Pain under the knee when extending the leg: treatment in Moscow

Knee joints are joints that are much more susceptible to various mechanical influences than others. The reason for this is their location. Human legs are in motion every day, and carry the weight of not only the body itself, but also the loads that a person carries with him. It is the knee joints that first begin to suffer from diseases such as arthrosis, arthritis, etc. In addition, problems can arise after an injury resulting from overload or strong mechanical impact. Diseases are often discovered after dislocations and fractures. “Pain localized in the front of the knee can be one of the symptoms of many diseases, so for correct treatment it is necessary to visit a doctor who will conduct an examination and identify the problem.”

Meniscus injuries – rupture, cyst

A meniscus tear usually occurs at the peak of physical activity and is accompanied by acute pain. If the tear occurs in the back of the meniscus, the pain will radiate below the knee and back. Injuries of this kind occur in people who are actively involved in sports, usually at a professional level. A meniscus tear can be diagnosed using MRI; x-rays are useless in this case.

A meniscus cyst can appear with severe arthrosis of the knee joints and is not always associated with injury. Wear and tear of the joints and constant stress on them play a big role. A meniscus cyst can be diagnosed using MRI data.

Treatment in both cases should be carried out by an orthopedic traumatologist. As a rule, this is a surgical operation; for athletes, it can be meniscus replacement. More gentle methods in traumatology include injections of anti-inflammatory drugs into the joint and artificial synovial fluid.

We successfully use osteopathic methods in such patients at the stage of rehabilitation and recovery after injury. Soft fascial techniques allow you to achieve what is impossible to achieve with rough intervention - improve the functional state of the fascia, ligaments and tissues around the joint, and achieve proper distribution of the load on the joint.

Causes of pain in the knee joint

We often experience unpleasant sensations in one part or another of the body, but very often we attribute them to a recent injury or simple fatigue. Pain is a normal phenomenon for humans, and therefore any pain syndromes, especially short-lived and weak ones, are simply ignored. Sometimes this is right - why bother the doctor again? However, in some cases, it is very important to contact specialists in time to prevent the development of the disease and begin treatment before the disease becomes chronic and worsens. Why your knee may hurt:

• Injuries – simple bruises, sprains, fractures, dislocations, tears or other damage to the meniscus;
• Overload after sports;
• The presence of inflammatory processes in the joint or in its area due to metabolic disorders (gout, lipid and mineral metabolism disorders);
• Impaired immune reactions in the body, and, as a result, arthritis, vasculitis, rheumatoid diseases, psoriasis, etc.);
• Infectious processes in bone tissue, periarticular elements of the knee joint (brucellosis, irsiniosis, etc.);

• 
  Arthrosis or other degenerative diseases due to increased life expectancy and uneven alternation of loads;

• Diseases of the lumbar spine, motor deficits in neurological diseases - gait asymmetry;
• For damage to the hip joint, diseases of the bones of the foot and ankle joint.

So, your knee hurts, and you can’t decide whether you should visit an orthopedic doctor
or not worry again.
As is known, timely detection of the disease in the early stages will prevent the problem from becoming chronic and will provide more gentle treatment. There are several factors that should prompt a visit to the hospital:

1. The pain may not be severe, but may last for at least 5 days.
2. Other symptoms also appear, in particular, an increase in general and local temperature.
3. There is limited mobility in the joint and severe swelling.
4. The joint is deformed.
5. When going up or down stairs, the pain intensifies.

In addition to diseases, mechanical damage to part of the joint may occur. For example, with sports, traumatic meniscus tears, a person feels acute pain, mobility in the knee is severely limited, and swelling appears. The patient cannot even touch the cup - the pain is so strong. It may subside with the application of a cold compress, and an anti-inflammatory drug will help relieve the condition. With spontaneous damage to the meniscus, the pain is not so bright, but constant.

Important! You cannot make any decisions about the course of treatment on your own - this can only harm your body and worsen the condition of the joint.

Ligament ruptures are a common occurrence among athletes, and are caused by sudden mechanical stress applied to the leg. Such an injury is accompanied by various signs, including severe swelling, characteristic crunching, limited mobility, and the possible appearance of a hematoma. Timely provision of first aid will reduce the risk of complications, but treatment of the ligament takes a long time.

Baker's cyst

This is an outgrowth of the synovial membrane of the joint, filled with joint fluid. It occurs quite often, usually in women after 40 years of age. A Baker's cyst can cause aching pain under the knee and swelling in the popliteal fossa; with large cysts, the leg does not bend at the knee completely, and a “bump” can be felt behind the knee. To clarify the diagnosis, ultrasound of the knee and MRI are used.

Baker's cysts can be caused by inflammatory diseases, injuries, or arthrosis of the knee. Despite the fact that it is not a tumor, the cyst must be removed or punctured, since it can compress the vessels under the knee and cause complications such as thrombophlebitis and thromboembolism.

When should you go to the doctor?

Knee injuries are common, and you don't need to see a doctor immediately after an accident. Avoid bending or putting pressure on your leg, and use an ice pack to reduce swelling. Rest for three days and do the following:

• Cover the area with an elastic compression bandage
• Try walking on crutches for three days
• Ice the affected area three or four times a day for twenty minutes
• Do not bend your legs while sitting or climb stairs
• Keep your knee slightly higher than your body while sleeping
• Take anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or naproxen

However, if your pain does not improve after three days and you have one or more of the following conditions, consult your doctor.

• Severe pain and numbness in the legs even when there is no weight on them
• Swelling, redness and deformation of the affected area
• Fever and bluish discoloration in the calf
• clicking or locking in the leg

Diseases of the soft tissues of the joint, tendons

The knee joint has 6 ligaments and up to 10 bursae (depending on individual characteristics), a thin capsule surrounding the joint. In untrained people, even minor long-term exercise can cause tendonitis (inflammation of the tendon) or bursitis (inflammation of the bursa). With awkward movement, the joint capsule can be pinched between the ligaments. All this causes pain, which is often nagging in nature and is often localized in the back of the knee and under it.

Diagnosis of knee ligament diseases necessarily includes MRI. Treatment uses cold, rest and anti-inflammatory drugs. We perform osteopathic manipulations on our patients that allow us to release the pinched joint capsule or relieve tension from the ligaments and fascia of the knee. Pain under the knee goes away several times faster after complex treatment.

Treatment

Help before diagnosis

In case of traumatic injuries, ensure limb rest. In case of fractures, the leg is fixed using two splints: the inner one from the foot to the groin, the outer one to the armpit. Cold is applied to the leg, in case of severe injuries, painkillers are administered, and anti-shock measures are carried out according to indications. The severity of symptoms of myositis and tendonitis is reduced with the help of anti-inflammatory, analgesic gels and ointments. Sharp pain, significant swelling, and problems with general condition are reasons to immediately consult a doctor.

Conservative therapy

Patients with fractures are given blockades, the hip is fixed using skeletal traction, which is replaced with a plaster cast after clinical and radiological signs of fusion appear. Treatment tactics for other lesions are determined based on the nature of the disease. Conservative treatment of most hip pathologies includes:

• Protective mode.
  The mode of physical activity is chosen taking into account the type and severity of the disease. Fixation with a plaster splint, the use of splints, crutches or a cane are possible.
• Therapeutic exercise.
  To maintain muscle strength and joint mobility, prevent complications and improve general condition, individually selected exercise therapy complexes are prescribed.
• Physiotherapeutic procedures.
  UHF, electrophoresis, laser therapy and other techniques are used to reduce pain, accelerate resorption, improve blood circulation and tissue nutrition, and stimulate healing.

The listed activities are supplemented with massage, sometimes with manual therapy and taping. For purulent diseases, antibiotics are prescribed, for inflammatory pathologies - NSAIDs, for neurological lesions, blockades are performed.

Thigh taping

Infections of the popliteal fossa, enlarged lymph nodes

The soft tissues of the popliteal region can become inflamed after undetected injuries, cuts, or punctures of the skin. Severe pain, swelling and temperature are caused by an abscess of the popliteal fossa, in which pus accumulates under the skin. Treatment is only surgical.

Enlarged lymph nodes under the knee can also be accompanied by discomfort and swelling. Since lymph from the lower part of the leg flows into the popliteal lymph nodes, their increase indicates an inflammatory process somewhere below. It is necessary to check the condition of the veins, the presence of ulcers on the lower leg or foot, suppuration, cuts and deep punctures, which can cause infection and suppuration.

Checklist against illness

The first thing that will help determine the disease is the symptoms. Clarification is needed for pain in the back of the thigh: it is pulling in nature, shooting, is constant, occurs in some poses, increases/decreases with movement, and so on. In this case, it is important to understand whether the buttock or the back of the thigh underneath it hurts. This may be accompanied by:

• pain in the buttock when sitting;
• burning sensation in the thigh and buttock;
• painful sensations on the outer or inner side of the lower leg;
• pain and/or partial loss of sensation in the foot.

All these sensations can be observed only on one leg or on both legs at once. In the second case, it is important to note whether the intensity of the pain is the same.

When recording symptoms, it is necessary to note whether they are somehow related to postures during work and rest. For example, if you slept on your right side and you feel tolerable, but if you slept on your left, it’s difficult to even get up.

You should also note any unusual sensations. A feeling of heat in the feet and even sudden sweating of the feet will definitely interest a good neurologist or vertebrologist.

Diseases of the nerves and blood vessels of the popliteal fossa

There are three large structures running beneath the knee: the tibial nerve, the popliteal artery, and the popliteal vein. Acute pain radiating to the lower part of the leg accompanies damage to the tibial nerve, for example, due to injury and pinching. A throbbing, aching pain under the knee is characteristic of a popliteal artery aneurysm. Popliteal vein thrombosis is not common and may be a complication of Baker's cyst. The pain is aching, not severe, and often the disease can only be recognized at a late stage. Ultrasound with Doppler is of decisive importance, which allows identifying a blood clot in the popliteal vein.

Aching calves: causes of discomfort

Sharp pain in the calf muscle at night or during the day can occur for the following reasons:

• damage to the calf muscles after excessive exercise;
• pathologies of blood vessels of the lower extremities (varicose veins, obliterating arterial diseases);
• sedentary or standing work, when oxygen starvation occurs due to venous stagnation, toxins accumulate in the leg muscles.

Severe pain in the calf muscle when walking develops in patients suffering from obliterating atherosclerosis or endarteritis. Pain in the calf muscle at the back is a sign of acute venous thrombosis. Pain may occur in the calf of the left leg due to injury. Heel pain radiates to the calf muscle due to inflammation of the Achilles tendon. Pain in the calf muscles can be a symptom of ankylosing spondylitis.

Spinal diseases provoke pain in the calf muscles. When the structure and function of the intervertebral discs are disrupted, radiating pain occurs that radiates to the legs. Peripheral nerve diseases can also cause pain in the calf muscles. With neuralgia, the pain is paroxysmal in nature and occurs along the nerve fibers. During the intervals between attacks, the patient does not feel pain.

The most severe pain occurs with inflammation of the calf muscles - myositis. The patient is bothered by aching pain in the calves, which intensifies with movement. Often, dense nodules or cords can be felt in the calf. A peculiar form of the disease is parasitic myositis, which occurs when affected by muscle pain in the legs, fever, pain in the muscles of the limbs, tongue, face, chest. Acute, prolonged pain in the calf muscles occurs due to inflammation of the bone marrow - osteomyelitis.

How to strengthen your knees

Knee diseases are “getting younger”: if previously they affected people aged 55–60 years, now problems with the musculoskeletal system are found among young Russians aged about 40 years. This is due, among other things, to an inactive lifestyle, improper loads, and sports that people do without the involvement of specialists or not at all. Excess weight causes great harm to the joint.

Prevention is the best way to prolong the health of your knee joints, which includes:

• body weight control,
• a balanced, proper diet rich in healthy vitamins and minerals,
• moderate therapeutic exercises, which make joints more mobile and also strengthen muscles.

The complex is suitable for people accustomed to any level of physical activity. The exercises do not require preparation, but we recommend that you first consult with an osteopath or your doctor. There may be individual contraindications - for example, for illnesses and injuries.

Exercise 1. Position - lying flat on your stomach, arms extended along the body. Bend your leg at the knee joint at a right angle, hold it in this position for 5–8 minutes, then straighten it. Alternate your legs. The number of approaches for each limb is 8–10 times.

Exercise 2. Position - sitting on a chair with legs bent at right angles. Straighten one leg at the knee and lift it parallel to the ground (or as far as you can), hold for about 8 seconds, return to the starting position. Repeat the same with the second leg. Do the exercise 10 times on each leg.

Exercise 3. Position - standing, feet shoulder-width apart, rivers lying on the back of a chair, the chair with its back turned towards you. Raise your leg, bending the knee joint, to a right angle, and immediately release. Do 12–15 reps on each leg, preferably three reps.

Exercise 4. The same position as in the previous task, only the leg is not pulled back, but raised in front of you with a delay of 12–15 seconds. Do not bend at the waist, do not abduct your hips. Do 3 reps on each leg, 2 reps.

Exercise 5. For this exercise you need a low elevation, for example, a step, a stack of books, a low bench. The exercise simulates climbing stairs: lift one leg to a height, pull up the other so that both legs are on top, and descend in the same way. Take your time. For each leg, repeat the action 20 times.

Exercise 6. For this task you will need a training roller, but a blanket rolled into a roller will also work. Sit on the floor and place your leg on the bolster so that it is exactly under the knee joint. Slowly straighten your knee so that it forms a straight line from your hip. Return to original position. Repeat 10 times, 5 passes.

Exercise 7. Position - pressing your back against the wall. Slowly bend your knees until you are in a half-squat position, but keep your shoulder blades pressed against the wall. Maintain a static pose for 30 seconds. Repeat three times.

Exercise 8. For this task you need a ball of small diameter. Sit on the floor, place a ball under your knee joint and bend your leg, pulling your heel toward your buttock with your hand. Hold the limb in this position for about half a minute, do 3-4 times on each leg.

*This material is for informational purposes only. Consult your physician before use.

Summarizing

It can be said that Medial knee pain is a common discomfort caused by short-term or long-term problems. Although it is not always possible to prevent injuries, you can take some conservative and simple steps to prevent these types of injuries. Strengthening exercises, weight loss and a balanced diet, massage, aromatherapy and strengthening the leg muscles are examples of simple measures to prevent knee injuries.

The causes of pain vary and diagnosis may require knowledge and experience. Diagnosis and treatment are different for each patient, so the effect of the medicine may vary from person to person. Even physical exercise varies depending on the type of injury in patients because they all have their own physiology and anatomy. In this article, you have read everything you need to know about medial knee pain, its causes and symptoms. You can also get brief information about the treatment. But the main challenge is the introduction of little-known home and traditional remedies. Treatment methods that are very popular today and are used instead of chemicals. How many of these methods do you know or even use? What is the best home remedy for reducing pain or treating injuries? If you have suitable treatments, please write below so that we can help medical science and even patients.

Benefits of osteopathy in treating knee pain

• Gentle techniques that do not cause increased pain.
• In many cases, osteopathy helps to cope with the disease without surgery.
• Only an osteopath in case of leg diseases will help restore the balance of the body and remove secondary dysfunctions.
• After surgery, osteopathy helps speed up the recovery process.
• We conduct a full examination of all patients, regardless of symptoms, as well as complete correction of all significant dysfunctions of the body, since everything in our body is interconnected!

What happens when the knee extends

When we perform habitual flexion-extension movements, a huge number of structures are involved - bones, muscles, cartilage, nerve endings, synovial fluid, etc. If the knee cartilage has an integral, undamaged structure, a person does not even notice these movements. If the surface of the cartilage is destroyed, during extension the nerve endings are affected - pain and discomfort appear.

If there is not enough synovial fluid in the body, the cartilage quickly wears out because there is no lubrication between them. Damaged areas form on the surface - the joint ceases to function normally, and every extension movement causes pain.

You can partially replenish collagen reserves, which takes part in the synthesis of synovial fluid, from food products - meat and fish by-products, jellied meat. But this is usually not enough. To restore the functionality of the joint, it is better to insert the Noltrex synovial fluid prosthesis into it and stop the friction.

Does it hurt to straighten your knee? Avoid self-medication with jellied meat and gelatin

Use of medications

To get rid of pain in the knee joint, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, painkillers and chondroprotectors are used.

With the help of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, the inflammatory process is stopped, pain is eliminated, and microcirculation of blood and lymph is improved. These drugs include ointments, gels and tablets. Usually the doctor prescribes the following medications:

• Dicrofenac;
• Nimesil;
• Indomethacin;
• Meloxicam;
• Ketanov.

With the help of chondroprotectors, the regeneration of injured and damaged tissues in the knee joint is accelerated. Such drugs are unable to relieve pain, but with a long course of treatment it is possible to prevent the development of relapses and restore the functionality of the knee joint.

Other drugs for the treatment of knee diseases include:

• antibacterial agents - indicated in the treatment of infectious arthritis;
• glucocorticosteroid injections - for the treatment of arthrosis and rheumatoid arthritis;
• medicines to remove urate - in the treatment of gout.

If injury occurs, a cold compress must be applied. Thanks to this, the pain will subside and the hematoma will resolve. Under no circumstances should you heat your knee.

Arthritis

The leader among all inflammatory diseases in the knee area is arthritis. With the development of this disease, infectious agents penetrate into the tissues of the knee joint. As a result, gouty or juvenile arthritis develops.

The most dangerous is rheumatoid arthritis. This is an autoimmune disease and cannot be cured. It progresses rapidly, causing complete destruction of bone structures. With the development of arthritis, deformation of the joint occurs, this is accompanied by severe pain, especially during flexion and extension of the knee.

Pain during flexion of the knee joint is typical at any stage of arthritis development. If there is an exacerbation of the disease, the following additional symptoms occur:

• swelling;
• swelling;
• redness and hyperemia;
• local hyperthermia.

When moving the knee, a person feels fullness, swelling of the kneecap appears, and it becomes hot to the touch. With severe exacerbation, it becomes very difficult to move. When a person is at rest, the symptoms gradually fade away.

If the pathological process is provoked by bursitis, in which the joint capsule becomes inflamed, the discomfort does not go away, even if the patient is at rest. In this case, the joint bakes from the inside. Also, with the development of synovitis, which is accompanied by inflammation of the synovial membrane, severe pain occurs during flexion and extension of the knee.