Everything You Need to Know About Internal Knee Pain

Often a person pays attention to his health only when the disease is at a late stage of its development and is accompanied by unpleasant symptoms. However, we should not forget that health is the highest value, and once you lose it, you will have to spend a lot of time and effort to restore it.

If a person has pain on the side of his knee , then, as a rule, he is in no hurry to seek medical help and hopes that the pain will go away soon on its own. WE RECOMMEND YOU TO CONTACT OUR SPECIALISTS FOR A SECOND OPINION (For this you will need x-rays).

Not only elderly patients suffer from this disease, but also young people. Most often, knee pain occurs in people involved in active sports (equestrianism, bodybuilding, cycling, etc.). During training, these people can get microtraumas and sprains. Many people pay attention to the fact that knee pain appears on the side. The causes of such sensations are not necessarily diseases of the knee joint itself. Pain can also occur due to pathologies in other areas of the human body.

Pain on the side of the knee can be caused not only by bruises and various types of injuries, but also by injuries to the knee in childhood. If the knee joint becomes inflamed or becomes infected, a person will experience pain while walking not only on the side of the knee, but throughout the entire leg. Dystrophic-degenerative diseases of the joint can also cause pain on the side of the knee and discomfort.

If you feel pain on the side of your knee, it may also be a sign of a muscle strain or torn ligament. Also, pain on the side of the knee can be caused by neurological disorders.

AND IN THIS CASE, WE RECOMMEND YOU TO CONTACT OUR SPECIALISTS FOR A SECOND OPINION (The cost of such a service depends on the complexity of the case).

Treatment methods for such diseases are extremely varied, so our clinic’s specialists recommend that you find a competent doctor who will select adequate treatment.

The structure of the joint in MRI images of the knee?

Despite its apparent simplicity, the structure of this site has a complex structure. In addition to the anatomical connection of the two bones of the lower limb (tibia and femur), the articular area is represented by cartilage fibers, connective, ligamentous and muscular apparatus, nerve and blood channels. The front side of the fold is usually called lateral, and the popliteal (inner) side is called medial.

The natural joint is kept in a dynamic state by the cruciate ligaments, which also provide the force for movement. An MRI of the knee shows that between the dense surfaces of the two bones there is a cartilage seal - the meniscus disc. Its purpose is to evenly distribute the load on the limb. The tissue does not wear out in the interosseous space, as it is surrounded by liquid-filled capsules - bursae.

Maximum mobility of the area is ensured by the work of the quadriceps anterior muscle, which is also evident on MRI of the knee. According to an anatomical algorithm, it straightens the limb, and the tendons located in the inner part of the bend pull the tibia to the tibia. In the absence of damage or systemic diseases, wear and tear of bones and cartilage does not occur for many years, unless the joint areas of the body are overstrained. But in some cases, premature aging of the “hinge” part of the legs appears. The following factors influence the anomalous process:

• Osteoarthritis and arthritic damage that can lead to complete immobility of the bone joint.
• Age-related changes in the body leading to tissue aging.
• Excessively high weight, putting a lot of stress on the legs.
• Hormonal changes affecting blood circulation.
• Congenital developmental pathologies and genetic predisposition to bone diseases.
• Previous surgery and other types of trauma.
• Forced physical overload caused by occupational hazards.

In addition to the above list, the treating specialist can detect premature joint aging due to poor posture, adverse environmental influences and addiction to smoking and alcohol.

Knee pain. Diagnostics.

To eliminate pain on the side of the knee, it is necessary to determine its cause. Our specialists will prescribe a thorough examination and comprehensive diagnostics (x-ray, arthroscope, MRI, etc.).

An extremely important procedure is a laboratory analysis of the patient’s blood.

Most often, such pain occurs due to osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine. In this case, the sensory roots of the lumbosacral nerve plexus are displaced. During this, lumbar pain radiates to the hip and knee area. Since our knees are often exposed to stress, certain changes occur in them.

One of these changes is the disease gonarthrosis of the knee joint.

During this pathology, dystrophic changes in the articular cartilage are observed, resulting in its depletion. Then the bone tissue of the tibia and the condyle of the femur are affected. When the condyles of the femur are affected, a person experiences knee pain on the side .

Causes of pain seen on MRI of the knee

There are temporary pathological conditions, manifested in episodic joint pain, and permanent ones, indicating the development of a disease. Temporary discomfort may occur due to improper distribution of physical activity, mild to moderate injuries, a reaction to weather changes, or minor sprains of ligaments or tendons.

Chronic pain requires an urgent MRI. A knee that constantly bothers you indicates a pathology that can manifest itself as persistent discomfort or a painful syndrome that appears after walking, running, bending and straightening the legs, or squats. So, if unpleasant sensations arose after the first run, then most often this is evidence of muscle overstrain. But if the pain repeats after each race, this is a signal of meniscus damage, dislocation of the cup, rupture of ligamentous fibers or the appearance of an intervertebral hernia, which is also visualized on MRI. The knee suffers from this anomaly due to pinching of the nerve passing through the damaged vertebra.

When walking, the joint may hurt due to poor circulation or wearing uncomfortable shoes. Pain in the popliteal space occurs after an “unsuccessful” lifting of heavy objects or an injury that is not noticeable at first glance. If you experience an aching sensation when trying to sit down, go up or down stairs, this indicates the initial stage of development of arthritis or arthrosis, Schlatter's disease, or microscopic fiber sprains resulting from improper exercise.

Why and how does pain appear when walking on the inside of the knee, how to deal with it

The healthiest people are periodically susceptible to pain in the knee area. There are a large number of causes of pathology. And diseases manifest themselves in a variety of ways. Let's talk about this today.

Symptoms

If the disease affects the knees, the following signs can be observed:

• there is severe pain in the limb. It is difficult to walk and squat. When the situation worsens, pathology can be felt even at rest;
• the knee swells, a change in appearance is visible, which leads over time to a modification of the gait;
• in the morning it is difficult to bend and straighten the leg at the knee;
• While walking, a crunching sound is heard and pain is felt that does not go away even at night.

Causes

Pain is often felt when walking for a number of reasons:

1. Ligaments are damaged. At the time of injury, a person may hear a crunching or loud click, which is replaced by acute pain in the area of ​​the inside of the knee.
2. Damage to the tendons, manifested by inflammation and irritation. A person feels pain in the knee while moving. If the tendons are completely torn, the ability to walk is lost. The situation can only be corrected by surgical intervention.
3. If the meniscus is damaged, the leg swells several hours after the injury. Pain in the leg is also felt not only at the moment of movement, but also at rest.
4. Joint pain
   can also occur with periarthritis of the knee joint. The pathology is especially pronounced if a person changes position, squats or sits quietly.
5. If a Baker's cyst, otherwise called a popliteal hernia, develops, the inside of the knee hurts. A person feels his joint ache. A tumor is observed, which indicates the development of an inflammatory process.
6. In septic arthritis, pain in the kneecap is felt due to infection of the joint. A swollen leg indicates pathology; it is difficult to bend it. The limb takes on a reddish tint. If purulent (septic) arthritis develops, the person feels severe chills and the temperature rises greatly.
7. With rheumatoid arthritis, a person feels discomfort in the knee area, movements are constrained, and the knee joints are deformed. The disease manifests itself in the morning. You can observe it on the right and left knee.
8. With the development of bursitis, an inflammatory process develops in the area where the synovial fluid is located, which leads to a pathological process expressed by severe pain.

The most common causes leading to painful sensations were listed. There are a number of other pathologies. Only a doctor can determine the nature of development after examining the patient.

Which doctor should I contact?

If your knees hurt, you should not self-medicate. To prevent the situation from worsening, contact a medical facility at the first signs of illness.

To determine the nature of the sensations, you should consult a rheumatologist. He will send you for a series of studies, which will determine whether osteoporosis, fibromyalgia, or osteoarthritis is developing.

It is also recommended to consult a traumatologist. The pathology is treated by a physiotherapist who prescribes therapeutic exercises. In some cases, a course of massage performed by a chiropractor will significantly ease the condition of the joints.

Diagnostics

The doctor examines the affected limb. At the same time, the specialist interviews the patient, collecting reliable data about the history of the development of the pathology. Based on this, a primary diagnosis is made.

To confirm the assumption, the doctor prescribes a whole range of different studies. Patients undergo a general blood and urine test and a biochemical blood test.

Diagnosis of the development of the disease will help:

• radiography;
• ultrasound examination;
• angiography prescribed by a phlebologist;
• full computer diagnostics.

Sometimes the doctor prescribes a puncture. Based on the diagnostic data, the subsequent treatment method is carried out.

Eliminating diseases with medicines

Treatment of the knee joint should be carried out only after diagnosing the disease. The doctor selects an individual scheme of therapeutic procedures:

1. When treating minor injuries, the use of Diclofenac, Dicloberl, Movalis, analgesics, chondroprotectors, muscle relaxants and vitamin complexes is prescribed. Complex injuries are eliminated through surgery.
2. A damaged meniscus is treated in combination, using medications along with physiotherapy, exercise therapy, massage and endoprosthetics.
3. The use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, anesthetics, antibiotics, chondroprotectors, B vitamins, and muscle relaxants is prescribed if sprains and tendinitis are diagnosed. To quickly resolve the pathology, it is necessary to apply a tight bandage.
4. If arthritis, arthrosis and a number of other diseases develop, intramuscular injections, pills, and a multivitamin complex are prescribed.

In each situation, a different treatment method is prescribed. The drugs are used in combination.

Prevention measures

To prevent the development of various pathological situations, try not to fall, hit or injure your knees.
You should not gain excessive weight. At the first signs of infectious diseases, begin treatment. Lead a healthy lifestyle. If the recommendations are followed, knees will not bother a person until old age. Author: K.M.N., Academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences M.A. Bobyr

Pain on the inside requiring an MRI of the knee

Internal pain may be accompanied by an upward change in local tissue temperature, redness of the skin, visible swelling and bruising. Caused by the following pathologies:

• arthritis;
• experience of trauma, recent or old;
• the same daily exhausting overloads;
• bone infection;
• cystic formations in the joint structure;
• osteochondritis, clearly visible on MRI of the knee.

As a result of incorrect load distribution, deformation of the “hinged” section occurs. The tissues lose their safe interaction, rub against each other, and the main pressure falls on the inside of the joint.

Pain on the side of the knee. Treatment

The specialized orthopedic center of the Friedrichshafen Clinic, founded in 1987, provides high-quality diagnosis and treatment of joints.

Arthroscopy

In case of ligament rupture, meniscus or cartilage injury, the patient is advised to undergo atroscopic examination and treatment. Thanks to computer navigation, it is possible to accurately determine the location of the meniscus lesion and restore damaged fibers. Arthroscopy for the diagnosis and treatment of lateral knee pain is performed on an outpatient basis at the Friedrichshafen Clinic. The cost of this procedure varies, usually from €5,000 to €6,000. Every year the clinic performs about 500 such interventions.

Endoprosthetics

With extensive destructive processes in the knee joint, endoprosthetic surgery may be required. There are complete and partial knee replacements. In the first case, we are talking about replacing the front part of the joint and part of the kneecap. With total endoprosthetics, a complex endoprosthesis, the so-called “artificial” knee, is installed. The cost of knee replacement in our clinic in Germany is about € 12,000 - € 14,000. Since the cost depends on the individual situation of the patient, the exact cost can only be determined after reviewing the patient’s medical documentation and x-rays. The estimate for treatment is formed as follows: accommodation, cost of patient care, fees for the chief physician and anesthetist.

What to do if the disease is not detected on MRI images of the knee?

If the patient cannot accurately determine the intensity with which he feels pain, and the treating specialist does not observe concomitant pathological signs of known diseases, it can be assumed that the phenomenon is temporary. If the pain appears as a result of fatigue and working on your feet for a long time, it is enough to lie down for a while and increase the rest period. The absence of pain after such a break indicates the absence of the disease.

To speed up the recovery time of joints after a load or stress, you can use some folk recommendations or use an anti-inflammatory drug in the form of an ointment or gel. Herbal compresses mixed with St. John's wort, hop cones and sweet clover have proven themselves well. Sea buckthorn oil or aloe juice mixed with honey works well for inflammation.

The main causes of knee pain on the side and inside

Injuries

Tendon rupture, meniscal injury with the development of meniscitis or meniscopathy, fractures are accompanied by sharp pain not only on the back of the knee, but also in any area. It is impossible to lean on your leg when walking, or simply bend, straighten, or make any other movement. The intensity of pain decreases after immobilization, application of ice, and novocaine blockade.

Six diseases

Popliteal artery aneurysm

With this disease, dissection of the aortic wall occurs with the formation of a sac-like protrusion. The causes of this pathology: endarteritis, atherosclerosis, congenital anomalies of the aorta.

A sharp, unbearable pain occurs, the intensity of which decreases over time, but sensitivity is impaired. Weakness appears in the leg, it freezes and goes numb. The skin turns pale to blue.

Differences from Baker's cyst are the pulsation of the swelling and its persistence after pressing.

Serious complications in the form of vascular thrombosis, gangrene, and acute arterial insufficiency in the ankle vessels cannot be excluded.

Inflammation of the lymph nodes of the popliteal fossa

Lymphadenitis is accompanied by swelling, local fever, severe pain when palpating the lymph nodes and straightening the knee.

Baker's cyst

This is a protrusion of the synovial bursa in the form of a hernia into the popliteal fossa. Appears in people after 40 years of age, often under both knees as a complication of synovitis or arthritis.

At first, unobtrusive unpleasant sensations arise. As the cyst enlarges, the vessels and nerves on the inside of the knee are compressed, the pain intensifies, and numbness, tingling or other paresthesia of the sole area occurs.

A characteristic symptom is a reduction in the hernia when pressing on it due to the reverse flow of joint fluid.

Avascular osteonecrosis

This is a severe non-inflammatory pathology of the joints, leading to tissue death due to impaired blood supply. Necrosis of the knee joint is characterized by pain on its inner surface.

Arthritis of the knee (gonarthritis)

Gonarthritis is inflammation of the knee joint of various origins. It can be infectious, rheumatoid, gouty, post-traumatic, reactive, aseptic - and that’s not all its types.

It may affect one knee (monoarthritis) or both (polyarthritis).

At first, the pain occurs periodically, intensifying with physical activity and in the evening. The knee swells, the temperature rises locally, and the skin over it turns red. As inflammation progresses, stiffness in movement, bone deformities, impaired muscle nutrition, contractures, and even complete loss of joint mobility develop.

Of all joint inflammations, knee arthritis is diagnosed in 35–52% of cases. It is detected among people of any age group, but more often in people 40–60 years old.

Knee tendonitis

With this pathology, the tendons of the knee become inflamed and affected. A nagging or sharp pain occurs in the affected area.

In stage 1 tendonitis, the pain is moderate, occurs only in response to normal load on the knee, and goes away with rest. At stages 2–3, it intensifies, not disappearing even after many hours of rest. A moderate restriction appears in the joint, microtears or complete rupture of the tendon are possible.

Other possible diseases

Other causes of pain on the back of the knee joint include Hoffa's disease, malignant or benign neoplasms, such as hygroma.

Diagnosis of pathologies using radiography, ultrasound and MRI of the knee

If the described remedies do not help, pain appears more and more often and is supplemented by accompanying symptoms, you must urgently contact an orthopedic traumatologist. If necessary, he will recommend involving other highly specialized specialists in diagnostic procedures: a surgeon, rheumatologist, oncologist or neurologist. Maple MRI is rarely used as a primary method, since mechanical damage to the area is easily detected using traditional hardware procedures (X-ray and ultrasound).

If the cause of pain is not a previous injury, but an internal disease, it is necessary to differentiate the pathology from similar articular anomalies. Classical methods are not able to cope with explaining the root cause of inflammatory processes or the appearance of tumor formations. If a pathological object was detected, diagnosticians could not clearly determine how aggressive the cells were embedded in adjacent tissues. Using tomographic research methods, this problem is solved in a short period of time.

MRI of the knee provides numerous images of the internal structures of the area being studied, in which both dense bone fibers and soft tissue formations are clearly visible. The possibility of multiple magnification allows you to examine blood and nerve channels, detect foci of infection, degenerative disorders, find the primary tumor and metastases spreading from it. The technique allows you to obtain maximum information in a short time, when the timeliness of therapy plays an important role.

Treatment of diseases detected on MRI of the knee

After scanning and identifying the problem, a plan for subsequent restoration of the articular area is developed. So, if the cause of pain is a severe bruise, but destruction or cracking of bone or cartilage fibers has not occurred, prolonged rest and cold compresses on the affected area are required. It is important to immobilize your leg for a while.

If, during a diagnostic MRI screening of the knee, inflammations occurring in various tissues of the articular system are detected, drug therapy is prescribed. Most often, medications are used in the form of external ointments or gels. Accompanying treatment is wearing a pressure bandage if bursitis was previously diagnosed. In some cases, internal administration of antiseptic agents is required, introduced into the source of infection through a puncture of a syringe.

Specific joint diseases are treated with targeted drug therapy. If tissue destruction is severe, the issue of surgical intervention is decided. At the remission stage, physiotherapeutic warming, massages, and courses of therapeutic exercises are traditionally used.

Pain in the knee joint: treatment at the Yusupov Hospital

The main goals for the treatment of pain in the knee joint, which the doctors at the Yusupov Hospital Therapy Clinic set for themselves, are the following:

• eliminate swelling;
• relieve the patient from discomfort;
• restore the functions of the knee joint;
• prevent new attacks.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics are used to relieve pain. The use of warming and distracting ointments, as well as restorative drugs, is effective.

In the remission stage, patients are prescribed the use of physiotherapeutic techniques, massages, and therapeutic exercises.

In the absence of effectiveness from conservative therapy, specialists, taking into account all the pros and cons, consider the advisability of surgical treatment.

In addition, there are a number of traditional medicine that help reduce pain, but their use must first be discussed with specialists who monitor the progress of treatment aimed at eliminating pain in the knee joint. How to treat this pathology should only be decided by an experienced, highly qualified doctor who is familiar with the patient’s research results, the individual characteristics of his body and many other important nuances.

Evaluation of treatment effectiveness using MRI of the knee

After the reconstructive manipulations have been carried out, it is recommended to carry out preventive diagnostics, which allows us to assess the correctness of the therapy or surgical intervention. Screening evaluates the rate of tissue regeneration and the absence of recurrent processes. The study is available in specialized clinics that provide consultations in every district of the city.

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