Knee Pain – Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention
Anyone can develop knee pain, regardless of age. Different factors may be responsible for knee pain, such as injury, ruptured ligament, or torn cartilage. On the other hand, other mechanical conditions may cause the knee to be painful.
Fortunately, self-care measures help to solve the problem of most knee pain. One of these includes physical therapy. Bracing the knee can also provide relief for knee pain. However, if the pain persists, there may be a need for surgical operations in rare cases.
Causes
Injuries: injuring the knee can affect the ligaments, bursae, or even tendons surrounding the knee joints. This includes bones and cartilage that make up the knee. Some of these injuries include:
- ACL injury that tears the anterior cruciate ligament. This injury is common to basketball players, footballers, or other sports that demands that an individual switches direction suddenly
- The fracturing of the bones as a result of a sudden fall
- Torn meniscus
- Knee bursitis
- Patellar tendinitis
Mechanical problems can result in knee pain including;
- ITBS: Known as Iliotibial band syndrome, this is a common cause of knee pain and happens when a tough tissue band that extends from the outer part of the knee becomes tight, rubbing against the thighbone’s outer part. Cyclists, runners, and other sports relating to this can experience this problem.
- Dislocation: This happens when there is slipping of the triangular bone covering the frontal part of the knee. When this happens, dislocation comes next and will result in knee pain.
- Foot or hip pain: You may need to change how you walk if you have foot or hip pain. Seeking a physical therapist to determine the best way to work can save you from causing further stress to your knees, resulting in knee pain.
Risk factors
The chances of an individual developing knee pain can increase if;
- You have excessive weight: Obesity can increase the stress on the knee joints even when you need to take a walk or come down from the stairs. The chances of osteoarthritis also increase as a result of a breakdown of joint cartilage.
- You have previously injured your leg: There are chances of developing knee pain due to a past injury to the leg.
- Inflexibility: If you lack flexibility or strength, you may be more likely to develop knee pain. Protection and stabilising of the muscles are easier when you have strong muscles. It is also easier to have a full range of motion when you have the flexibility of muscles.
- You engage in certain sporting activities or occupations that expose your knees to stress. Jobs that require repetition of stress on the knees, such as construction works or farming, put you at higher risk of developing knee pain.
Symptoms
Depending on the cause of the problem, pain location and severity may differ in people. However, certain symptoms are associated with knee pain. Some of them include:
- Knee becomes weak
- The knee can be unstable
- Crunching or popping noise
- Difficulty in knee straightening
- Knee swells up
- Stiffness of the knee
Seeing a physiotherapist
Having tried every available means but without improvement, it is best to see a physical therapist if
- Flexing or full extension of the knee is difficult
- You have knee pain severity connected to an injury
- Your leg is deformed
- You have marked knee swelling
- It isn’t easy bearing weight on your knee
Prevention
It is almost impossible to prevent knee pain. However, a few suggestions may help keep the knee healthy while warding off injuries and joint degrading.
Take regular breaks if your work demands you to put a lot of work on your knee
Regular massages of the knee can help prevent pain
Build a good walking step
Weight loss
Avoid heels if you are heavy
We are always happy to help and discuss how to reduce and prevent physical pain. Click herehttps://reachphysiotherapy.com//services/ to find out more.
References
* Contact Reach Physiotherapy for a list of references used for this blog content.
