|
Knee Pain
Hips and Knees – the two joints causing the most problems.
The two major causes of Hip and Knee joint damage and pain are:
• InjuriesÂ
• Arthritis
In many people, these two boil down to normal wear and tear; after years of use, the cartilage lining the hip joint starts to wear away. Causes of Knee Pain: Injury
• Strain or sprain -- minor injuries to the ligaments caused by sudden or unnatural twisting
• Torn cartilage (a meniscus tear) -- pain felt on the inside or outside of the knee joint
• Damage to the Anterior Cruciate Ligament, one of the four major ligaments that keep the knee in place. Strain or tear to this ligament is the most common knee ligament injury, the result of too much lateral rotation.
• Dislocation of the kneecap
• Iliotibial band syndrome -- a hip disorder related to injury of the thick band that runs from your hip to the outside of your knee
• Bleeding into the Knee -- an ACL injury or medial collateral ligament injury may cause bleeding into your knee
Causes of Knee Pain: Inflammation
• Infection in the joint
• Tendonitis -- a pain in the front of your knee that gets worse when going up and down stairs or inclines – inflammation of the tendon
• Bursitis – inflammation from repeated pressure, overuse or injury.
• Arthritis -- including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and gout
Causes of Knee Pain: Other Disease
• Baker's cyst -- a fluid-filled swelling behind the knee that may accompany inflammation from other causes, like arthritis
• Connective tissue disorders such as lupus
• Bone tumors
• Osgood-Schlatter disease Referred Knee Pain: Pain is felt at another location rather than the site of the injury. Knee pain has been known to come from ankle, foot, hip joint or lumbar spine problems.
See your doctor for an accurate diagnosis! Routine Tests for Knee Treatment :
• Joint fluid culture (fluid taken from the knee and examined under a microscope)
• X-ray of the knee
• MRI of the knee if a ligament or meniscus tear is suspected
Your health care provider may prescribe nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that are stronger than those available over-the-counter. If those don't help, your doctor may inject a steroid to reduce pain and inflammation.
Referrals to a physical therapist (to learn stretching and strengthening exercises) and podiatrist (to be fitted for orthotics) may be necessary. These help prevent repeated problems.
Recovery from ligament and meniscus problems is slow. Crutches and extended physical therapy may be needed. When is surgery considered?
In some cases, surgery is needed. For example, if arthritis is severe, a joint replacement may be recommended, when knee pain or immobility seriously impairs the quality of life.
Minor ligament strain will heal with home care and torn ligaments may recover with use of a knee brace. However, for significant tears or ruptures, as well as a torn meniscus, arthroscopic knee surgery is often needed. Only follow your licensed physician’s instructions at all times! If you or a loved one have had a knee replacement of any kind and suffered injury from malfunction of the device or other complications, we would like to speak with you. Please fill out a form on this website or call us at 1-888-446-8087.Â
We thank wikipedia for some of the research material found in this article.
|
