Search Free Article Database:

Remedies to Four Everyday Knee Discomforts

By: Victoria Isabel

Here are some pointers which you have to take into consideration when experiencing knee pain and their common causes:
1. Conceivable Cause by Arthritis
This is about the most common cause of pain in the knee. As a matter of fact, one in two individuals who are over 65 years old have some form of arthritis of the knee.
The pain associated with arthritis is usually a dull twinge that from time to time becomes sharp through brusque or abrupt movements. The pain is prevalently detected over your joint line where the tibia meets the femur and at the anterior of the knee. Also connected with this pain is mild and occasionally severe puffiness. This tends to get worse when you exit a car or get up from a chair. In addition, extended strolling or standing worsens the condition.
When the knee catches on the rough uneven surfaces of the cartilage, patients often complain of grinding and occasional popping.
Pain relief can be achieved with rest, heat (sometimes ice), pain medication or enveloping the knee.
2. Cartilage Surface Minor Tearing
Normally a torn meniscus causes a torn knee cartilage. These small, C-shaped pieces of cartilage act as a cushion between the tibia (shinbone) and the thighbone (femur). There is one on the inside of the knee (medial meniscus) and one on the outer (lateral meniscus). Meniscus tears are often the outcome of twisting, pivoting, decelerating, or a sudden, rapid impact. Various manual tests by a physician can be performed to detect a torn cartilage.
See the end of this article for treatment recommendations for a torn meniscus. Tears, if minor, require no surgical operation. They generally heal on their own depending on the period allowed for healing and on condition that the activity that aggravates it is averted.
3. Bakers Cyst
A tear of your meniscus or some other problems of the knee, such as arthritis, may cause a Bakers cyst to occur. The swelling is caused by fluids forming under your kneecap. This liquid pushes out the most delicate part of your joint capsule adjoining the knee.A cyst, therefore, forms at the back portion of your knee capsule.
Your kneecap has a valve at your joint capsule tissue. This valve can sometimes plug up and the liquid gets trapped in the cyst. Hence, even when the injury has decreased, the swelling at the back of your knee continues. The pain is typically described as dull and aching. The pain worsens with continuous standing or walking.
Rest, elevation and taking pain medication can ease the pain. Lots of people agree that when it comes to knee aches and pains, the best plan of action is to control the pain, avoid exacerbating the injury, and rehabilitating the joint.
4. Knee Pain through Chondromalacia
The softening and weakening of the underside of the kneecap is called chondromalacia. With young athletes this is commonly caused by trauma, poor knee alignment, overuse, or muscle imbalance. Therefore, this leads to friction and rubbing under the kneecap and consequently damages the surface of the cartilage. Any agitation causes a dull pain around or below the kneecap and worsens when walking uphill, climbing stairs or performing any weight bearing activity.
Control the Pain:
Putting ice over the affected area every 5 minutes will help alleviate the pain and bring down any swelling. Do not continue application if a burning sensation is experienced. A heating pad on a lower setting for 10-20 minutes may also help reduce the pain. Alternative methods include creams that create a heating sensation such as AST BioFreeze gel or Icy-Hot.
A comfortable knee brace can reduce the pressure on the knee, thereby, furnishing some necessary relief and stability. There are innumerable knee braces available that could be worn during mild physical activity or at any time when the area becomes troublesome.
Avoid certain activities:
Simply withdraw from any movement that worsens the pain and rely on actions that appear to support it. Make a schedule of things to do and not to do that determine which movements make the discomfort worse. Refrain from any activities that continue to make the pain worse.Remember that pain is a warning that something is not quite right.
Rehabilitating the knee:
Communicate with your physician before attempting any rehabilitation exercises. Rehabilitation includes exercises to strengthen the muscles around the knee (quads, hamstrings and calves). Your physician may also recommend a physical therapist that can work with you on your exercises.
Pain behind the knee is a very common sports injury.By taking precautions when engaging any sports and understanding what might cause the impairment, will allow you to enjoy a lifetime of pain-free activities.