Knee Pain Treatment And Everything You Should Know About It

Knee pain treatment depends on the cause of knee pain mainly so you should know the cause to have the perfect treatment and relieve your joint pain quickly.

Knee pain is self-treated at home and you will feel better after a few days.

Knee pain is more common in old age and can occur in young adults due to obesity, sports or injuries.

The knee joint is the largest joint in the body so it's more susceptible to injuries and pain.

Before you reach suitable treatment for knee joint pain, your doctor should find an accurate diagnosis first.

When you should see your doctor

Knee pain treatment usually can be done at home without medical interference.

You need to see a doctor if you have severe pain which restricts your knee joint movement or if your knee is swollen and tender.

Knee pain will be relieved after resting at home. If the pain lasts for a few days and does not respond to the rest, you should see your doctor evaluate your injuries.

Trauma causing knee deformity should be evaluated by the doctor and severe pain causing inability of movement or pain during bending and walking.

Diagnosis

1-Medical history

An accurate diagnosis will start with some questions related to the injury and the pain.

Your doctor will ask you about the reason for the pain and what exactly happened, then you will be asked about the nature of the pain, how long you have it, the degree of pain severity, and what makes you feel better or worse.

2-Examination

You should see your doctor inspect your knee and see if you have knee swelling, bruises, or redness.

After inspection of the knee joint, your doctor will do palpation to detect warmth, tenderness around the knee, and pain.

Then, he will assess the range of movement by asking you to move your lower leg in different directions and check the structures of your joint to make sure that there is no tissue damage or bone fractures.

After examining the knee joint, your doctor will need to do imaging tests for the knee joint to reach an accurate diagnosis.

3-Imaging tests

1-X-rays

It's the simple and the first step of knee pain treatment your doctor will recommend to you to see if you have bone fractures or degenerative joint diseases.

2-CT ( computerized tomography) scan

Cross-sectional images are taken from the inside of your body by collecting X-rays from different directions which help doctors to diagnose many bone problems and fractures.

3-Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

MRI gives 3D images of the inside of the knee so it's useful in the diagnosis of injuries of the soft tissue such as ligament, tendon, muscles, and cartilage.

4-Ultrasound

The new technology provides real images of the soft tissue within and around the knee.

4- Laboratory tests

If you have infection or inflammation of the tissue of the knee your doctor will need blood tests which are useful in the diagnosis of gout and arthritis.

Arthrocentesis is a laboratory test in which a small amount of the fluid within the knee joint is withdrawn by needle and sent to laboratory analysis.

Treatment

After accurate diagnosis, knee pain treatment should be started immediately.

According to the cause of knee pain, your doctor will choose a suitable knee pain treatment for you.

1-Medications

They are the most common knee pain treatment as they are available in home and grocery stores.

Doctors prescribe medications such as ibuprofen and naproxen sodium to reduce inflammation and relieve knee pain.

Over-the-counter medications such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are useful in the case of knee pain.

2- Physical therapy

Physical therapy is the Joker in knee pain treatment because it achieves amazing results in many cases.

Many cases feel better by doing exercises and physical therapy which strengthen the muscles around the knee joint which decreases the pressure on the knee joint and relieves your pain.

If your knee pain increases with doing exercises, your doctor will recommend wearing knee braces during exercise to protect your knee joint and provide extra support.

If you are an athlete and physically active but still feeling knee pain, You need to notice the pattern of movement and know how to do exercises correctly.

You need to do exercises that improve the flexibility and balance of your body.

3-Invasive methods

If the pain continues after using oral medication and physical therapy, your doctor will suggest injecting substances directly into the knee.

Many substances can be injected into the knee joint such as

1-Corticosteroids

Doctors inject corticosteroids drugs into the knee as a treatment of arthritis because they reduce the pain that lasts for a few months and does not respond to oral medications.

Corticosteroids are useful in many cases but few cases don't respond to this treatment.

2-Platelet rich plasma

A new method for knee pain treatment contains a high concentration of growth factors that help in reducing inflammation and promote the healing of the tissue.

3-Hyaluronic acid

Normally, the joint contains synovial fluid which lubricates the joint to ease the movement and protect the bone and cartilage of the joint.

This synovial fluid decreases with the progress of age or due to bone diseases which causes high fractions between bones of the joint.

Hyaluronic acid is a thick fluid and similar to natural synovial fluid the o injection of the hyaluronic acid into the joint is very useful for knee pain treatment and effective in reducing the pain by reducing frictions.

4-Surgery

Surgery should be your last option after trying all previous methods of knee pain treatment.

You should ask your doctor about the pros and cons of surgery and how necessary it is, then take your time to decide.

1-Arthroscopic surgery

A fiber-optic camera is inserted through incisions around the knee to remove loose bodies and repair damaged cartilage.

2-Partial knee replacement surgery

The doctor will replace only the damaged part of the joint with metal or plastic parts.

3-Total knee replacement surgery

In this surgery, the doctor will replace all joints with another one made of metal and remove all damaged cartilage and bone from the thigh bone, knee cap, and shinbone.

4-Osteotomy

It's an alternative to l knee replacement surgery to relieve knee arthritis pain.

Summary

Prevention is better than cure so take care and notice how you move your body to avoid pain.

By.dr.Fatma Ragab