Why is there pain in the knee joint? My knees hurt a lot, what to do, what to treat

If you are faced with sudden knee pain, then the first thing you should figure out is what caused this problem, because this symptom can occur with more than 200 different diseases.

Most of them are associated with joints, which bother more than half of humanity. Why does knee pain occur, and how can you deal with it?

Possible reasons

In many cases, knee pain indicates damage to the joints themselves. However, this is not always the case. The main reasons that may cause discomfort are:

  • Osteoarthritis of the knee joint. This is a process of destruction of joint tissue, which, if prolonged, can cause deformation and loss of joint mobility.
  • Arthritis of the knee joint. An inflammatory disease that can be independent or a sign or complication of other diseases. You can read the article about the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
  • Meniscopathy. When the meniscus is damaged, it appears sharp pain, and the cause may be injury, sometimes very minor. If the problem is not corrected in time, it can turn into chronic form and cause deforming arthrosis.
  • Vascular pain. This is not joint pathology, but approximately 10% of patients visit an orthopedist with this particular problem. The cause is impaired blood circulation in the joints. Vascular pain can occur throughout a person’s life.
  • Inflammation of the tendons knee joint, known as periarthritis. In this case, discomfort is felt in inside knee, and it intensifies when going up and down stairs. Women over 40 who are overweight are most susceptible to the disease.
  • "Referred pain" manifested for arthrosis hip joint . In this case, the knees themselves will not be damaged, and the range of movement in them does not change in any way, and pathologies will not be detected on x-rays either.

In addition, knee pain can occur due to sprain or ordinary fatigue as a result of too much physical activity.

What kind of pain could it be?

For a correct diagnosis in the event of pain in the knee, it is necessary to determine the nature of the pain, which may differ:

  • Sharp sudden pain. May be a sign of recent injury, joint blockage and the appearance of soft tissues acute bone growth.
  • It's a dull pain. Talks about the chronic nature of joint problems. This may be inflammation, the onset of the development of arthrosis, as well as the manifestation of weather dependence due to disturbances in the blood vessels.
  • Shooting pain. It can occur if inflammatory processes or a serious stage of arthrosis affects the nerve endings.
  • Very severe pain. Indicates a pinched nerve, vascular blockade and other acute injuries to this area of ​​the leg. May occur with a fracture acute inflammation And late stages osterarthrosis.
  • Regular pain. In most cases, its causes lie in spasms of nearby muscles, synovitis, neuropathies and fibrosis of the capsule.
  • Cutting excruciating pain with any movement. It may be a symptom of a torn meniscus and a blocked connection or a pinched nerve, possibly in the spinal area.
  • Drawing pain. It can manifest itself in almost all pathologies of the knee joint.

What to do?

When this occurs unpleasant problem You need to contact an orthopedist or neurologist as soon as possible. The exact cause, and based on it, treatment methods, will be determined during the diagnosis.

Available products can also help relieve knee pain. folk recipes, which can be intended for both indoor and outdoor use.

Compresses

Compresses are the most popular folk remedies in this case, which quickly relieve knee pain and prevent its occurrence in the future.

  • Natural yellow clay is useful, in which there are many healing minerals that enter the affected area and relieve pain symptoms. You need to make a thick mixture of clay and warm water and apply it over the sore area in a thick layer. Insulate with film and something woolen, leave overnight. In the morning, rinse with warm water. It is recommended to repeat the procedure daily for a week. For preventive purposes, twice a week will be enough.
  • You need to take the same number of dandelion, chestnut and lilac flowers and place them tightly in a glass container. Then add vodka and leave for two weeks. To use, you need to moisten a gauze pad in this tincture and apply it to the sore knee. Also insulate and leave overnight. Using this procedure a couple of times can eliminate even the most severe pain.
  • Compress based lard warms perfectly. A thin slice of lard should be applied to the knee and secured with natural fabric, then a warm woolen cloth should be applied. You need to keep it for 10-12 hours. The course of treatment is from seven days.

Ointments

  • You need to mix 100 g of honey and 5 g of mumiyo and rub this mixture into the affected area every day for 10-15 minutes. It is better to do the procedure before bedtime.
  • Add 0.5 teaspoon of salt, baking soda and dry powder to 100 g of honey. mustard powder. Use the ointment once a day in the evening. Five procedures will be enough to relieve pain.
  • You need to grind 50 g of celandine leaves and place it in a 0.5 liter glass container, which needs to be filled to the top with sunflower or olive oil. The product should infuse for two weeks, then it should be strained through gauze in several layers. You need to use the ointment two to three times a day, applying it to a large area with gentle massage movements.

Infusions for internal use

Such tinctures have a powerful anti-inflammatory and restorative effect. They improve metabolism in joint tissues, which makes it possible to get rid of pain efficiently and quickly:

  • You need to grate the horseradish root and pour 200 ml of boiling water over it, then let it brew in a water bath for 20 minutes. Drink a tablespoon two or three times a day for 21 days.
  • Need to wash 50 g bay leaf and put it in a small enamel container, then add about 250 ml clean water, let it boil over low heat, then let it cool and strain. Divide what you get into 4 equal parts and drink for four days in small sips between meals. You can repeat the course again no earlier than six months later.
  • Mix equal amounts of willow bark, parsley root and dry nettle. A tablespoon of this mixture should be infused in a thermos, filled with 200 ml of boiling water. Drink 100 ml twice a day after meals, warm.

Although the above treatment methods are reliable and proven over the years, they should not be used without consulting a medical specialist and his permission. Incorrect use and combination of folk remedies can not only be ineffective, but also seriously aggravate the situation.

Proper physical activity can be helpful for knee pain, but it is important not to overdo it. Too much activity can only make the situation worse. It is important to find an exercise program that is safe and stick to it. If you cannot do this yourself, it makes sense to consult a doctor or physiotherapist.

Knee problems increase risks of falls which may worsen the situation. These risks should be minimized by using only secure ladders, holding on to handrails, and being careful on ice or other slippery surfaces.

It can also complicate the situation overweight. It is not necessary to strive for ideal thinness, but if you have extra pounds it is recommended to get rid of them using the correct physical activity and a balanced diet.

Plays an important role in knee pain the shoes you wear. Do not wear tight or uncomfortable shoes or boots; high heels are not recommended for women. Ideally, you should use special orthopedic insoles.

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Prevention measures

The first thing you need to do to prevent knee pain is normalize your weight. Each kilogram lost significantly reduces the load on the joints.

A healthy diet and moderate physical activity activity is useful for losing weight and improving the condition of the knee joints in general. When playing sports, you should try to work on strengthening the muscles that support the knee joints.

Another measure to prevent knee pain is smoking cessation. Chemicals with which it is full tobacco smoke, negatively affect the restoration of ligaments, and it is their ruptures that are the most common causes of knee pain.

If you are going on a long journey on foot or by bicycle, try to take a piece of gauze or a small towel with you. When you feel a lot of tension in your knees, moisten it and wrap it around your knee - this will help prevent severe pain.

If you are often in a sitting position, try not to bend your knees too much - straighten them periodically.

If you have been tormented by knee pain and managed to get rid of it, return to your normal lifestyle smoothly and gradually. First, resume your normal household activities, but do them in a way that does not cause discomfort.

A little later, the load can be increased - for example, jogging regularly. In this case, you should stop taking analgesics if you have done so previously, since you risk overworking your knee and the pain will begin to bother you again.

Watch a video about what you can do at home if your knees hurt:

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People different ages People often ask the question: “Why do my knees hurt?” and indeed, they occur more often in both young people and the elderly. There can be many reasons for this. Excessive physical activity, injury to the lower extremities and knee joints affect the components of the knee, affecting ligaments, tendons and muscles, while blood flow in the knee is disrupted and a change in metabolism occurs. It happens that the motor function of the knee joint is noticeably reduced, the knee hurts when flexing and extending, and if the knee is swollen, then you should immediately consult a doctor for qualified medical assistance. It is he who will establish the causes, factors and advise how to treat when your knees hurt.

Reasons

Any pain that affects any organ or part of the body in the human system indicates a serious problem. In order to make an accurate diagnosis and clarify why the pain under the knee hurts, you first need to establish the causes. Pain in the knee joint can occur due to the following factors:

  1. Ever been injured. The knee hurts severely with dislocations, subluxations, fractures of the lower extremities and muscle sprains. The pain syndrome does not go away for a long time, a residual reaction is often felt, inflammatory process.
  2. Knee dislocation. If the knee is swollen, in this case we are talking about a dislocation.
  3. Knee meniscus tear. This diagnosis is most often given to athletes, but also ordinary person I am not immune from it. Why does the knee hurt when bending in this case? The meniscus is made up of round cartilage that is located in the knee joint. In case of shortage minerals, sharp bending of the limb tends to damage it.
  4. Ligament damage. With severe bruises and falls, the ligaments can tear - this will be the source of pain behind the knee.
  5. Arthrosis and arthritis. A common disease in people over 50 years of age. The World Health Organization estimates that more than half of older people suffer from this disease. If diseases are not diagnosed in time, motor functions are completely lost and it becomes difficult for a person to walk.
  6. Gout. If your legs hurt below the knees, then we are talking about large quantities uric acid in the body.

The above reasons are the main ones for pain in the knee joint. It is also worth considering the causes of pain in pregnant women. Indeed, during this wonderful period, women have an increased load on the entire body, and the pressure on the organs increases. The reasons may be:

  1. Increase in body weight. The fetus grows in the womb important factor so is amniotic fluid, which also has its own weight.
  2. Manifestation of edema. Why do my legs hurt below the knees? A pregnant woman's body retains fluid; this happens when the excretory system does not work well. The legs may swell along their entire length, with special emphasis on the knees, the area under the knees.

The condition improves after the birth of the child. Excess liquid leave, the woman gradually begins to lose the weight that she gained during pregnancy.

Pain during sports activities

Athletes and people who play sports for themselves often face a situation where their knees hurt badly and wonder what to do at such a moment. As a rule, this happens due to excessive physical exertion, when a person does not know the limits and uses his body to exhaustion, but sometimes when performing exercises incorrectly, such as squats, especially with loads. The knee joint becomes deformed, wears out, and this causes pain.

Pain in children

Knee pain in children mainly occurs from falls, bruises and hyperactivity. child in at a young age is not aware of his actions, so the blows accompany him throughout the first few years. Hematomas occur, knees swell, and the baby often begins to act up. In such a situation, the main thing is to prevent fractures and dislocations, since the osteoarticular system is still being formed.

After the transfer viral disease The child may even develop arthritis. Unfortunately, children are not immune from it and this disease is getting younger every year.

Pain while bending

These types of pain do not respond well to medicines and therapeutic physical culture. Patients at this moment suspect they have arthritis and the only salvation is surgical route solving the problem. One of the common causes is Koenig's disease - disruption of the condyle, detachment of cartilage tissue. The knee is swollen and hurts, what to treat in this case? Do exercises according to the method invented by Sergei Bubnovsky. It can be downloaded for free on the Internet, it is in the public domain. He advises how to treat such a clinical picture and save yourself from unpleasant symptoms, extend the life of your joint.

WITH pain syndrome a person can collide while running: easy or fast, during the process and after it. For overweight people this is a difficult problem. Running is cardio, during which you lose weight well, but with obesity, a huge load goes directly to lower limbs, back and front of the knee. Doctors say that running and deep squats should be excluded from sports exercises altogether.

Pain at night

If your knee is swollen and hurts at night, what should you treat in this case? Night pain occurs due to prolonged exertion throughout the day, wearing uncomfortable shoes. Veins appear on the legs, blood stagnates, and blood flow is disrupted. Therefore, after coming home, it is recommended to remain calm.

Diagnosis of pain

It is not recommended to treat yourself; first of all, you should consult a doctor. An experienced and qualified doctor will conduct diagnostic tests, make a clear diagnosis and prescribe the right treatment, which will be effective and efficient. Early diagnosis always gives a positive result.

Main types of research:

  1. Blood and urine analysis (biochemical and general).
  2. Analysis for rheumatic tests. This type of analysis can find out whether there is an inflammatory process in the body, as well as whether rheumatic and autoimmune diseases are developing.
  3. X-ray of the knee joint. Able to show the presence of inflammatory processes, processes of destruction of bone and cartilage tissue.
  4. Magnetic resonance imaging is performed in many diseases in which it is not possible to stop the cause and factor that led to the development of pain.

These are the main types diagnostic studies, which help the attending physicians in treatment.

Treatment process

After the manipulations have been completed, you can begin the treatment process. It consists of the following components:

  1. Drug therapy or treatment folk remedies.
  2. Therapeutic physical culture.
  3. Surgical method of treatment.
  4. Traditional medicine.

Such procedures are applied comprehensively, in this case the effect occurs almost instantly.

Drug therapy

Aimed at human internal systems. Medicines can eliminate the inflammatory process, strengthen tissues and muscles, and relieve pain.

  1. Anti-inflammatory drugs (Ketoprofen, Ibuprofen). They are non-steroidal and are aimed at relieving pain and inflammation. Only a doctor can prescribe this drug and prescribe the appropriate dosage, otherwise side effects may occur.
  2. Chondroprotectors. They protect cartilage tissue and help its new formation if it has been severely destroyed. They use Dona, Artra, Zinaxin. The procedure is performed intravenously or intramuscularly, depending on how the patient tolerates the drug.
  3. Injections into the joint. The injection is given inside the knee joint into the synovial fluid. It is capable of nourishing cartilage with its active ingredients and preventing them from deteriorating. In many cases, these substances are hormonal, for example Celeston, Flosteron, Kenagol. Oral injections give quick results and fewer side effects than tablets.
  4. The use of hyaluronic acid, which is part of many tissues, also helps relieve inflammation, improve blood flow, and saturate synovial fluid. The injection is given inside kneecap, also into the synovial fluid. It is considered harmless and improves joint mobility.
  5. Use of ointments, gels - Fastum-gel, menovazin, Voltaren-gel. They are rubbed directly into the knee joint and the area around it, relieve pain, but the amount of active substance that penetrates inside is very small, so the effect does not last long.
  6. Compresses from Dimexide.

The above drugs are freely available in pharmacies and have proven themselves in the treatment of knee pain.

Therapeutic physical culture

In this case, Sergei Bubnovsky and his healing technique will come to the rescue. He pays sufficient attention to knee pain and puts exercises in the foreground, giving medications a secondary role. Bubnovsky advises when knees hurt and what to do in this case.

Exercises developed by Sergey Bubnovsky (they are performed using a rubber shock absorber):

  1. Starting position – lying on your back. Pulling your legs to your chest using a shock absorber.
  2. Lying on your back, move your legs to the sides.
  3. Using a rubber shock absorber, secure it to your shin and bend your leg at the knee so that your heel touches your buttock.

This is not a complete list of exercises; there are quite a lot of them and can be found on the Internet. In addition, there is a famous book by the author: “Knees hurt: what to do?”

Surgical method of treatment


It is used in case of damage to the meniscus and when the situation is already hopeless. Mostly such operations are performed on elderly people. There are cases of complete knee replacement. Only then does a person feel relief and forget about his problem forever.

Traditional medicine

Traditional medicine in complex therapy always gives positive effect, besides, there are a lot of recipe options. Here are some of them:

  1. Spread the knee with buckwheat honey and create the effect of a bath, that is, wrap it in a warm woolen scarf. Leave this compress overnight and rinse with water in the morning.
  2. Apply lard to the knee and bandage it. Leave overnight.
  3. Keep freshly picked burdock on your knees for the treatment of the day.

Properly distributing physical activity, avoiding injuries and adhering to proper nutrition the body will never face such an illness.

Knee pain, no matter how intense, significantly impairs the quality of life. There is no joy from your favorite type of outdoor activity, productivity drops, and a simple shopping trip becomes a problem.

In our article we will look at what to do if your knee joints hurt, how to treat them, and whether it is possible to get rid of discomfort in your knees forever - the last question is especially relevant for older people who consider inactivity and pain in the joints an indispensable companion of age.

Diagnosis of pain

  • We need to find out the nature of the pain. The pain can be sharp, burning, stabbing, aching.
  • Cancel the circumstances of pain- at night, after exercise, when walking, in the morning, sudden sharp pain.
  • Were there any other signs of joint damage: swelling, hyperemia (redness), joint deformation, crunching, limited mobility.
  • Check for history infections, stress, leg injuries, increased physical activity.
  • Pass instrumental examination in a medical institution (health care facility) - blood test, x-ray diagnostics, analysis of synovial fluid.

Causes of knee pain

There are more than 200 joint pathologies, most of them are accompanied not only by pain. Only on the basis of a set of symptoms and examinations can one determine what causes knee pain.

Traumatic pathologies

In traumatic pathologies, pain in the knees occurs due to joint injuries (blows, falls, prolonged stress on the joints - typical for athletes) or when common diseases body.

Let's consider the main traumatic pathologies.

Knee fracture

Fracture or displacement of the patella, fractures of the femoral and/or condyles tibia. If you fall from a height onto your knees, in car accidents, etc.

The victim experiences sharp, severe pain at the moment of impact; over time, the pain does not stop, may become slightly weaker, but intensifies when pressing or walking.

The joint swells, becomes deformed, fills with blood (hemarthrosis), the knee does not bend, and the kneecap becomes abnormally mobile.


Knee dislocation

Characterized by displacement of the bones of the joint relative to each other. Dislocation of the knee joint can vary in complexity (complete, incomplete, complicated by soft tissue rupture, etc.).

Habitual dislocation occurs as a consequence of a knee injury or as a result of congenital anomaly: weakness or excessive elasticity of ligaments, flat sliding tracts femur in the joint, excessively high location of the patella.

Sprain, rupture of tendons, ligaments

Depending on the degree of damage (partial ruptures of individual fibers, incomplete tear, complete rupture), symptoms occur: crunching and clicking when moving, bruising below the rupture site, limited flexion-extension of the joint, swelling of the knee, too mobile a joint (with complete rupture of the ligaments). The pain is sharp and severe, but with a minor injury it may not appear immediately, but after a while.

Bursitis

Inflammation of the periarticular bursa due to injury, infection, metabolic disorder, autoimmune disease. Often occurs in athletes and people with increased body weight. The knee swells, the pain varies in intensity, but increases with exercise and at night.

Meniscus tear

May be the result of injury or degenerative changes in cartilage tissue. Acute injury is characterized by severe pain, swelling, and limited mobility. Symptoms of degenerative changes are mild.

Joint diseases

Knee pain may be a sign of a medical condition.

We have listed The most common diseases with knee pain syndrome are:


Rheumatism

The diagnosis is much less common than in the 19th and 20th centuries. This is due both to the discovery of penicillin (and then to the production of other antibiotics) and to the poor diagnostic capabilities in the past, when almost all joint diseases were classified as rheumatism.

A characteristic sign of rheumatism is alternating joint pain: first one joint becomes inflamed, then the other. For example, pain in the knee subsides, but occurs in another large joint (elbow, hip).

Rheumatism most often affects children and adolescents; the disease develops after a streptococcal infection of the upper respiratory tract.

Note: advanced rheumatism leads to heart damage (rheumatic carditis) or nervous system(chorea)

Reactive arthritis

It is more common in people of reproductive age, since inflammation of the joints is most often caused by pathogenic microbes that enter the human body sexually.

Much less often, reactive arthritis is caused by gastrointestinal infections or nasopharyngeal infectious inflammation (sore throat, flu). 1–4 weeks after the illness, the patient notices that his legs begin to hurt at night.

Both large joints (knees, ankles) and small ones (aches or aches) can become inflamed and painful thumb legs). Knee pain is accompanied by swelling and/or redness.

Sometimes the symptoms include conjunctivitis (inflammation and pain in the eyes), keratoderma (thickening of the skin on the soles of the feet).

Reiter's syndrome

To the symptoms of the usual reactive arthritis urethritis occurs (frequent, painful urination), intestinal disorders.

Osteoarthritis

Disease of the elderly. From time to time my knees ache at night due to the weather. Load on the joint (long walking) increases pain, swelling, and worsens joint mobility.

After rest and warming up, the pain goes away.

Baker's cyst

A tumor on the back of the knee causes a feeling of tightness and difficulty moving.

Osteochondritis dissecans (Koening's disease)

The cartilage covering the bone peels off, the sore knee aches, and when the fragment is completely peeled off, the movement of the joint is difficult.

Osgood-Schlatter disease

More often diagnosed in adolescents. Knee pain worsens when going up and down stairs or squats.

Rheumatoid arthritis

An autoimmune disease, the mechanism of which is unclear. It is noted that the starting circumstances are the usual list of loads on immune system: from stress and infection to hypothermia. Immune bodies attacking their own cells cause inflammation of the joint, especially its synovium.

Under attack immune cells the membrane swells, increases in volume, and then begins to grow into nearby cartilage and bone tissue. The result of the process is pain in the knee joints, which becomes unbearable in the second half of the night.

The disease lasts for years, treatment consists of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroid hormones, gold preparations (krizanol, tauredon, auranofin), immunosuppressants, antimalarial drugs.


Gout (gouty arthritis)

Occurs from improper metabolism. Due to abuse of alcohol, “purine” foods (meat, smoked foods, pickles).

Uric acid formed in the blood settles in the joints in the form of sodium urate crystals. Growing “deposits” gradually affect the mobility of the joint, and severe attacks pain, the time interval between attacks is gradually reduced.

Vascular pain in the knees is characterized by pulling sensations along the vein, sometimes patients notice an acute tingling sensation.

Only a doctor, after a detailed examination, can tell why the knee hurts if there is no obvious injury. It is unwise to rub the knee joint with a product that “helped the neighbor.” After all, what helps the healing of a joint injury can provoke an exacerbation during autoimmune mechanism diseases.

Treatment for knee pain

The doctor selects a treatment regimen depending on the diagnosis.

Therapeutic measures are aimed at combating:

  • with the cause of the disease- infection, tumor, abnormal metabolic processes, immune system failure.
  • with pain syndrome - symptomatic treatment includes painkillers, intra-articular blockades.
  • with degenerative processes- drugs with chondroprotectors help restore cartilage tissue of the joint.

If necessary, they resort to surgery, endoprosthetics, physiotherapy and therapeutic exercises for joints.

Pain Relief Products

A list of activities for those who have knee pain - what to do to alleviate the condition.

Cause of painWhat to do
Pain clearly due to injuryKeep the joint and limb immobilized with ice or a cold compress on the knee. Contact your doctor immediately.
Pain due to arthritis (reactive, rheumatoid, etc.)Specific treatment with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory drugs is prescribed only by a doctor. For night pain, you can apply a warming compress or ointments based on bee venom.
Pain due to arthrosis (post-traumatic, age-related, in overweight people) after exercise or at nightAny warming compresses with herbal tincture, rubbing ointments with chondroprotectors.

Severe joint pain is relieved with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

But most patients (overweight people, age-related changes joints) you wouldn’t have to think about what to do with pain if they followed preventive minimum:

  1. Proper nutrition with sufficient amounts of calcium, vitamins, fighting excess weight;
  2. Reducing heavy loads on the joint until changing work, if it consists of “standing on your feet” all day;
  3. Systematic classes physical therapy for strengthening muscles and ligaments - good muscle corset reduces stress on bones;

Joint diseases can take years to develop and lead to a significant deterioration in quality of life. Timely consultation with a doctor and an arsenal of folk remedies will help maintain the joy of movement until old age.

Video - what do doctors say?

Treatment of joints at home - folk recipes

Homemade recipes for ointments and compresses based on natural ingredients are used in courses - this is the only way to achieve lasting results.

7 simple folk remedies for knee pain:


It is advisable to use treatment at home with folk remedies regularly, combined with traditional medicine And modern methods. You should not wait until the disease has already become firmly established and manifests itself with severe pain and joint deformation. Early contact with a doctor will speed up recovery, while curing the chronic form of the disease is more difficult.

Note: treatment with folk remedies is permissible only with the approval of a doctor, after examination and diagnosis.

Many people experience discomfort in their knee joints, but some people are bothered by this problem too often, so they wonder whether how to get rid of aching pain in the knees and what to do to prevent it from coming back.

The knee joint has complex structure, since it is formed from several bones: femoral, tibial and patella. The menisci located between the bones serve as a kind of shock absorbers. They prevent bones from rubbing against each other and ensure joint integrity is maintained during physical activity.

In addition to bones, the joint includes muscles and tendons located on the side of the thigh and lower leg.

Damage to any element of the knee joint can lead to pain, the localization of which is difficult to determine. However, any discomfort in the knee is alarm signal and requires immediate contact with a specialist.

Dystrophic changes in joints

The lifestyle of most people does not allow them to pay due attention to the issues of nutritious and proper nutrition. Snacks on the go and consumption harmful products negatively affect the functioning of all body systems and disrupt normal metabolism in the joints.

Besides this, the disadvantage nutrients affects the condition of the cartilage tissue that protects the joint from excessive friction and subsequent destruction.

When cartilage tissue undergoes degeneration, the supply of synovial fluid to the joints is reduced, which serves as a “lubricant” that protects the articular surfaces of the bone from friction during movement, and they are injured when they come into contact with each other.

An optimal diet (4-5 times a day) will saturate the blood useful substances continuously, then all organs and systems will receive the components necessary for full functioning on time.

Causes of aching knee pain

There may be several reasons why your knees ache, and they can hurt not only during physical activity, but also at rest or at night. In this case, the joints need immediate treatment, but to answer the question of why my knees constantly hurt, only a doctor can.

Joint pain may indicate serious illnesses, therefore, in this case, it is extremely undesirable to limit yourself to taking painkillers. To decide on treatment tactics, you should first find the cause of the pain. Let's look at each of them.

Inflammation

One of the reasons is the inflammatory process in the joint. It can be a consequence of certain diseases:

  • Bursitis. This disease is characterized by inflammation of the joint capsule (bursa), which protects the joint from mechanical damage and infections. In this case, redness and swelling of the limb are noted.
  • Arthritis. This pathology often is the first stage of the development of polyarthritis, affecting several groups of joints. Symptoms of this disease may include the following: redness and swelling, increased pain at night and when the weather changes.
  • Tendinitis. In this case, inflammation of the tendons and ligaments occurs. As a result, the leg swells and appears or runs. The pain may radiate to the thigh or lower leg.
  • Becker's cyst. Inflammation forms on the back of the lower leg, just below the popliteal fossa. It causes pain during movement, and it intensifies when bending the leg.

ATTENTION! Inflammation of the knee joint may be a consequence the following diseases: gonorrhea, syphilis, tuberculosis, Reiter's disease, coccidioidomycosis.

Inflammation can occur not only due to disease. Other causes of the inflammatory process may be:

  • insect bites and allergic reaction on them;
  • hypothermia;
  • prolonged kneeling or other overload.

Degenerative diseases

Degenerative diseases are characterized by constant, ongoing deterioration of the structure of the affected tissues and organs. Most often, degenerative processes originate in the tissues that form the joints: articular cartilage, ligaments, areas of bone tissue in contact with the fibers of the ligaments.

Symptoms of the disease develop gradually, at first the knee joints just sometimes ache, but over time the pain and discomfort will only intensify, disrupting night sleep and worsening at rest. The aching pain soon becomes constant, not letting up day or night, as the disease begins to affect more and more connective tissues.

Arthrosis

The cause of constant aching pain in the knee at rest and at night may lie in arthrosis. With arthrosis, the joints begin to hurt severely, as the synovial membrane and articular cartilage are destroyed.

The main symptoms of this disease are as follows:

  • aching pain and;
  • fatigue;
  • on late stages- their complete immobilization is possible.

The result of the disease can be displacement and deformation of the kneecap.

Deforming osteoarthritis

This joint disease manifests itself by changes in tissue structure and the formation of bone growths.

The causes and features of the course of the disease still remain poorly understood.

The only known factors under the influence of which deforming osteoarthritis can develop are:

  • heredity;
  • hormonal changes;
  • circulatory or metabolic disorders;
  • entry of proteoglycans into joints.

At the initial stage, the disease is asymptomatic, since it affects cartilage, which has neither blood vessels nor nerve endings.

Osgood-Schlatter pathology

This disease is one of the subtypes of osteochondrosis. It is very dangerous and can lead to complete loss of leg mobility, since it affects not only the knee, but also the entire tibia.

Its first symptom is. Pain may increase with physical activity and after them.

Injuries

Very often the reason painful sensation in the knee lies in its damage. Injury can be caused by falling or hitting hard object or just an unfortunate bend of the leg.

Discomfort increases with physical activity, the knee hurts at rest and at night, preventing you from sleeping peacefully.

Aching pain in the knee indicates a dislocated patella when, during sports, the leg bends or twists unnaturally, or when cartilage or bone tissue is detached due to an impact.

If you receive a knee injury, damage to the nerve endings and blood vessels is possible, then the aching pain will be accompanied by tingling in the joint area and numbness. In this case, the skin first turns red, and then appears blue.


ATTENTION! The result of injury may be post-traumatic arthritis, which can manifest itself after a significant period of time after injury.

Therapy

If the night's state of rest is disturbed by constant aching pain in the knee due to aching knee joints, then you can take a painkiller to fall asleep, but in the morning you should definitely see a doctor. In no case should you self-medicate; it is better to contact a specialist who will determine the source of pain and select suitable methods treatment.

Conservative methods

At the initial stage of joint disease or in case of minor injury, they will help to cope with aching pain. conservative methods treatments, including:

  • compliance with bed rest followed by gradual activation of the limb;
  • using crutches or a cane when walking;
  • wearing soft, comfortable shoes, using orthopedic insoles;
  • overlay pressure bandage or wearing a bandage;
  • use of hot compresses.

Your doctor can advise and drug treatment and assign:

  • anti-inflammatory, chondroprector, painkillers;
  • applying a special ointment, gel or cream to the sore knee; they may also be anti-inflammatory, warming or analgesic;
  • injections.

If your knee aches for a long time, it is additionally recommended to undergo a course of physical therapy:

  • laser treatment;
  • magnetic therapy;
  • treatment with mineral waters;
  • mud baths.

Surgical treatment

Severe diseases (purulent arthritis in the acute phase, gonarthrosis of the last stages, severe damage to the knees due to syphilis and tuberculosis) cannot be treated with conservative measures, so in such situations they resort to surgical intervention.

Surgical intervention is considered a radical measure and is prescribed only in extreme cases.

The operation can be carried out in several ways:

  1. Arthroscopy. This operation allows you to remove the destroyed elements of the joints through 2-3 small incisions. It will not be possible to solve global problems with its help, so if the joint is severely damaged, doctors resort to more serious surgical interventions.
  2. Partial replacement of joint elements. During this operation, the damaged elements of the joint are replaced with prostheses.
  3. Total joint replacement. If the joint and adjacent bones are damaged, the entire knee joint is replaced with a prosthesis.

After any of the described operations, the patient is recommended to wear a tight pressure bandage.

IMPORTANT! If the cause of joint damage is rheumatoid or gouty arthritis or osteoarthritis, then surgery is not the end point in treating the joint: the patient must take preventive measures throughout his life so that the disease does not return.

Traditional methods

Painful sensations can be eliminated using traditional methods, but before using them you should consult your doctor.

Compresses

Compresses will help relieve aching pain and prevent its recurrence. The ingredients for their manufacture are available to everyone.

  1. Compress from yellow clay. Clay should be diluted warm water until the consistency of thick sour cream is obtained. Apply the mixture to your knee before going to bed, wrap it with film, and tie a woolen scarf on top. Keep it on all night. The course of treatment is one week.
  2. Herbal compress. Mix chestnuts, dandelions and lilacs. Fill hot water and leave for two weeks. A gauze bandage soaked in the infusion should also be applied to the affected area at night.
  3. Mustard compress. Mix a tablespoon of mustard and vegetable oil, heat in a water bath and apply to the knee, cover with a cloth on top.

Rubbing

Knee pain intensifies at night and at rest, causing severe discomfort. Take off acute attack rubs that can be prepared at home will help relieve pain.

  1. Rubbing based on alcohol and potato sprouts. Pour a handful of potato sprouts with vodka (500 ml). Infuse for three weeks.
  2. Rubbing of vodka and burdock. Squeeze the juice from crushed burdock leaves and mix it with vodka in a 1:1 ratio.

Ointments

If your knee aches at rest, the pain can be relieved by applying a warming ointment to the sore area. Homemade ointments can also be applied for preventive purposes.

  1. Juice-based ointment black radish. Mix 100 g of vodka and honey, add 20 g of salt, pour the resulting mixture with black radish juice (200 g). Rub into the inflamed joint until completely absorbed.
  2. Herbal ointment. Mix a tablespoon of St. John's wort and yarrow, add the same amount of Vaseline, melted in a water bath. You need to rub your knees with the resulting product before going to bed.

Therapeutic gymnastics

Knee pain will help overcome a course of exercise therapy.

  • Gymnastics can be done only if the patient is able to confidently stand on the sore leg without experiencing acute pain.
  • Exercise therapy involves performing exercises smoothly; fast and sudden movements are not allowed.
  • The patient should not experience pain or discomfort; if they occur, the exercises are replaced with simpler ones.
  • The load on the joint increases gradually.

Exercises allowed for joint pain can be as follows:

  • alternately pulling the knees to the stomach in a lying and sitting position;
  • flexion and extension of limbs;
  • moving the legs to the sides;
  • alternate half turns.

Attention! Knee pain is often caused by us ourselves, by being careless about our own health and forgetting about disease prevention and banal safety precautions.

To prevent joint disease or to prevent them from coming back again and again just try to follow the simple rules of VKontakte

The knee is a complex and one of the most mobile and loaded joints human body, so it is not surprising that the knee mechanism breaks down one day. The knee begins to give the first signals in the form of short-term arthralgia - quickly passing pain: such symptoms are familiar to many people from a young age. But in old age, knee pain ceases to be a small, harmless nuisance: it becomes difficult to walk, go up and down stairs, and gait becomes like rearranging the legs of a compass. Surely everyone has seen such people.

Therefore, if your knee hurts, you need to think about it from a young age.

How exactly your knee hurts is important

All knee pain can be roughly divided according to its duration, intensity, nature and causes.

Depending on their duration, they can be divided into three categories:

  • short-term, passing in a few days;
  • long-term (can last three months or more);
  • chronic (lasting constantly, with short shortening intervals of remission).

According to the intensity of pain, they are divided into weak, moderate, strong, and intense.

By character:

  • pulling, aching;
  • sharp sudden;
  • shooting;
  • pulsating, etc.

The intensity and color of pain is extremely important for diagnosis, since pain analysis allows us to suspect the presence of not only a certain pathology, but also to determine the areas affected by it and the stage of development.

Short-term pain

Which person hasn't had knee pain from time to time? Short-term pain may result from:

  • physical activity;
  • sudden amplitude movements reaching critical points of joint limitation;
  • prolonged immobile position (sitting, squatting, kneeling);
  • walking in high heels;

Such pain is the result of a muscle or tendon strain, and usually goes away without treatment, or with the help of simple procedures: massage, kneading actions, gymnastics. Sometimes just lying down is enough to relieve the stress on your knee.

When it hurts seriously

  1. Acute, sudden pain in the knee that does not go away for several hours is a signal to immediately consult a doctor, as it may be associated with injury.
  2. Long-lasting pain in the knee joint, not associated with a previous injury, indicates: degenerative-dystrophic or inflammatory (possibly infectious, autoimmune, reactive) processes occurring in the joint or in its ligaments, tendons and bursae; the formation of microtraumas in the meniscus or ligaments under the influence of fatigue stress, which often occurs in athletes.
  3. Chronic, almost constant pain, usually combined with a limited range of motion, when the knee cannot be bent 90 degrees, are signs of advanced arthropathy.

33 Most Important Causes of Knee Pain

If your knees hurt, the reasons can be very serious.

Pain may result from:

  • traumatic or pre-traumatic condition of the knee;
  • a consequence of hidden processes: gonarthrosis and periarthrosis;
  • atritis and periarthritis;
  • osteopathy and osteochondropathy.

Behind each name is a number of diseases with their own specifics. Let's look at the most common causes of knee pain.

Knee injuries

Injuries (dislocation, fracture, torn meniscus, sprained/torn ligaments, etc.) are one of the most common problems in sports, as well as in childhood/adolescence.


Meniscus tear

Meniscopathy when ruptured manifests itself:

  • sudden sharp pain;
  • joint blockade;
  • pain when pressing on the groove between the tibia and the kneecap;
  • swelling, sometimes aggravated by hemarthrosis (bleeding into the joint capsule).

The torn one must be removed, since its flap, when moving, rubs against the cartilage tissue of the joint and gradually destroys it. This process is called chondromalacia.

Ligament rupture is accompanied by:

  • pain and swelling;
  • a characteristic crack from a torn ligament;
  • knee stability problems;
  • with an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament, the lower leg moves forward;
  • in case of injury to the posterior cruciate ligament - backwards.

A triad injury is possible with simultaneous rupture of both ligaments and the medial meniscus with aggravated symptoms: pain, blockage and instability.

Gonarthrosis

In second place in terms of prevalence is degenerative-dystrophic disease (), which gradually mutilates and deforms the joint.


Initial symptoms:

  • mild pain in the knees after exercise;
  • after a long period of absence of movement, especially in a sitting position, the knee joints become stiff and they have to be “walked”;
  • when periarthrosis begins, the first manifestations of synovitis are possible: the knee swells evenly due to the synovial fluid accumulating inside the joint capsule.

In the future, with the progression of gonarthrosis, the following is observed:

  • increased pain, morning stiffness;
  • when moving, a dull crunching sound appears;
  • the knee is deformed with thickening of the subchondral bone;
  • due to the narrowing of the interarticular space, the free movement of the knee and the elevation angle are increasingly limited;
  • synovitis becomes frequent and more pronounced, and can lead to a Baker's cyst - an accumulation of fluid in the posterior popliteal region

Late arthrosis of the knee can be determined by:

  • for unrelenting night pain; lameness;
  • axial deformation of the thigh and lower leg (X-shaped legs);
  • tuberous surface of the knee due to replacement of cartilage with calcium deposits;
  • ossification of ligaments;
  • myopathies.

Arthritis of the knee joint

Arthrosis is more often an age-related disease, but if the knee joints hurt in youth and childhood, then arthritis may be the cause.

Arthritis - systemic disease, affecting not only the joints, but the entire body.

The main differences between arthritis and arthrosis are:

  • Painful attacks at night/morning that go away with the onset of movement (with arthrosis, pain, on the contrary, intensifies with movement).
  • Aching nature of the pain.
  • Temperature rises to 38 - 40˚.
  • The skin surface over the joint may be swollen, red, and hot to the touch.

General poor health is caused by intoxication due to inflammatory infections that are the cause of arthritis.


Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is the most threatening form of arthritis, affecting the cardiovascular, nervous, urinary systems, hematopoietic organs, vision, etc.

It destroys joints symmetrically and multiple times, turning into polyarthritis. The joints of the knees are less commonly affected than the small joints of the hands and feet, where rheumatoid arthritis usually begins. Get sick more often rheumatoid arthritis in youth and young years. The disease is accompanied by a number of syndromes (Still, Felty, pseudoseptic, allergic), manifested in increased leukocytes, ESR, fever, rash, enlarged spleen, etc.

Reactive arthritis

Reactive arthritis causes unilateral damage and is rapid in nature, quickly starting and ending in one joint and literally flying to another. Joint symptoms (pain, swelling, redness of the skin) appear late, after recovery from an infectious disease (flu, chickenpox, rubella, etc.) occurs.

Infectious arthritis

It is characterized by a violent onset, fever and deterioration of well-being caused by general intoxication. It is provoked by staphylococcal and streptococcal infections, as well as gonococci, meningococci, and gram-negative intestinal bacteria. Acute pain in the joints, accompanied by high temperature, gives to other areas. In children, an infectious-allergic form is most often observed with skin rashes, conjunctivitis, and Quincke's edema.

Gout

Gout rarely affects the knee, usually concentrated in the feet. It begins suddenly with very intense pain, often at night. The skin over the joint turns red, and soon tophi form on it - protruding formations consisting of urate salts. The cause of gout lies in the increased content of uric acid in the blood - this is due to impaired metabolism.

Psoriatic arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis manifests itself as severely swollen joints, thickened bones, and the appearance of characteristic white, itchy, scaly patches on the skin of the body and scalp. It is less common in the knee joints than in the arm joints.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is an inflammatory process caused by arthrosis, so it combines the symptoms of both diseases: pain with movement and rest, swelling and redness, deformation, crunching, periarthritis, etc. It develops slowly, joining already existing arthrosis.

Traumatic arthritis

Traumatic arthritis has a hidden course: sometimes it manifests itself years after the injury. The main sign of post-traumatic injuries: constant aching pain at the site of injury; crunching, swelling of the joint.

Inflammation of the periarticular tissues of the knee joint

The knees hurt not so much because of the deformation of the joint, but because of the inflammation of its soft tissues (muscles, membranes, ligaments, tendons). It is periarthritis that causes swelling.

Synovitis

The most common cause of swelling in the knee joints is synovitis.

Distinctive signs of synovitis:

  • uniform smooth swelling of the knee;
  • pain when palpating the knee and moving;
  • in acute purulent or purulent-hemorrhagic form (septic synovitis), fever, nausea, and weakness are possible.


Septic synovitis requires urgent puncture with evacuation of liquid contents from the joint cavity.

Baker's cyst

In some cases, synovial fluid collects in the posterior folds of the joint capsule, forming a Baker's cyst in the form of a ball in the popliteal fossa. In this case, the area of ​​the knee behind swells, and when you try to bend it, posterior surface pain occurs. If the pain radiates to neighboring areas and is accompanied by tingling or numbness, this indicates compression by the cyst. peripheral nerve.


The rupture of the cyst is accompanied by sharp intense pain, increased swelling, redness of the skin and high fever. This requires urgent aspiration (puncture).

Tendinitis

Tendinitis is inflammation of the tendons. If your knees hurt after constant training or hard work, then it is quite possible that the tendons are inflamed. The most common sufferer from tendonitis is own link knee pad This disease is not only a sports disease: a good half of people have knee pain not so much from osteoarthropathy as from tendon-ligament inflammation, that is, periarthritis. And the reasons for this are simple:

  • age-related tissue fibrosis with the appearance of pseudocysts;
  • flat feet;
  • dislocation of the knee joint;
  • knee stability problems;
  • myofascial syndrome of the muscles of the posterior surface of the thigh, in which a forced change in the anatomical position of the kneecap occurs.

Knee tendinitis is almost always observed with any injury and often accompanies knee arthrosis.

Signs that your knee hurts due to tendinitis:

  1. Tendinitis in initial stages declares itself dull ache under the kneecap and near the condylar tubercle of the tibia.
  2. At first, pain occurs only after movements or exertion, but then it begins to accompany all movements and becomes more and more intense.
  3. Tension and stiffness arise in the knee, making it more difficult to straighten.

Test for knee tendonitis

The following test allows you to diagnose a partial or complete ligament tear:

  • While sitting or lying down with your knee bent, wrap your arms around it.
  • Try to straighten your knee while resisting with your hands using the PIRM method.

If, when trying to straighten the knee, pain occurs under the kneecap or near the tubercle on the outside of the knee, then this indicates possible inflammation tendons.

Knee bursitis

Bursitis is an inflammation of the tendon bursae that attach the muscles to the bones of the joints.

In contrast to synovitis of the knee, which always manifests itself in the form of evenly distributed swelling around the knee (the exception is Baker's cyst), it produces localized swelling (one or several) in the peri-knee area. The position of the edema corresponds to the topography of the tendon bursa, of which there are a lot in the knee joint: there are ten main ones. If the bursa is deep, the swelling may not be visualized.


Symptoms depend on which bursa is affected.

Osteopathy and osteochondropathy

If degenerative processes affect the kneecap itself, we are talking about chondropathy.

Chondropathy of the patella occurs with constant physical activity, and can also be a consequence of a knee fracture. It is diagnosed by severe pain, a crunch in the knee, and the inability to lean on the affected leg.

Osteopathies (osteoporosis, osteomyelitis) are systemic, difficult-to-treat pathologies.

Osteoporosis mainly affects older people, especially women. Accompanied by aching chronic pain and a continuous decrease in bone density, which can lead to a traumatic knee fracture - this injury ranks second among osteoporotic fractures in old age after a hip fracture.

is a rare infectious bone disease that affects the bone marrow.

It begins acutely with severe pain in the joint area, its swelling, redness of the skin, and temperature up to 40. Then the disease becomes latent and can be practically asymptomatic in the initial stages. In the later stages, purulent abscesses begin with penetration into the surrounding tissues.

Joint pain can also be caused by many diseases; it is impossible to talk about them all in one article. It presents the most common causes of pain in the knee joints.

How to treat knee pain

The causes and treatment of knee joint pain are closely related. It is impossible to give the same scheme for all pathologies.

What to do if your knee suddenly hurts

Do not try to diagnose a sudden problem yourself. sharp pain in the knee. Even if it subsides, you should definitely visit an orthopedist and get a diagnosis. This primarily concerns knee injuries. Only a doctor can decide how to treat the knee joint.

In case of traumatic injury, first aid is provided in the form of immobilization of the knee using a tight bandage or orthosis. Before visiting a doctor, you can apply the bandage yourself at home and relieve any stress on the knee.

If a dislocation occurs, the orthopedist will simply straighten the knee. A fracture of the kneecap, a torn meniscus, or may require surgery, after which the doctor will also immobilize the knee with an orthopedic piece and prescribe a rehabilitation regimen.

If a sharp pain occurs for no reason and is accompanied by general incomprehensible symptoms, the orthopedist should redirect the patient to a rheumatologist.

What to do if your knee hurts all the time

It is necessary to consult a rheumatologist:

  • at constant pain of any nature, not lasting two months or more;
  • emerging motor dysfunctions;
  • the appearance of swelling and redness in the knee area;
  • the appearance of non-articular symptoms (fever, nausea, rash, diseases of the eyes and other organs) accompanying knee pain or appearing after it.

Diagnosis of knee pain

First, a regular x-ray is done.

Based on the results, the doctor may prescribe the following types of research:

  • CT or MRI.
  • Densimetry;
  • Arthroscopy (for synovitis, Baker's cyst, damage to the meniscus and ligaments).


Laboratory diagnostics are carried out:

  • general and biochemical analysis blood with rheumatic factor testing;
  • bacterial analysis (if infectious arthritis is suspected), etc.

Relief of pain in the knee joint

Pain during exacerbation of arthropathy (degenerative-inflammatory process in the knees) is relieved:

  • NSAIDs (diclofenac, nimesil, ketonal, etc.).
  • Post-traumatic pain is treated with novocaine/lidocaine blockade.
  • To reduce spasm of the femoral and tibial muscles, antispasmodics (mydocalm, sirlalud) are prescribed.

Relieving swelling in the knee

  • The formation of effusion in the joint area during synovitis is reduced by injections of glucocorticosteroids (hydrocortisone/dexamethasone).
  • IN emergency fluid is evacuated from the joint (aspiration).
  • Chronic synovitis can be treated with proteolytics (trypsin/lysozyme).

Treatment of infectious and inflammatory processes

In infectious arthritis, differentiated antibacterial therapy taking into account the identified pathogen and selection of the desired antibiotic.

Rheumatoid arthritis requires long-term complex treatment with the help basic drugs(methotrexate/sulfasalazine), immunosuppressants (cyclophosphomide/cyclosporine) and modern means of genetic engineering biology.

It is difficult to cure due to the autoimmune nature of the process.

Non-drug treatment for knee pain

In 50% of cases, knee pain is not associated with serious illness (see above: Short-term pain). For example, tendon strains or mild forms of tendinitis can be treated with knee strengthening exercises.