How is knee pain characterized?
Knee pain is a common symptom that affects people of all ages and one of the major joint problems that results in seeking medical treatment.
Also known as gonalgia, knee pain is referred to as localized pain, which can be chronic and occurs when walking, running, going up or down stairs, cycling, playing ball or simply at rest.
Knee pain can be related to any of the structures that surround or are part of this joint, such as the bones, ligaments, tendons, cartilage, menisci or synovial pouches.
Is knee pain always associated with an injury?
No. Knee pain often does not present evident joint injuries and is caused by joint overload, inadequate movements, insufficient muscle strength, or even inadequate rehabilitation.
What are the main causes of knee pain?
There are several causes for this problem and they can present themselves alone or together. The causes are highlighted by:
- Joint overload: e.g. due to excess weight
- Inflammation: can be caused after trauma, tendon injuries (tendonitis)
- Traumatic: resulting from an injury from a fall, hit, physical exercise, or overuse
- non-traumatic or degenerative: when resulting from rheumatic or systemic diseases such as osteoarthritis or autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and lupus; infectious, neoplastic< /> insufficient recovery from previous injuries: for example, after surgery when rehabilitation is not adequate and/or sufficient
Can knee pain be classified according to its duration?
yes. Knee pain can be classified as:
- Acute disease, usually lasting less than 6 weeks, in most cases is the result of trauma and musculoskeletal origin
- chronic, lasting more than 6 weeks, it can be due to degenerative changes in the cartilage of the knee, osteoarthritis or the presence of a disease, among others
What are the risk factors for developing knee pain?
The main risk factors that can lead to the development of knee pain are:
- Physical activities with a lot of impact on the knee
- Increasing age
- Constantly lifting weights, climbing stairs, kneeling or standing for a long time
- Previous injuries
- overweight or obese
Which group of people is most at risk of being affected by this type of pain?
Knee pain is a common problem and can affect people of all ages, although it is more frequent in older people, largely due to degenerative causes, and in young individuals, largely due to traumatic injuries.
What are the symptoms associated with knee pain?
The location and severity of the pain depend on the cause, but pain is the main sign that something is wrong in the knee, and it can be accompanied by:
- swelling and stiffness
- warmth and redness
- anthill
- Knee "popping"
- knee instability
- Limitation of movements
How is knee pain diagnosed?
The diagnosis of knee pain is made based on:
- Patient's medical history
- Physical examination that includes various maneuvers/tests to assess the integrity of the knee structures
- imaging tests, such as X-ray, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging
- laboratory tests, if infection, gout or other systemic diseases are suspected
What is the treatment for knee pain?
Treatment of knee pain depends on the cause behind the pain, and each case should be evaluated individually. In general, we can say that the treatment of knee pain is based on:
- taking medication or applying ointment, such as anti-inflammatories for pain relief (do not self-medicate, consult your treating doctor)
- physical therapy, to reduce inflammation and pain surgery
- , when conservative treatment does not bring pain relief, surgery may be the solution
- Guidelines for the practice of exercises and changes in habits such as weight loss (when in excess)
Is it possible to prevent knee pain?
Some general steps can be taken that can help prevent the onset of knee pain:
- Reduce your weight (if in excess) to avoid overloading
- Do a good warm-up before starting sports training and always finish with stretching
- Dose the intensity of your sports practice
- Wear appropriate footwear for your type of activity