Knee Pain

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Severe knee pain | What are the common reasons for Knee Pain?

Knee Pain

Nowadays knee pain is a common problem for all age groups which leads to pain in the knee. Those are sprains or strains, sitting in a discomfort position, or sitting on the knees for a prolonged period.

There are some medical problems that may be related to knee pain; those are Cartilage tears, Tendonitis, and Arthritis. Cartilage is a soft tissue that connects the end of bone throughout the body these tears are the most common cause of leg pain. Tendonitis is a condition in which the tissue connecting the muscle-bone becomes inflamed or swells. Arthritis is also called joint inflammation which causes one or more joints pain, stiffness, and swelling.

knee pain

Causes of knee pain in elderly

In the elderly population, arthritis is the most common cause of non-traumatic knee pain. Age is the major reason for osteoarthritis of the knee. For some people, Osteoarthritis of the knee may be hereditary, while for others it may be caused by injury, infection, or obesity. Women are more likely to suffer from this condition than men. This condition occurs when the natural cushioning between joints, cartilage, wears away and the bone ends of the knee joint rub against one another more closely. This results in pain, swelling, stiffness, decreased ability to move, and sometimes the formation of osteophytes (bone spurs).

Acute knee pain occurs due to:

  • - Fractures and dislocations
  • - Sprained or torn ligaments
  • - Meniscal injuries

Chronic Knee pain occurs due to:

  • - Arthritis
  • - Osteoarthritis
  • - Rheumatoid arthritis
  • - Gout or Pseudo gout
  • - Osteoporosis
  • - Bursitis
  • - Infection
  • - Chondromalacia patella
  • - Iliotibial band Syndrome
  • - Post Traumatic arthritis

Types of Knee Pain

1) Anterior Cruciate Ligament(ACL)

This is one of the ligaments that help to stabilize the knee. The ACL is a tissue that connects the thigh bone to the shinbone at the knee. This type of injury occurs during sports activities and is also rarely injured and isolated.

ACL is a major ligament in the knee, that usually gets injured during sports when sudden stops and changes in direction are involve. The treatment for ACL tears or injuries depends on the severity. If an ACL tear doesn't heal with non-operative options, the patient need to opt for surgery to reconstruct the damaged ligament.

ACL (Anterior cruciate ligament) reconstruction is a surgical procedure. the primary stabilizer of the knee, is one of the most commonly injured knee ligaments.

Symptoms of a Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury are:

  • - Rapid Swelling
  • - Severe pain and inability to continue the activity
  • - Popping sensation in the knee
  • - Pivoting with your foot firmly planted
  • - Landing from a jump incorrectly
  • - Stopping suddenly
  • - Receiving a direct blow to the knee
ACL Injury

ACL tears usually occur during sports. The most common sports that have high ACL injury rates are:

  • - Football
  • - Basketball
  • - Soccer
  • - Hockey
  • - Skiing
ACL Injuries in Young Athletes

2) Posterior cruciate ligament(PCL)

An injury to the PCL, which connects your thigh bone to the top of your leg bone, is usually a partial ligament tear. PCL tears can be treated non-surgically or surgically depending on the severity of the tear. This type of surgery is only indicated in those patients with severe tears and having multiple ligament tears.

The Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) connects the upper leg to your lower leg. When the PCL is sprained or torn, it's called a posterior cruciate ligament injury. If there is severe pain in the surrounding ligaments and have any of the below mentioned symptoms, it's time to get treated. Consult the ortho specialist to get the right treatment for PCL injuries

Symptoms of a posterior cruciate ligament injury are:

  • - Stiffness
  • - Swelling
  • - Difficulty bearing weight
  • - Tenderness around the knee joint
  • - Back of the knee may be warm to touch
  • - Knee tingling
  • - Sharp or dull pain around the back of the knee
PCL Injury

3) Medial cruciate ligament (MCL)

MCL is also known as the medial collateral ligament, and it connects your thigh bone to your shin bone inside your knee. In MCL, the pain and pop in the knee when the injury happens, the knee usually swells soon it helps to stabilize the knee by limiting inward force across the knee the MCL is the most commonly injured ligament.

MCL injury is one of the most common knee injuries, a complete tear of a ligament in the knee. Usually, this happens as a result of an excessive force in the knee. The mentioned assessment can determine if the pain is due to an injury or just normal wear and tear.

Symptoms of a Medial cruciate ligament injury are:

  • - Hearing a popping sound at the time of injury
  • - Experiencing pain in your knee
  • - Tenderness along the inner side of the knee
  • - Area of the knee may hurt to touch
MCL Injury

4) Lateral cruciate ligament (LCL)

The Lateral Collateral Ligament is a thin band of tissue that runs down the outside of the knee, connecting the thigh bone to the fibula, which is a small bone in the lower leg that connects the ankle. Injury to the LCL usually results from pressure or injury that causes the knee joint to be pushed from the inside, causing stress outside the joint.

The Lateral cruciate ligament (LCL) is a tear or strain on the outside of the knee this helps to keep your knee joint in place by holding bones together when you move. The mentioned symptoms may occur after a fall or an injury, consult a doctor immediately if the symptoms exists for a longer period.

Symptoms of a Lateral cruciate ligament (LCL) injury are:

  • - Pain along the outside of the knee
  • - Trouble bearing weight
  • - Knee catching or locking
  • - Swelling outside of the knee
  • - Foot numbness
LCL Injury

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