Within its framework, not only medicines are used, but also physiotherapeutic procedures and special orthopedic tools are used. These include knee braces and braces that prevent recurrence and provide a faster recovery period.
use of medication
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, steroid hormones, vasodilators and chondroprotectors are prescribed to relieve pain. Specialists prescribe painkillers with extreme caution, as they do not allow to determine the real condition of the knee joint. Then we will talk in more detail about the drugs used:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Since the elimination of the inflammatory process and pain is the main task of discomfort in the knee area, doctors first 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, the patients are given intramuscular injections. If your knees hurt a little, in this case, the question: "What should I do? "", any doctor recommends the use of ointment. Often, when the knee joint is damaged, products containing glycosaminoglycan are used. In turn, to eliminate swelling, they apply compresses with dimethyl sulfoxide;
- Chondroprotectors.Regardless of whether your knees hurt after running or after a long walk, or due to other pathologies, only an experienced doctor can advise you on what to do. However, the general recommendation for pain relief for all patients is to take medication with chondroitin and glucosamine. Thanks to their use, it is possible to accelerate the cartilage tissue recovery process, prevent oxidative stress and ensure the growth of healthy cartilage cells. In addition, chondroprotectors contribute to a faster rehabilitation period after an injury, reduce the likelihood of severe consequences and almost do not cause side effects. At the same time, experts recommend taking complexes with a high content of minerals and vitamins;
- Antispasmodics and vasodilators.They help to improve tissue supply, as well as 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 recommend physiotherapy treatment. With its help, it is possible to increase the effectiveness of the use of medicines, as well as ensure the delivery of medicines to deep subcutaneous layers.
Physiotherapy procedures help to improve blood flow, eliminate pain and reduce the source of inflammation, as well as normalize motor activity and ensure the removal of purulent exudate.
Even if your child's knees hurt and you're trying to figure out what to do, the following physical therapy options will be most effective:
- impact of the magnetic field on the body;
- laser therapy;
- exposure to electric current while taking drugs;
- UHF;
- use of galvanic electric current;
- use of healing mud;
- therapeutic effect of ultrasound;
- massage procedures;
- paraffin therapy;
- amplipulse therapy;
- treatment with medicinal puppies;
- acupuncture;
- treatment of colds;
- Diadynamic therapy and other similar procedures.
The duration of the course of physiotherapy usually reaches 7-10 procedures. However, consultation with a specialist is a prerequisite before carrying out treatment measures.
UVT for knee pain
The UVT method is widely demanded to eliminate pathologies of the musculoskeletal system. It is based on the short-term impact of low-frequency acoustic waves on the affected joint.
A strong pain-relieving effect during shock wave therapy is achieved by the following processes:
- improvement of blood circulation;
- 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 efficiency is achieved using the UVT method for the deposition of calcium phosphate crystals in tendons. The technique is characterized by increased safety and practically no side effects.
UVT specialists will clearly determine the number of treatment sessions and their duration, as well as give you valuable recommendations regarding the implementation of other restorative procedures.
The need to perform a puncture
If there is significant swelling, specialists will remove the purulent contents that limit the normal function and supply of the joint. In order to drain the exudate, a puncture is made using a syringe under the influence of anesthetics.
If the desired result is not obtained when using physiotherapeutic procedures and medications, the doctor injects hyaluronic acid into the knee joint or performs a peri-articular anesthetic block. When purulent inflammatory processes are detected, drug treatment is combined with the procedure of washing the knee joint with a healing solution (lavage).
Surgery for knee pain is performed in rare cases, most often in advanced situations.
Exercise therapy for knee pain
Often, when experiencing knee pain, 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. This beneficial effect is achieved by improving muscle tone. You can get the desired result after 8-10 sessions. It is important to avoid any sudden movements during physical therapy.
The following exercises are suitable for doing at home:
- The patient takes a "lying" position and stretches his legs forward. Next, he performs alternate flexion and extension of the fingers of the lower limbs;
- While in the "lying" position, it is necessary to straighten the legs. After that, the patient turns the legs in different directions and tries to get closer to the floor;
- In the "lying down" position and with the legs spread, the patient should try to spread the toes towards the knee joint;
- The patient takes the "lying" position. Then he places both hands on the knee and tries to slowly bend the limb. In this case, the knee should be smoothly raised towards the chest;
- While in the "lying" position, it is necessary to make movements similar to riding a bicycle with the legs.
Prevention measures
Questions such as: "What should you do if you have nerve pain in your knee? " or "What measures should you take if your knees hurt after a long walk? " will lose relevance if you follow simple preventive measures. They include:
- Elimination of infectious processes and conditions after knee injury should be carried out under the supervision of a professional specialist;
- It is mandatory to eliminate chronic or hereditary pathological processes (gout, diabetes, tonsillitis);
- maintain a normal weight by excluding excessively sweet, salty and fatty foods, as well as alcoholic beverages from the diet;
- Engage in moderate exercise;
- Once a year, take chondroprotectors and undergo an examination by a specialist;
- follow the rules of healthy sleep;
- Take about 2-3 liters of carbonated water daily;
- eliminate any possibility of hypothermia;
- Wear only comfortable shoes and clothes;
- Avoid staying in one position for too long.