Knee pain (ปวด หัว เข่า, which is the term in Thai) is a common problem, mostly occurring amongst the elderly, but it is often seen among the mid-agers. It originates in the patella (the knee cap) and can move down even to the tibia, fibula. It mainly occurs due to age and also from arthritis, obesity, and excess physical activity. Though this condition is more common among elders, knee pain can affect people of all ages.
This article will let you about all those facts you need to know about knee pain and how to take care of it so that it doesn’t cause much of a health hindrance in the future.
Overall View
These types of pain can have from one to several causes as its source of origin and restricts the person’s movement. The pain might be localized or can also spread to other areas such as the thigh or downwards. The treatment varies from person to person, depending on the intensity of the pain and the cause.
Symptoms
The whole knee might suddenly be all swollen and painful, with challenging movements. Locking, redness, inability to extend the knee in any direction, difficulty walking up or down the stairs are some of the other most common symptoms.
Causes
Some Of The Significant Causes Are:
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Fracture
A previous knee fracture might end up resulting in chronic knee pain. Fractures require immediate medical attention, and if not given soon enough, it will result in a lifelong hindrance.
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Ligament Injury
Other most common cause is the ACL injury ( anterior cruciate ligament) injury. This cause is more often applicable to athletes when they suffer a sudden strain in the ligaments supporting the knee. Strain to the ACL is the leading cause as the other supporting ligaments- posterior cruciate, lateral collateral, and medial collateral ligament, are not injured that often.
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Dislocation
Dislocation of the patella requires immediate medical attention and results in excruciating pain.
Many Medical Conditions Also Result In Knee Pain
- Rheumatoid Arthritis: A genetic, autoimmune disease that results in severe pain spasms in the joints, thus causing knee pain in the way.
- Septic Arthritis: This is an infectious form of arthritis that results in knee pain, fever, and swelling.
Treatment
Treatment for knee pain includes medications, physiotherapy, injections (mainly corticosteroids and lubricants), and, in extreme cases, surgery. From arthroscopic to total knee replacement, the surgery for the knee varies drastically. Acupuncture has proved to be beneficial to those suffering from knee pain due to osteoarthritis.
If not chronic, this pain doesn’t show relapse and gradually resolves within some days. Sometimes it also returns after weeks or months, in which case, regular exercise must subside it down. However, modern surgical techniques are walking in a way such as to abolish knee pain as a whole permanently.
