The knee joint is one of the most complex joints in the human body.Systematic loads cause dull, aching or sharp joint pain in every person at least once in their life, sometimes unbearable.This can occur with walking and knee movement, and can also be a constant concern.The nature of pain in the knee joint and the sources of its occurrence are very diverse.
Structure of the knee joint
As the most important joint element in the human body, the knee joint is constantly subject to sports injuries.Bones, cartilages, tendons, ligaments, menisci and periarticular capsules – if these parts are injured, they will definitely create knee pain.
The composition of the bones of the knee joint includes:
- tibia (tibia).This is the main weight-bearing bone connected to the lower part of the femur;
- the femur (femur), which is the longest and strongest bone and is connected to the kneecap and tibia;
- the kneecap, located at the bottom of the thigh.Together with the femur, it forms the patellofemoral joint.
The junction of the femoral notch and patella contains cartilage, which allows these bones to maintain a healthy state of motion relative to each other, eliminating friction and pain in the knee.
The muscles of the knee joint include the muscles of the back of the thigh and the quadriceps muscle:
- The group of muscles of the posterior femoral surface is made up of four heads located in its anterior part.These are the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis and vastus intermedius.They are attached to the joint by tendons.By contracting the quadriceps muscle, the lower leg is extended and the leg is straightened.
- The posterior femoral muscle group is made up of three muscles whose contraction contributes to flexion of the lower leg.These are the biceps, semimembranosus and semitendinosus muscles.
There are two main types of cartilage in the knee joint:
- Hyaline cartilage promotes less friction because it is strong and flexible.
- The medial and lateral menisci are cartilaginous structures that act as “airbags” to provide cushioning between the bones in contact.
The knee joint includes ligaments in the form of fibers made of connective tissue.
Ligaments connect the bones together:
- The tibia and femur are connected by the anterior cruciate ligament.This helps prevent the tibia from moving forward in relation to the femur.
- The role of the posterior cruciate ligament is to prevent posterior movement of the tibia relative to the femur.
- On the outside of the knee is the external collateral ligament.It connects the fibula and femur and helps limit force and stabilize the knee joint.
- The lower inner border of the femur is connected to the upper inner border of the tibia by the internal collateral ligament, which stabilizes the joint and prevents unwanted movement.
Tendons attach muscles to bones.
Tendons are divided into the following types:
- At the back of the knee joint are the tendons of the hamstring muscles.
- The quadriceps tendons are attached to the top of the cup.
- The lower region of the kneecap is attached to the top of the shinbone by the hamstring tendon.
The nature of the pain depending on the location
Pathological changes in the joint directly depend on the location of the pain.Pain, as an indicator, signals discomfort and changes in the joint.
Namely:
- with arthritis, acute bursitis, meniscal rupture, excruciating and severe pain occur;
- with initial bursitis and synovitis - tolerable but constant pain;
- gonarthrosis and osteoarthritis are accompanied by pinching pain;
- with degenerative osteoarthritis with deformation of the joints - vibrating pain;
- in cases of bone tuberculosis and sciatic nerve damage, the pain is acute;
- injuries to the menisci, osteoporosis, inflammation of the synovial bursa are accompanied by burning pain in the knee joint;
- inflammation of the tendons and muscle tissues of the joint causes painful cramps;
- when nerve roots are damaged, shooting pain occurs.
Causes of pain in the knee joint
Medical statistics show that painful knee syndrome is caused by the presence of an inflammatory process in the knee.
The sources can be very different:
- 50% of painful conditions are associated with osteoarthritis, leading to slow destruction of hyaline cartilage.Sometimes the disease is asymptomatic and only worsens in the second stage.Due to the growth of osteophytes and their impact on the nerves of the joint, unpleasant sensations may appear.
- Often a joint can be affected by arthritis, both as an independent disease and as a complication in the form of rheumatism and osteoarthritis.Arthritis is characterized by severe pain, swelling and redness of the knee.
- Pain can occur in osteochondritis, when articular cartilage becomes inflamed as a result of degenerative osteoarthritis or mechanical trauma.
- The result of obesity is often periarthritis, which affects the tendons, muscles and sometimes the lining of the joint.The disease is accompanied by persistent pain.
- With bursitis, inflammation of the synovial capsule occurs due to injury or complications of other diseases of the knee joint.
- With chondromatosis, nodules form in the hyaline cartilage area, which then spread throughout the joint.Soft tissues containing a large number of nerve cells are pinched and pain occurs.
- Pain may appear with cellulite if foci of other concomitant diseases (purulent arthritis, soft tissue abscess) are located near the fatty tissue under the skin.
- In dermatitis, damage to the epidermis results from eczema, erysipelas, allergic reactions and psoriasis.
- Synovitis is characterized by damage to the joint capsule resulting from chronic pathological changes.This disease develops in people over fifty-five years old.At a young age, the disease can occur due to serious injuries.
- The pain is caused by osteomelitis, characterized by bacterial inflammation of the bone marrow.The disease can result from complications during operations or open wounds.
What to do if your knee joint hurts a lot
After identifying the causes of joint pain, it is necessary to begin treatment of the pathology.The most effective treatment is medication, since conservative therapy can help with the appearance of destructive changes in the body.If you do not consult a doctor in time, you will have to resort to surgical intervention.
Often knee pain begins suddenly and a person does not know how to behave in such a situation.If it is not possible to quickly contact a specialist, it is necessary to take urgent measures to relieve pain and swelling.
What activities will contribute to this:
- you must suspend all activity, lie down with a pillow under your knee;
- in case of swelling, you should use cold compresses (ice, cold objects) for 15-20 minutes 4-5 times a day;
- If two days have passed after the treatment procedures and the pain has significantly decreased, you can start exercises to restore flexibility in the joints.A short massage (5-10 minutes) is possible;
- to combat pain after an impact on the knee, you need to loosely wrap it with an elastic bandage (or use a knee brace) to maintain the correctness of the parts of the joint;
- Even if you overcome pain for several weeks after the injury, you should treat the injured limb with caution, move less, and abandon vigorous activity.
To relieve pain in the knee joint, you can carry out conservative treatment.The most common medications recommended by doctors are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the form of gels, ointments and tablets.
Conservative treatment is often supplemented with physiotherapeutic procedures.Manual therapy is very effective, with the help of which you can cure damage to ligaments, meniscus and osteoarthritis in the early stages.
In cases where conservative treatment of the knee joint is impossible, experts recommend surgical intervention.Rupture of ligament, meniscus, fractures - these injuries are restored with the help of serious operations.
Diagnosis
Early diagnosis allows successful treatment of diseases of the knee joint and eliminates the risk of developing serious processes.An initial consultation with a therapist will help determine the direction of the examination and referral to a specialist.
Painful sensations are studied in several directions:
- In surgery.CT, MRI, ultrasound, fluoroscopy, blood test for the presence of rheumatoid factor, puncture of hyaline cartilage of the knee joint are used.
- In traumatology.An examination is organized using x-rays, ultrasound, MRI and a biopsy of the fluid from the synovial bursa.
- In rheumatology.General laboratory tests are carried out in the form of a blood test for the presence of rheumatoid proteins, hematology and uric acid levels.DNA tests are used.
- In psychiatry and neurology.Ultrasound allows you to diagnose pinched muscles and nerves.For so-called somatic pain in patients suffering from mental disorders, a special examination is prescribed to detect the presence of mental illness.
Treatment of knee joint diseases
Folk remedies
You can turn to traditional medicine after an accurate diagnosis and be sure to consult your doctor.It is impossible to completely cure diseases of the knee joint with traditional methods, but traditional medicine helps relieve pain and inflammation and can also serve as maintenance treatment.
Rubbings and ointments are considered effective folk remedies:
- egg yolk ointment.The yolk is crushed with a spoonful of turpentine and a tablespoon of cider vinegar.Helps relieve joint pain and inflammation;
- 300 g of horse chestnut grains are crushed and placed in a bottle of vodka.This mixture is infused for two weeks (the infusion must be shaken alternately).
Used to rub before bed.Knee joints are also treated with compresses.
For this type of treatment, medicinal plants and vegetables are used:
- Rinse 7-8 burdock leaves thoroughly, dry them, fold and squeeze with a bowl of boiling water to release healing phytoncides.Then place the steamed leaves on a knee previously greased with vegetable oil, wrap it in cling film and cover it with gauze or a soft cloth.The compress will keep for several hours.
- Peel the raw potato tubers, grate them on a coarse grater and heat them a little in a water bath.Place the puree in a natural cloth bag.The bag is placed on the knee and left overnight.Processing is carried out within a week.Don't forget to prepare new contents of the bag every day.
- To relieve pain and stop the inflammatory process in the knee, celandine is used.It is necessary to thoroughly soak the linen fabric with the juice of the plant, wrap it around the knee and cover it with a film.The compress should be kept for about 50 minutes, after which the knee should be treated with sunflower oil.The weekly procedure should be carried out three times with breaks of 10 days.
Traditional medicine
Knee joint diseases have many common manifestations in the form of persistent pain, difficulty moving, swelling, deformation and inflammation of the knee.Arthritis, osteoarthritis and bursitis are characterized by inflammatory processes and swelling of the knee joint, often accompanied by an increase in body temperature.
Arthritis and osteoarthritis are treated using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.During treatment, a prerequisite is the normalization of metabolism and the elimination of salts with the help of a number of drugs, as well as the establishment of an optimal acid-base balance.When treating arthritis and osteoarthritis, you must follow the specialist's instructions to achieve lasting positive dynamics.
The treatment of tendinitis and bursitis aims at anti-inflammatory treatment and the creation of a resting position for the affected limb.In order to eliminate pain, a puncture of the joint capsule is performed to remove accumulated fluid and administer antibiotics.In severe cases, surgery is indicated.
Therapeutic measures for dystrophic lesions of the knee joint (meniscopathy, tendinopathy, chondropathy) are aimed at relieving knee pain, treating and restoring healthy joint functions.But even in this case, if there is no therapeutic effect, surgical intervention is prescribed.
Preventive measures
Prevention of diseases of the knee joint helps avoid wear, injury, inflammation, helps maintain their health and protects them from complications.Effectively organized preventive measures help prevent pain and inflammatory processes and prevent the development of the disease.
What measures should be taken to protect against diseases of the knee joint:
- follow safety rules to avoid knee injuries;
- correctly dose physical activity;
- maintain normal body weight;
- observe diet and fluid intake;
- combat any infection in a timely manner;
- contact a specialist in time to treat joint diseases.
If there is a systemic disease that affects the functioning of the knee joint, the most optimal preventive measure will be its timely and adequate treatment.Only in this way can destructive processes in the joint tissues be avoided.With complex therapy of diseases of the knee joint, the use of anti-inflammatory drugs, physiotherapy, therapeutic exercises and other therapeutic and health technologies, as well as following a proper diet and physical activity, it is possible to ensure the proper functioning of the joints and reliably ensure the joy of movement and an active, fulfilling life.