Being such an exposed part of our body, the knee is one of the most easy pain targets. Just imagine everything that the knee has to carry. It carries our weight, it supports our bodies, it helps us move, jump, walk, run, it bends, it twists, it does everything.
Although the knee is the biggest joint in the body, it is very fragile and easy to hurt. We rarely notice how we treat our knees throughout every single day. There are 2 types of knee pain. The first type is acute knee pain, which lasts less than 3 months and it is usually caused by some kind of knee injury.
Although it seems more painful at the moment, acute knee pain eventually goes away and then you are okay again. The second type is the one to be afraid of. Chronic knee pain is when you suffer from this pain for more than 3 months. Chronic pains are harder to diagnose and can stay with us for a really long time.
Sometimes we just have to learn to live with it. Everyone who has experienced some kind of chronic pain can tell you how exhausting and painful experience chronic pain is. Chronic knee pain can become a serious issue and leave consequences in you life. It is possible that you can’t do some of the simple tasks you could do before, or it may limit your motion and mobility.
You might have to give up something you love, like your job, because you aren’t able to do it with a chronic knee pain. This is why it’s best if you learn all the information about chronic knee pain and try to do your best in coping with it.
Most Common Causes of Chronic Knee Pain
– Osteoarthritis – Common cause for knee pain. More common in older people.
– Arthritis – Arthritis is a very common source of knee pain. People that suffer from arthritis knee pain say that they mostly feel pain when they walk a lot, when they try to stand up from the chair or bed and when they go up or down the stairs.
– Rheumatoid Arthritis – Another common type of arthritis that can be a cause for your chronic knee pain. People who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis usually experience pain in many joints, including the knee, as well as morning and evening stiffness.
– Bursitis – Bursitis is another condition that can cause long-termed knee pain. Bursitis is most common in obese or overweight women, athletes and people who have to work on their knees.
– Iliotibial band syndrome – This is a condition that can also cause knee pain. People who run long distances are often suffering from this syndrome.
– Osgood-Schlatter disease – Children are most likely to suffer from this disease. Kids who suffer from it often complain of pains below the knee and their knees react with tenderness on touch.
– Jumper’s Knee – This is the name for a condition where the knees hurt when jumping or some kind of rough landing.
Apart from these, there are also many other more rare conditions that might be the reason for your chronic back pain. That’s why a full analysis and a complete examination are necessary.
Getting Diagnosed With Chronic Knee Pain
- Physical Exam – your doctor will check your knees for painful or tender spots. This will help reveal the exact place and the severity of pain.
- Medical History – the importance of medical history in diagnosing chronic pains is crucial. Medical records are needed so that the doctor can see if you maybe already suffer from a condition that might develop knee pain or if someone in your close family has had a similar condition.
- Talking about your lifestyle – it is possible that you are asked questions about your lifestyle because your everyday life can tell if you have the tendency to develop a condition that might include knee pains.
- Blood and/or Urine Tests – this is crucial for diagnosing many diseases that can cause knee pains.
- Imaging – medical imaging, such as X-rays, magnetic resonance or similar procedures might be done to see the condition of your knee.
- Removing fluid from your knee – in this way, your doctor can notice the presence of some infection or some form of arthritis.
Treatment
- Pain-killers – to reduce the pain from the affected knee.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications – to help you reduce the inflammation of the knee. These are commonly prescribed in patients with some form of arthritis.
- Applying heat and/or cold.
- Physical Therapy.
- Strengthening exercises.
- Knee support.