The knees are the most complex joints in the skeleton. The peculiarity of their structure is insufficient protection, an abundance of blood vessels and nerves, as well as increased daily load. Of all the joints human body they are more often subject to injury, premature wear and other pathological changes. If knee joints are left untreated, the condition will inevitably deteriorate until the limb becomes completely immobilized.
Types of knee joint diseases and their causes
If the knee joint hurts, the reasons for this are changes in the tissues included in its structure. They can be inflammatory, dystrophic or traumatic in nature. In 50% of all cases, diseases of the knee joints are considered combined, when inflammation provokes the destruction of cartilage or other elements, and injuries cause inflammation. Identifying the source of discomfort in the legs allows you to understand why your knees hurt and how to treat this or that pathology.
Most often, pain in the knee joint occurs due to degenerative changes in cartilage and inflammation of bone and cartilaginous structures (gonarthritis and gonarthrosis). Slightly less frequently diagnosed:
- inflammatory diseases of ligaments, condyles, menisci, synovial bursae;
- structural changes in tissue (hardening or deformation, ligamentous apparatus and synovial bursae, formation of salt growths);
- ligament tears, cracks and dislocations of the patella and meniscus;
- necrosis of intra-articular cartilage and ligaments; cysts on bursae.
Problems with movement also arise in the presence of a joint mouse, a fragment of bone or cartilage located inside the knee.
Symptoms and treatment of knee pathologies
You can think about why your knees hurt and how to treat the pathology when discomfort appears in them.
Common symptoms of knee pathologies:
- pain when bending and straightening a limb;
- crunching or clicking sounds;
- local swelling and/or redness;
- the formation of well-defined tumors (bumps) on the front or back of the knees.
Depending on the type and type of disease, symptoms periodically increase and decrease, tend to gradually intensify, or are characterized by the stable presence of discomfort for several days or even weeks.
It is important that treatment for the knee joint begins immediately after the first symptoms appear. Therapy includes:
- taking medications (tablets with anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, chondroprotectors and antibiotics);
- physiotherapy;
In the absence of positive dynamics in the patient’s condition, surgery knee joints.
Often representatives of middle and older age group wondering why women have knee pain. Throughout life, day after day, the joints of this part of the legs are subject to severe stress. Therefore, it is not surprising that by the age of 40-50, women notice that the knee joint does not allow them to forget about themselves for a minute. It is important to note that at this age people are already at risk for the possibility of serious limb injuries, for example, if they perform excessive physical activity, or simply turn their leg incorrectly. And all due to the natural leaching of calcium from the body, as well as a decrease in the volume of synovial fluid in the joint.
In order to help yourself get rid of discomfort and pain, you need to understand other reasons why such sensations may arise. In some cases, pathological processes can only be dealt with by medication, and under the strict supervision of a physician. It is no secret that the knee is one of the most important joints in the body, and the quality of life directly depends on its health. Therefore, we will consider in detail the causes and pathologies under the influence of which knee pain occurs.
Almost all diseases, inflammatory, degenerative or traumatic in nature, affecting the knee joint have a similar clinical picture: constant presence of severe pain, which increases when the knee is used, unnatural clicks, difficulty moving and supporting the sore leg, swelling of the soft tissues, as well as a violation of the anatomical shape of the joint.
Considering any inflammatory disease, for example: bursitis, tendinitis or arthritis, they are almost always accompanied by the presence of swelling in the knee area. If the process is in an advanced or acute stage, then a person may experience an increase in body temperature and other signs of inflammation. It also helps to identify pathology general analysis blood. The peculiarity of knee inflammation is that they begin abruptly, and the person himself had not felt a deterioration in his condition before and was considered completely healthy.
Among the dystrophic pathologies one can distinguish: arthrosis, meniscopathy, osteoarthritis. In most cases they have genetic cause development, that is, transmitted through family lines. The disease can develop when abnormal development joint, incorrect structure tissues of cartilage or tendons, while the nature of the flow is slow. In some cases, pathology manifests itself due to impaired metabolism, or at the time of progression of a chronic disease affecting the joint. Also, their development is associated with constant increased load knees, which is not natural.
Symptoms during dystrophic processes, due to slow progression, increase gradually. Patients experience more than one year, which is divided into phases of remission and exacerbation. The diseases presented are always difficult to treat, and therapy takes a long time.
Diseases associated with previous knee injuries can also be dystrophic or inflammatory. Let us consider in more detail the pathologies in which women may feel pain in the knee joint.
Arthrosis
Once a patient is diagnosed with this disease, symptoms often do not appear until early stage development. It takes some time for them to build up. In situations where knee pain appears after severe hypothermia, the pathology can provoke the development of an inflammatory nature that becomes chronic. When moving, the woman feels discomfort and it becomes difficult to stand for a long time.
All this can lead to the fact that after 50 years the patient will be diagnosed with arthrosis, accompanied by chronic pain in the knee joint. It is possible to identify the pathology in a timely manner and begin therapeutic measures to eliminate it only if you consult a doctor in a timely manner.
For arthrosis inflammatory process inside the knee cause pathogenic microorganisms(bacteria), and if the pathology is in the acute stage, then the following symptoms will be present:
- High body temperature;
- Acute pain;
- Feverish state;
- Chills;
- Swelling and redness skin at the site of localization of the inflammatory process.
The main cause of chronic arthrosis is salt deposition. In this condition, the patient experiences certain difficulties with movement, the joint loses its mobility, and may finally harden. Against the background of salt deposition, pain intensifies and muscle atrophy develops.
Arthritis
With the development of the inflammatory process of all the constituent elements of the knee joint, we can talk about arthritis. In this case, the disease can develop in women at any age, but young girls and representatives of the middle age group are more often affected. IN pathological process either one or both knees may be involved, depending on the real reason diseases.
The highest level of manifestation of painful and characteristic symptoms– the first days of arthritis progression. The pathology has a clear clinical picture: swelling of the soft tissues occurs in the area of the affected knee, the skin becomes red, there is always a feeling of pain, which always intensifies in the evening, then the patient feels as if his knees are bursting. Characteristic feature arthritis is practically complete absence pain during night sleep. Sometimes this symptom helps confirm the diagnosis.
Women should also know that painful sensations with this pathology are not associated with walking, running or body position. They can occur at any time, even at rest, but they cannot be reduced either by changing posture or using a cold compress. The only thing that helps is taking anti-inflammatory drugs, but the effect is not long-lasting.
Injuries
In some cases, knee pain in women occurs due to an old or recent injury, caused by excessive stress on the joint. Quite often, women who ride bicycles complain of similar sensations. It should also be said that every girl who is interested in any type of sports activity automatically falls into the risk group for injuries and the development of pathologies of the knee joints. Most often, during exercise, you can get a rupture or sprain of the tendons; against this background, inflammation of the joint capsule develops, formations are formed in it, which provoke the appearance of pain in the patella.
External meniscus tear
The disease is formed as a result various damages menisci. The risk group includes women who lead active image life involved in sports, including extreme activities. But there is a risk of injury in living conditions, for example, if you make a sudden movement, or move very quickly (running, jumping, walking).
When the meniscus is injured, at that moment the woman will feel the appearance of acute pain in the knee area, which will cause her to stop moving. If the damage is minor, the discomfort will go away in a few minutes, and the patient will be able to continue doing what he was doing. But if the injury is serious, the pain may not go away. After a while, visible swelling of the knee appears, and a hematoma (hemarthrosis) may form under the patella if the knees have been damaged. blood vessels. In this case, movement of the joint will be impossible, or unnatural clicks will appear.
The feeling of pain can persist for 14-21 days, after which it becomes less intense or disappears completely. Unfortunately, if correct treatment is not carried out, it will be impossible to fully restore all the functional abilities of the knee. Against this background, it may develop chronic illness, in which pain will always appear when exposed to provocateurs.
Bursitis
Here we will also consider tendonitis in aggregate. The difference between these two diseases is that with bursitis, inflammation of the joint and tendon capsule occurs, and with tendinitis, this process is localized in the ligaments and tendons. The main reason for the development of both pathologies are injuries, or abnormalities in the functioning of the musculoskeletal system. Tendinitis sometimes occurs when the tendons in the knee are not formed properly or become weak. It is also worth noting that the presented pathologies are practically not diagnosed in women, but the proportion clinical cases still there is.
Speaking about bursitis, it is often a complication of arthritis, due to the fact that infectious bacteria from the joint cavity penetrate into its capsule. But it also happens that arthritis develops against the background of bursitis. The main difference between the symptoms of these diseases is the increased severity pain in the knee area with bursitis. It is always present, even if the person is at rest, which is due to the stretching of the capsule by inflammatory or purulent contents, with their subsequent impact on the nerve endings.
In some cases, bursitis affects small tendons, and then such a disease is called a cyst, for example, Baker's cyst. Painful sensations in such pathologies are less pronounced, but at a certain point they are quite acute. When palpating the skin, you can find a lump.
Tendinitis also causes pain and swelling in the affected knee. The pain can become stronger at those moments when the muscles contract and when bending (extending) the knee, and it also radiates to the muscles of the lower leg or thigh.
Ischemia
If the blood circulation in the knee joint is impaired, then women may feel ischemic pain. The reason for this phenomenon is a change weather conditions, hypothermia, increased physical activity. A characteristic feature of pain is that it appears symmetrically, in both limbs at once. Its intensity is always the same, and there is no connection with human movements.
With this condition, women often use the expression “twisting their knees.” There is no special therapy for ischemic pain, and to relieve discomfort, ointments with a warming effect, taking or rubbing with agents that dilate blood vessels are suitable.
Inflammation
When a woman is diagnosed with an inflammatory process in the periarticular tissues, the doctor will make a diagnosis of periarthritis. Middle-aged women (over 40 years old) should be considered at risk. The pain is usually located on the inside of the knee (underneath kneecap), and more often appears at the moment when the center of gravity is transferred to the sore leg: if a woman goes down the stairs or goes up, carries heavy weights. Similar discomfort can be observed during squats.
Discomfort does not occur if the patient moves calmly and on a flat surface. It is worth saying that with periarthritis there is no disturbance in the motor activity of the joint, due to which the normal amplitude of movements is maintained. Also missing external signs pathology, no redness or swelling, and no deformation is observed.
Women of the middle age group, starting from 35 years old, should not forget to monitor their health. If you feel pain of unknown origin in your knee joint, then you should immediately go to see a doctor. Careful diagnostics and correct diagnosis will help preserve motor activity in the joint, and will also protect against the development serious complications which can lead to disability.
The expert explained when you can do without surgery
Knee pain is one of the most common reasons contacting traumatologists. In fact, there can be many reasons for it. And yet, we can identify five main situations in which pain syndrome in the knee joint. The candidate told MK about what could be behind them and how to deal with it medical sciences, traumatologist-orthopedist, joint doctor Yuri Konstantinovich Glazkov.
Reason No. 1: gonarthrosis
Gonarthrosis is one of the most common reasons for visiting an orthopedic doctor for pain in the knee joint (about 35% of all cases). This disease is associated with cartilage degeneration. It progresses slowly but steadily, leading to complete destruction joint
What to do? On initial stage disease applies conservative treatment. A person engages in physical therapy, controls weight, receives physiotherapeutic treatment, takes chondroprotective drugs and painkillers.
Arthrotherapy has a good effect - intra-articular injection hyaluronic acid and platelet-rich plasma. This treatment method relieves pain and helps restore articular cartilage.
On late stages diseases when a person cannot walk normally and suffers from severe pain, endoprosthetics is indicated. A person's own knee joint during surgical intervention replaced with an artificial prosthesis.
Reason #2: Meniscal damage
Menisci are cartilage pads inside the knee joint that stabilize it and perform a shock-absorbing function. Their damage is one of the most common sports injuries. This is the second most common reason for visiting an orthopedic doctor for pain in the knee joint (about 30% of cases).
What to do? The choice of treatment depends on the type of meniscus injury. In 50% of cases this is a partial tear, in 40% of cases it is pinching, and in 10% of patients there is a tear of a fragment of the meniscus. "Most favorable prognosis- with partial tear. If it is localized near the joint capsule, it fuses successfully with the right approach to treatment. In case of partial tear or pinching, use different methods Treatment: manual reduction, hardware traction (traction), physiotherapy. Drugs prescribed: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and when severe swelling– glucocorticoids,” says Yuri Glazkov.
The worst prognosis is characterized by a complete tear of the meniscus fragment. Unfortunately, in this case it is impossible to do without surgery. It is performed arthroscopically - it is minimally traumatic surgery through punctures with short period recovery. In some cases, the meniscus must be removed completely if other methods cannot solve the problem.
Reason No. 3: periarthritis
Periarthritis is an inflammation of the knee tendons. This pathology is the reason for about 10% of patients with knee pain. Mostly women over 40 years of age suffer. Pain appears or worsens when walking down stairs or lifting heavy objects. Localization of pain is the medial (inner) surface of the knee. The mobility of the joint is not affected.
What to do? The disease is treated conservative methods. During periods of exacerbation, painkillers are used and joint mobility is limited. Physical therapy and physiotherapeutic procedures are recommended.
Reason No. 4: Vascular pain in the knees
About 5% of patients present with knee pain of vascular origin. They are more pronounced in adolescence and young adulthood, and then weaken. This is the main difference from arthrosis, in which pain only intensifies over the years. Distinctive feature Vascular pain is the simultaneous occurrence of both knee joints.
What to do? You cannot get rid of vascular pain once and for all. If they occur, conservative treatment is used. Warming ointments, massage, and ingestion of vasodilating drugs are used.
Reason #5: Arthritis
Arthritis is inflammation of the knee joint. This diagnosis is established in 5% of patients who complain of pain. Exists great amount pathologies that can provoke arthritis of the knee joint: rheumatoid arthritis, Reiter's syndrome, gout, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriasis, etc. The joint usually becomes red and swollen. Periods of exacerbation alternate with periods of attenuation of clinical manifestations.
What to do? Treatment of the underlying disease is necessary. Knee pain is relieved with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. At severe inflammation glucocorticoids are used orally. Sometimes they are inserted into the joint.
These are not all the causes of knee pain, but only the most common of them. If you experience this symptom, consult a doctor to find out the origin of the disease and receive adequate treatment.
Article publication date: 02/12/2013
Article updated date: 12/01/2018
Suddenly my knee hurt. Why? How serious is this? Many of us ask ourselves these questions sooner or later. According to statistics, over 50% of humanity faces joint diseases, and all kinds of knee damage are among the most common problems. If you are worried about pain in the knee joint, the causes of its occurrence must be determined first.
Treatment of knee pain is one of the most important areas in arthrology*
*Arthrology is a branch of medicine that studies joints and their diseases.
Main causes of knee pain
As a rule, pain is a symptom of damage to the joints themselves, but this is not always the case. Here are the main reasons why pain often occurs:
- Osteoarthritis of the knee joint (gonarthrosis) is a degenerative process of destruction of articular tissues, which, over a long period of time, causes deformation and deprives the joint of mobility.
- Arthritis of the knee joint (gonarthritis, gonitis) is an inflammatory disease. It can be either an independent pathology or a symptom or complication of other diseases.
- Meniscopathy – . Appears as sharp pain, which arose after an injury (sometimes very minor - one awkward movement). If left untreated, the problem becomes chronic form and may be the cause.
- Vascular pain is not articular pathology, but up to 10% of patients see orthopedists with this problem. Discomfort occurs due to poor circulation in the joints and can accompany a person throughout his life.
- (periarthritis) – manifested by discomfort in the area inside knee pain that worsens when going up and down stairs. Most often, women over 40 years of age who are overweight are affected.
- “Referred” pain in (coxarthrosis). IN in this case the knees themselves do not suffer, the range of movements in them does not decrease, x-rays no changes are visible. Similar symptoms develop in 3–4% of patients suffering from coxarthrosis.
The causes of pain can be guessed by their nature. Dumb chronic pain, which occur during movements and intensify in the morning after waking up, are signs of arthrosis.
If there is swelling in the sore spot and a local increase in temperature (the knee feels hot to the touch), this is most likely arthritis.
Constant or frequent (especially at night) It's a dull pain may be a sign of leg vein thrombosis. This is a quite serious and even life-threatening pathology. Therefore, with such a symptom, consult a doctor immediately!
If severe pain occurs suddenly and unexpectedly, the meniscus may be damaged.
Symmetrical severe pain can occur with rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis and others common diseases body.
How to get rid of pain
Without treating the underlying disease, it will not be possible to get rid of discomfort. Therefore, a visit to the doctor is a top priority.
There are cases when immediate consultation with a doctor is required:
- unexpected sharp pain in the knee joint, up to the inability to step on the leg;
- pain arising after injury, which is accompanied by knee deformation;
- discomfort in the knee with a simultaneous increase in body temperature.
Warming ointments and compresses that you can prepare at home have a good pain-relieving effect. Here are some proven recipes:
Mix a teaspoon of salt with a teaspoon of baking soda. Add 7 drops of iodine to this mixture. Steam your knees and apply the resulting mixture to them. Wrap your feet for 15 minutes, then rinse the mixture with water and lubricate the affected areas with vitamin cream. Positive effect you will feel it after 5 – 6 procedures.
Mix 100 grams of dry mustard and 100 grams camphor oil. Whip 2 egg whites and add them to the mixture. At night, apply the resulting mixture and wrap your knees with a woolen cloth. Use until the pain subsides.
Tincture of bitter pepper. Cut the pods and place in a container, filling half of its volume. Next, fill the container completely with alcohol or vodka and leave for a week. After this, use it as a rub.
You can prepare golden mustache tincture yourself or buy it at a pharmacy. Use as a rub at night.
Applying it to the knee joints has some analgesic effect. fresh leaves birch, horseradish and burdock. Use several times a day.
Massage and physiotherapy. Massage will improve blood circulation and relieve stiffness in movements. Gymnastics will strengthen the muscle corset.
Depending on the disease and its stage, the doctor will prescribe a complex physical therapy. During classes there is no need to strive to break records - more benefit will bring a gradual and slight increase in load. The exercises are performed smoothly and slowly: they are aimed at working the muscles near the knee, causing them to relax, improving blood circulation, which helps reduce pain.
It is equally important to follow a diet - eating plant-based, rich in vitamins food, fish dishes and seafood helps restore articular cartilage. And, of course, when the pain can be overcome, we must try to make sure that it does not return: lead healthy image life, strengthen the body and not subject it to excessive stress.
Owner and responsible for the site and content: Afinogenov Alexey.
If your knees hurt, this could be a sign various diseases, therefore, before starting treatment, it is advisable to conduct an examination. Constant pain in the knees at a young age may appear after injuries and inflammatory processes, or may be a consequence of congenital features of the formation skeletal system. In older people, knee pain is most often associated with metabolic-dystrophic processes.
Why knee pain occurs at a young age
If your knees hurt at a young age, the cause is most often the consequences of injuries and inflammatory diseases knee joints, different kinds flat feet, some orthopedic diseases characteristic of childhood and adolescence.
After an injury, bursitis may develop in the knee joint - inflammation bursa joint that can develop into arthritis 
(joint inflammation). After the chronic inflammatory process subsides, dystrophic changes in the joint - this is how knee arthrosis is formed - a condition that is difficult to treat.
Sometimes the cause of knee pain in children and individuals young There may be osteochondropathy - diseases of the osteoarticular apparatus, which occur in a number of successive stages and are manifested by aseptic necrosis of the most loaded areas of the skeleton, their destruction and subsequent restoration. The disease begins with a local circulatory disorder of the bone, which causes disruption of its nutrition and tissue necrosis ( aseptic necrosis). Knee pain can occur when the knee or hip joints are affected.
The most common type of osteochondropathy is aseptic necrosis of the head femur(Perthes disease) – that’s enough frequent illness in children aged 3 to 15 years, in which, over the course of 3-4 years, the head of the femur is first completely destroyed and then restored.
The disease begins unnoticed and most often with moderate pain in the knee joint on the affected side. The child begins to limp slightly, then the parents discover that one leg is shorter than the other. Perthes disease can go away without any health consequences if the child’s leg is completely immobilized throughout the disease. If this does not happen (with late treatment), then arthrosis and joint immobility develops. Therefore, it is important to know about this disease and consult a doctor promptly.
Osteochondropathies in the knee joint are much less common than Perthes disease. In Schlatter's disease, degenerative-necrotic changes with necrosis occur in the area of the tibial tuberosity. With the right approach to treatment, the disease goes away without consequences.
Knee pain at any age can be a consequence of flat feet - when the shape of the foot changes with its arches lowered, they appear due to a violation of the biomechanics of the knee joints. In this case, consultation with an orthopedic doctor and the treatment prescribed by him will help.
Why do knee pain occur in old age?
If your knees hurt in old age, then most often this is a consequence of metabolic-dystrophic processes in the knee joints or in the spine - knee arthrosis and osteochondrosis lumbar region spine.
Lumbar osteochondrosis 
characterized by a violation metabolic processes V intervertebral discs– shock-absorbing pads between cartilages. With complete or partial destruction of the discs, compression of the roots extending from spinal cord spinal nerves. If affected nerve fibers innervating the knee joint, knee pain appears.
At knee arthrosis metabolic-dystrophic changes occur in the cartilage of the joints. The cartilage is gradually destroyed, articular surfaces they become rough and rub against each other, causing pain that intensifies in the evening and goes away after rest.
It is impossible to completely cure metabolic-dystrophic diseases of the joints and spine, but if you start on time and regularly complex treatment, destruction process osteoarticular system can be paused.
If your knees hurt, this may be a consequence of the formation of a cyst in the knee joint. Thus, cysts in the meniscus area can cause severe pain in the legs from the inside of the knee at the back, which intensifies with movement. A Baker's cyst sometimes develops in the popliteal fossa, accompanied by severe pain behind the knee joint when bending the leg and swelling under the knee on the inside.