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Knee pain can be caused by injury, overuse, medical conditions or age. Some knee pain can be treated at home with over-the-counter medications or ice. More serious joint conditions may need more intensive medication or even surgery. Here’s what you should know about knee pain and what you can do about it.
Find out whether it’s time to talk to a medical professional about your hip or knee pain.
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Clearly describing knee pain or knee issues to your health care team is an important tool in helping you feel better. Knee pain can originate in one place and be felt in another. (This is called referred pain.) It may be in the front, back or side of the joint. It may feel sharp and stabbing or dull and achy. Being able to identify where the pain is and what it feels like will help your provider effectively treat your knee pain.
Knee pain can affect your quality of life. Understanding the cause of your pain will help you get the best treatment for your condition.
The knee is made of skin, bones and muscles. Ligaments and tendons connect the bones to muscles and other bones. The meniscus is a cushion of cartilage in the joint that protects the knee. The bursae are fluid-filled pads that also cushion the joint. Damage to any of these parts of the knee can cause knee pain.
This type of pain comes from damage to the parts of the knee. These can include:
Some medical conditions cause inflammation and pain in the soft tissues in the knee. These include:
Repeating movements the same way many times can put stress on the bones, joints and muscles. The movement may be related to your job, exercise or how your body naturally moves. This can cause such injuries as a stress fracture, which is a tiny crack in the bone, or conditions such as runner’s knee, which is called that because it is common in people who run or play sports that involve running and jumping.
Double knee replacement requires two surgeons working simultaneously with two surgical assistants.
ACL injury – The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) connects your thighbone (femur) to your shinbone (tibia) and runs under your kneecap (patella). A sprain or tear is most common during activities involving sudden starts and stops or sudden changes in direction. It’s very common in activities such as basketball, football and soccer, but can affect nonathletes as well.
MCL injury – The MCL connects the bottom of your thighbone to the inside of your upper shinbone (tibia) and helps keep it in place. Stress on the outside of the knee can put sudden and intense pressure, stretching the ligament.
The result can be a sprain, partial tear or complete tear of the ligament. The same event that injures the MCL often injures the ACL as well.
PCL injury – The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) runs down the back of the knee. The PCL is larger and stronger than the ACL and isn’t injured as frequently, but still can be sprained or torn. Bending your knee backward, dislocation, a hard hit to the front of the knee or a bad landing after a jump are typical causes of a PCL tear.
Meniscus tear – The menisci are wedge-shaped rubbery discs that fit between the bottom of your thigh bone and the top of your shin, providing cushioning and stability to the knee. A meniscus can tear due to an injury or degeneration over time. Pivoting or cutting while running can cause a meniscus to tear. So can intense contact. In a degenerated meniscus, tears can result from less challenging, everyday activities.
Sometimes a torn meniscus doesn’t cause much difficulty right away. But after a few days, the knee can become stiff, swollen and painful. Sometimes the knee seems to “give out.”
The kneecap (patella) is a round bone embedded on a tendon and helps protect the knee joint. Ligaments attach it to the thigh muscles and the shinbone. Patella fractures can range from hairline cracks to shattering into three or more pieces. Patella fractures are capable of piercing the skin.
Falls, auto accidents and impact with ball or stick while playing sports are some of the causes of a patella fracture.
Septic arthritis occurs when the joint fluid and surrounding tissue are infected. Septic arthritis can be caused by bacteria, fungi or viruses.
Systemic chronic diseases such as lupus and fibromyalgia also can cause joint pain in the knee.
Mild to moderate knee pain often can be treated at home. Pain due to inflammation, arthritis or minor injury often will resolve without medical help. Home remedies can improve your comfort levels and help you manage symptoms.
If pain is moderate to severe, however, or if symptoms persist or get worse, you may need to seek medical attention for a full assessment.
A strain or sprain can be soothed with the RICE method:
You may find relief in alternating cold and heat therapy. A heating pad can help relieve pain, while cold treatment can help reduce inflammation.
Over-the-counter medicines such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) also can relieve pain.
You can treat many causes of knee pain at home, but some will need medical attention, especially if your symptoms aren’t responding to home treatments.
Contact your health care provider if you notice any of the following:
Seek treatment if you can’t walk or your knee feels unsteady, if you have severe swelling, bruising or redness, or if you have had a recent injury to the knee area.
The first step in diagnosing a knee condition is a physical exam and a health history. You will be asked questions about your current medical conditions, family health history and more. You may have blood taken to check for inflammation.
Although a thorough physical examination can help your health care provider understand your condition, sometimes more information is needed. There are several other types of tests your doctor may give you to help figure out what is going on. Those tests include:
Sometimes, an even more detailed look at what’s happening in the knee joint may be necessary. Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgery that uses a tiny camera to look inside your knee. Small cuts are made to insert a camera, and small surgical tools are used inside your knee for the procedure.
Once your doctor has given you a diagnosis, you will have a better idea of what treatment options are available to you. Knee pain treatment falls into roughly two categories: nonsurgical and surgical. Many people try nonsurgical treatment first, hoping to avoid surgery, but your health care team will help you make those choices.
Surgery is a good option if the joint is badly damaged or all other treatments have been considered or tried.
Norton Orthopedic Institute surgeons are leaders in the use of robotics that help your surgeon implant the parts of your new knee with superior precision. Placing the metal parts of the new joint and attaching them to your bone requires skill and planning to provide the best possible feel.