The joints of a person's lower extremities are responsible for the free and active movement of the body in space. Therefore, the appearance of even minor problems in the legs leads to a noticeable loss of mobility.
More than half of all joint diseases occur in the knees as one of the largest joint joints capable of carrying the load of the entire human body.
Main causes of knee pain
All diseases in which the knees hurt can be divided into several groups depending on the prevailing mechanism of joint damage:
- Inflammatory processes in the joint (arthritis) and in the periarticular bursa (bursitis). With arthritis, the knee joints increase in size, creak when bent. General well-being worsens, body temperature rises. Bursitis is characterized by the presence of a rounded protrusion in the joint area, which is an accumulation of fluid. The cause of inflammatory diseases lies in the penetration of infection into the joint (through wounds, cuts, foci of internal infection).
- Degenerative injuries of the joint - osteoarthritis. In this case, a gradual destruction of the internal articular surfaces, excessive growth of bone tissue occurs for a long time. As the load on the knee continues to exist, the destroyed joint does not have time to recover and collapses even more. Osteoarthritis is characterized by initial pains, eg. in the morning or after a long rest, the knees hurt when bending and walking. The pain subsides after squats or other stress on the joint. Patients with osteoarthritis of the knee joints in advanced stages notice difficulties in climbing and descending stairs, the appearance of pain even at rest.
- Traumatic consequences - intra-articular fractures, bruises, dislocations and sprains. For any type of joint injury, it is advisable to contact a specialist who will decide what to do: immobilize the joint or, conversely, give it a functional load.
Causes of knee joint pain in pregnant women
Knee pain during pregnancy is explained by a sharp increase in the load on the joints of the lower extremities due to weight gain due to the uterus, fetus and amniotic fluid. Also, in the last trimester, many people experience abnormal fluid retention (edema) and weight gain, which also creates excessive pressure on the legs and makes it difficult for the knee joints to function normally.
In the last weeks of pregnancy and during childbirth there is a powerful production of relaxing substances that soften the joint ligaments. Thanks to relaxins, the ligaments of the pelvic joints are mainly stretched, but other joints, including the knee, can also be affected.
With all of these conditions, pregnant women have knee joint pain even at rest and at night. Within a few weeks of giving birth, a woman leaves the body with excess water, the production of relaxin stops, weight decreases, then the discomfort in the knees disappears.
Causes of pain during sports
When running and playing "standing" sports (volleyball, tennis, football), the knee joint is under much more stress than when walking. The fluid produced in the joint for its normal functioning does not have time to form in sufficient quantities, and therefore increases the friction of the joint surfaces.
With knee injuries in the past, joint degradation under the influence of sport can progress rapidly. If after a workout (especially after running or jumping) there is pain in the knee joint, this does not mean that you have to give up the sport altogether. You just have to reconsider your options for loading your knees and replacing the sport or exercise set with a gentler one for the legs.
Causes of Knee Pain in Babies
The most common cause of knee pain in a child is an injury that occurs due to excessive physical activity. Bruises can be suspected by the appearance of the knee: there are bruises and abrasions on the skin, swelling on the side of the blow.
If a child complains that his knee hurts, infectious arthritis should be ruled out, which usually occurs sometime after an exacerbation of another bacterial (tonsillitis, otitis media, bronchitis) or viral infection. With such arthritis, the joint appears red, swollen, the general condition of the child worsens: the body temperature rises, lethargy, drowsiness appear.
Another cause of knee disease in children can be autoimmune arthritis (rheumatoid arthritis). In this case, in addition to the knees, the child will be included in the inflammatory process and the elbows, as well as the small joints of the fingers. This type of arthritis is characterized by the "volatility" of the lesion: in a short time the inflammation passes from one joint to another.
Knee pain treatment and prevention
The appointment of treatment for the knee joint should be handled by a specialist who, after the examination, will find out why the knee hurts and how to treat this case. Treatment of knee joint pain aims to reduce inflammation and degenerative processes. To do this, it is recommended for all patients with knee pathology:
- limit the physical load on the joint (including refusal to carry weights, climb stairs); women are advised not to wear heels, because due to improper redistribution of body weight, pressure on the joints increases. In some cases (complex dislocations), it is necessary to completely immobilize the knee with the help of a splint or a plaster;
- take a course of chondroprotectors - preparations containing the substances necessary for the structure of the joints (chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine). Chondroprotectors are prescribed both for oral use in the form of tablets and externally as part of ointments and gels. In a hospital it is also possible to introduce these substances directly into the knee joint;
- use pain relievers, anti-inflammatories (corticosteroid hormones and non-steroidal drugs) and antibacterial agents;
- outside the phase of exacerbation, undergo a course of physiotherapeutic procedures (mud applications, ultrasound treatment and electrophoresis);
- properly load the affected joint - with the help of therapeutic exercises. One of the best exercises of this type is the "bicycle": in the supine position, it imitates the course of the pedals of a bicycle.
- in extremely advanced degenerative processes of the joint, surgical knee arthroplasty is preferable.
Treatment of the joints with folk remedies
In addition to traditional methods of treating sore knees, folk remedies for relieving inflammation are also effective in many cases:
Lotions with ammonia and camphor solution
Mix half a glass of ammonia (10% solution) with 10 g of camphor alcohol, add 1 liter of salt water (this requires 1 tablespoon of salt per liter), shake until the sediment disappears. Heat the solution to a warm temperature in a water bath, moisten the gauze and apply to the sore knee. Top with polyethylene. Keep up to half an hour, 2-3 times a day.
Cabbage leaf wrap
Beat a fresh cabbage leaf with a mallet, sprinkle lightly with salt so that the cabbage cools. Apply on the knees for several hours, fixing it with a bandage. Another variation of this pack is to apply a thin layer of honey to a cabbage leaf, otherwise the procedure is the same.
Tincture of cinquefoil
100 g of dry stems insist 3 weeks for 1 liter of vodka. Take orally half an hour before a meal, 1 tbsp. L. , diluted in 50 ml of water. The tincture can be rubbed into a sore knee or made into lotions.
Beeswax ointment
A piece of wax the size of a matchbox, yolk and honey (1 tablespoon L) Mix everything in a water bath, apply with a tampon on the sore joint at night.
Folk methods, as well as therapeutic exercises, must be agreed with the attending physician, because out of ignorance a person can easily harm himself (for example, when using bee products externally in a patient with allergic diseases or when trying to develop a dislocated joint with physical exercises).
The prevention of diseases of the knee joints is aimed at preventing the entry of infections (timely treatment of chronic inflammatory foci), reducing the load (combating excess weight, wearing fixative bandages) and strengthening the ligamentous apparatus of the joint and bones (gymnastics, swimming, cycling, drinking, eating foods rich in calcium).
Remember that good and timely treatment of the knees, as well as the prevention of injuries and relapses of joint diseases, will allow you to maintain active mobility for many years.