The main purpose of the knee joint is to ensure normal motor activity of the lower limbs and achieve a stable body position. In this case, this part of the body is given the most important role - participation in the process of flexion and extension of the limbs.
Despite the complex structure and sufficient strength of this joint, it can be subject to injuries, thermal influences, physical loads, various complications due to chronic infectious processes and, as a result, serious inflammatory processes with increased possibilities of movement limitation and accumulation. from the exudate. To avoid such unwanted manifestations, it is recommended to immediately contact a qualified specialist for a comprehensive diagnosis and 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 limbs, supports a person's weight and ensures a stable position. The knee is what allows us to walk, jump, run, squat and turn.
The ability to perform these actions is ensured by the following components:
- Tendons;
- Bone;
- Vulnerable;
- 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 knowing the cause of the disease.
Because the knee hurts
So, the knee joint has an important role in the human body: it is responsible for the motor activity of the legs, keeping the body in a stable position and supporting the weight of a person. In addition, the knee has a complex structure, represented by several interconnected elements.
If someone has knee pain and is trying to find a solution for what to do, first of all it is necessary to know the factors that cause the discomfort. As a rule, the cause of the disease is the same for all conditions.
The risk factor is the same in almost all cases: musculofascial dysfunction. This leads to significant tension, which causes compression and destruction of the cartilage. As a result, a person begins to experience unpleasant sensations, indicating damage to the knee joint, and begins to look for ways to eliminate the pathological process.
injury
If you don't know what to do when your knee hurts, pay attention - the reason may be hidden in an injury to the joint. This is a part of the body that is more often injured than others. As a result, joint dysfunction occurs, which is accompanied by pain.
Such discomfort may be caused by ligament damage. Representatives of professional sports activities are most often exposed to injuries. Also, pain and problems with ligaments can occur in people who do not follow the running technique. Most often, knee damage occurs as a result of being hit by the ball - during a football game.
It should be noted that such injuries occur quite often. In addition, discomfort can occur not only during an exacerbation, but also after it.
In the event of a fracture, several bones can be destroyed at once. More often than others, this occurs in elderly patients and people prone to degenerative pathologies.
In case of severe damage to the joints, surgery, physiotherapeutic procedures and exercise therapy are performed.
Bursitis
The main purpose of the joint capsule is to ensure that the ligaments slide easily and improve the function of the knee joint itself. Chronic injuries and unexpected blows can trigger 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 knee hurts badly, to understand what to do and how to treat this disease, you should first do a comprehensive diagnosis. Only an individual approach to the problem will allow you to draw up the right treatment plan and choose an effective drug with an anti-inflammatory effect. You should also adhere to a rest regime for the knee joint.
In the advanced form of bursitis, they resort to more serious measures - surgical intervention and special injections are performed.
Dislocation
We are talking about the displacement of the kneecap from its normal position, which is also accompanied by pain that increases in intensity.
In this case, only an experienced specialist can answer the question of what to do if there is pain below the knee - after a thorough diagnosis and examination.
In order to identify fractures and formulate the correct treatment plan, they use x-ray examinations. In advanced cases, surgical intervention is performed.
Often dislocation of 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 changes in tissues is osteoarthritis. In this case, the cartilage decreases in size, which is accompanied by impaired 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.
Although degenerative changes are irreversible, there are treatments that can overcome discomfort and help improve quality of life. In advanced forms of the disease, implants are installed through surgery.
Autoimmune disease
We are talking about the inflammatory process that affects the joints. They are characterized by damage to the immune system, as a result of which it begins to consider its own tissue as foreign and destroys it.
This process is accompanied by the following undesirable manifestations: swelling, pain and degenerative changes in the joints, erosive wounds of bone tissue.
Taking into account the clinical picture, the specialist will tell you what exactly you need to do when your knee joint hurts. As a rule, patients are recommended to take the following drugs:
- Anti-inflammatory drugs;
- Steroid hormones;
- Antirheumatic drugs and biological agents;
- Analgesics and others.
Salt deposits in the joints
This is a metabolic disease related to the deposition of uric acid salts in body tissues. The main symptoms of gout are: severe swelling, limited physical activity, and severe pain. To break down urate crystals, special drugs are prescribed, as well as anti-inflammatory drugs.
Infectious process
Even small scratches 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 weak immune system, this poses a real danger to the body. That is, any damage to the skin can worsen the condition of such patients.
What not to do when your knee hurts?
Regardless of the cause of your knee pain, below we'll tell you what not to do to prevent the condition from getting worse:
- Avoid knee injuries;
- Avoid foods that contribute to weight gain (fried and fatty foods, sweets, high salt foods, potatoes, sweet carbonated drinks, fast food);
- Avoid any excessive physical activity related to sports;
- If your knee hurts 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 possibility of stressful situations;
- Ensure healthy and full sleep;
- Avoid being in one position for a long time.
In what case is a visit to the doctor necessary?
There is no need for medical intervention if pain in the knee area is caused by minor skin damage, minor injuries or joint deformation. In such cases, self-treatment is allowed.
With a more severe process, there is an urgent need to visit a specialist. First of all, this is due to possible damage to the joint capsule, which can facilitate the penetration 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. It is necessary to consult a doctor in the following situations:
- Your knee hurts badly, and you have no idea what to do, what to do;
- The pain syndrome of increasing intensity does not disappear for several days;
- There is swelling, redness, and fever in the joint area;
- Increased body temperature;
- Decreased motor activity, bruising.
Experienced specialists perform a comprehensive diagnosis of the condition of the knee joint, draw up a detailed treatment plan and select the most effective treatment even for the most advanced pathology.
Knee pain treatment
Often people do not know what exactly to do when their knee joint hurts, and they try to cope with the discomfort themselves. Unfortunately, the uncontrolled use of drugs and the use of special ointments can give the opposite result.
To relieve pain quickly, an integrated approach is needed. In its framework, not only drugs are used, but also physiotherapeutic procedures are performed and special orthopedic devices are used. These include knee braces and braces, which help prevent possible recurrences and ensure a faster recovery period.
Use of medications
To relieve pain, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, steroid hormones, vasodilators and chondroprotectors are prescribed. Specialists prescribe painkillers very carefully, because they do not allow them to determine the true state of the knee joint. Next we will talk about the drugs used in more detail:
- NSAIDs. Since eliminating the inflammatory process and pain is the main task for discomfort in the knee area, doctors especially recommend the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. For this purpose, they use the help of special tablets and ointments. If the pain becomes painful, the patient is given an intramuscular injection. If your knee hurts a little, in this case, when 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. Instead, to eliminate swelling, they use a compress with dimethyl sulfoxide;
- Chondroprotectors.Regardless of whether your knee hurts after running or after walking, or against the background of other pathologies, only an experienced doctor can advise what to do. However, the general recommendation for all patients to relieve pain is to take medication with chondroitin and glucosamine. Thanks to its use, it is possible to accelerate the process of cartilage tissue recovery, prevent oxidative stress and ensure the growth of healthy cartilage cells. In addition, chondroprotectors contribute to a faster recovery period after injury, minimize the possibility of severe consequences and cause almost no side effects. At the same time, experts recommend taking a complex with high mineral and vitamin content;
- Antispasmodic and vasodilator.They help increase tissue supply, and also help restore connective tissue and eliminate swelling. In the presence of a chronic pathological process, 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 while walking, or if the discomfort is chronic, any experienced specialist will suggest undergoing physical therapy treatment. With its help, it is possible to increase the effectiveness of the use of drugs, as well as ensure the delivery of drugs to the deeper subcutaneous layers.
Physiotherapeutic procedures help increase blood flow, relieve pain and reduce sources 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:
- Effect on body of magnetic field;
- laser therapy;
- Exposure to electric current in combination with drug administration;
- UHF;
- Use of galvanic electric current;
- The use of therapeutic mud;
- Therapeutic effects of ultrasound;
- Massage treatment;
- Paraffin therapy;
- amplipulse therapy;
- Treatment with medicinal leeches;
- Acupuncture;
- Cold treatment;
- Diadynamic therapy and other similar procedures.
The duration of the physiotherapy course usually reaches 7-10 procedures. However, a prerequisite before doing treatment steps is to consult a specialist.
UVT for knee pain
The UVT method is in widespread demand in eliminating the pathology of the musculoskeletal system. It is based on short-term exposure to low-frequency acoustic waves on the affected joint.
A strong analgesic effect during a shock wave therapy session is achieved through the following processes:
- Better blood flow;
- Development of new blood vessels;
- Metabolism improves.
It should be noted that under the influence of shock waves, a decrease in the fibrotic process in the tissue in the knee joint is observed.
The greatest effectiveness is achieved by using the UVT method for the deposition of calcium phosphate crystals in the tendon. This technique is characterized by increased safety and almost no side effects.
The UVT specialist will clearly determine the number of treatment sessions and their duration, and will also give valuable recommendations on the implementation of other rehabilitation procedures.
The need to do a puncture
If there is significant swelling, the specialist removes the 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 anesthetic.
If the desired result is not obtained during physiotherapeutic procedures and the use of drugs, the doctor injects hyaluronic acid into the knee joint or performs a periarticular anesthetic block. When a purulent inflammatory process is detected, treatment with drugs is combined with the procedure of washing the knee joint with a medicinal 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 doing 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 increasing muscle tone. You can get the desired results after 8-10 sessions. It is important to exclude any sudden movements during physical therapy.
The following exercises are suitable for doing at home:
- The patient takes a "lying down" position and stretches his legs forward. Next, he alternated flexion and extension of the fingers of the lower limbs;
- While in the "lying down" position, you need to straighten your legs. After this, the patient turns his legs in different directions, trying to bring them closer to the floor;
- In the "lying down" position and with the legs extended, the patient should try to extend his toes towards the knee joint;
- The patient takes the "lying down" position. Then he put both hands under the knees, trying to slowly bend the limbs. In this case, the knees must be smoothly raised towards the chest;
- While in the "lying down" position, need to make movements with your legs like riding a bicycle.
Preventive measures
Questions like: "What to do if the nerve in your knee hurts? ", or "What steps to take if your knee hurts after a long walk? " will lose their relevance if you follow simple preventive measures. This includes:
- The elimination of infectious processes and conditions after a knee injury should be carried out under the supervision of a professional specialist;
- It is mandatory to eliminate pathological processes of a chronic or hereditary nature (gout, diabetes, tonsillitis);
- Maintain a normal body weight by eliminating overly 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 healthy sleep rules;
- Take about 2-3 liters of still water every day;
- Eliminate any possibility of hypothermia;
- Wear only comfortable shoes and clothes;
- Avoid being in one position for a long time.