Being physically active helps keep you in good health. It is also beneficial for your knees. However, your knees may get injured while performing physical activity.
Sometimes, your knee pain starts as minor discomfort and gradually progresses to become extremely painful. In other cases, your knee joint pain starts suddenly.
Prominent causes include aging, overuse, injury, arthritis, or some other medical condition. And sprained ligaments and tears, tendonitis, meniscus tears, fractures, dislocations, bursitis, and runner’s knee are some common knee issues. Additionally, old knee injuries that did not heal properly may flare up at any time to cause knee pain.
Knee Injury
Here are some common knee injuries that can result in knee pain:
ACL Injury – The anterior cruciate ligament (one of the four ligaments connecting shinbone to thighbone) gets torn. It’s common among players of basketball, soccer, or other sports.
Fractures – Knee bones getting broken due to falls or accidents. Patients of osteoporosis can sustain fractures even if they trip a little.
Torn Meniscus – Meniscus, the tough rubber-like shock absorber between shinbone and thighbone, can get torn, if the knee gets suddenly twisted while bearing weight.
Knee Bursitis – Bursae are the small fluid sacs that provide cushioning to the outer part of the knee to allow tendons and ligaments move effortlessly over the joint. The bursae may get inflamed due to certain knee injuries.
Patellar Tendinitis – Tendons are thick fibrous tissues that connect muscles to bones, and patellar tendon is the one that runs from the patella (kneecap) to the shinbone. The patellar tendon makes it possible for you to run, kick, and jump. Any injury to the patellar tendon can result in inflammation in one or more tendons. Those in activities like running, skiing, cycling, and jumping sports are vulnerable to patellar tendinitis.
Mechanical Problems
Here are some mechanical problems that can cause knee joint pain:
Loose Body – Sometimes a piece of bone or cartilage may break off and float in the joint space. It may happen due to injury or bone/cartilage degeneration. It may get stuck like a pen in a door hinge and give rise to knee issues.
Iliotibial Band Syndrome – This condition arises when the iliotibial band, a firm band of tissue stretching from the hip to the knee on the outside of the leg, tightens so much that there is friction between this (iliotibial) band and the outer part of the thighbone. It usually affects distance runners and cyclists.
Dislocated Kneecap – When patella (kneecap) drifts from its normal position to the outer part of the knee, you suffer from a dislocated kneecap or patellar dislocation. It may happen due to the knee getting directly hit or twisted, and other reasons.
Hip or Foot Pain – If you change your gait because you have pain in your hip or foot, it may put more stress on your knee joint, causing knee pain.
Different Types of Arthritis
Arthritis is of more than a hundred types. Here are the types that generally affect the knee joint:
Osteoarthritis – The most common arthritis, it occurs due to age and use-related wear-and-tear of the knee joint.
Rheumatoid Arthritis – An autoimmune condition, it is the most crippling arthritis. It can affect any joint, including the knee joint. Despite being a chronic ailment, it may intermittently come and go. Also, severity may vary.
Gout – This arthritis is a result of uric acid crystals building up in the joint. Although it mostly occurs in the big toe, it may also affect the knee.
Pseudogout – As the name suggests, it is mistaken as gout and typically affects the knee joint. The cause is calcium-containing crystals developing in the joint fluid.
Septic Arthritis – This arthritis is caused by the knee joint getting infected. Often accompanied by fever, it leads to a swollen, red, and painful knee. It may result in quick and immense damage to the knee cartilage. This kind of arthritis requires immediate attention of an orthopaedic doctor.
When to See a Doctor?
While some kinds of knee pain may heal with RICE formula (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation), physiotherapy, and orthobiologics (PRP injections, STEM cell therapy, etc.), more severe forms of knee joint pain may require knee replacement surgery.
You should immediately seek medical attention if you notice any of the following symptoms in your knee(s):
- You feel your knees are unstable and cannot bear your body weight
- There is excessive knee swelling
- Inability to bend or stretch your knees properly
- Sudden fever accompanied by pain, redness, and swelling in the knees
- There is a knee injury accompanied by severe pain
Sohana Hospital, the most trusted healthcare institution in North India, has par-excellence doctors, the latest knee treatments, and world-class infrastructure. Dr. Gagandeep Singh Sachdeva, for one, is a most reputed knee doctor in Chandigarh who has been treating a variety of knee patients for more than 25 years and transforming lives each day at Sohana Hospital. Have knee pain? Get in touch with Sohana Hospital and take the first step to pain-free knees.
