How to determine that there is “something wrong” with your knee
If your knee is swollen and it hurts to squat after sitting for a long time, you need to pay attention to the presence of additional symptoms.
When discomfort appears after staying in one position, the condition normalizes on its own. If there is redness and burning of the skin in the knee area, pain when pressed, or severe limitation of movement, you should consult a doctor. The longer you delay visiting a doctor, the longer and more difficult the rehabilitation process will be. The risk group for pathologies of the knee joints includes people who lead a sedentary lifestyle, experience regular stress on their legs, and are overweight.
Why does the knee hurt when bending - the most common reasons
The knee joint is one of the largest and most complex joints in the human body. It bears the main load during walking and running, due to which this part of the musculoskeletal system is constantly in action.
Painful sensations when bending and straightening a joint can significantly complicate future life. If suddenly severe pain appears in the knee when bending, and it does not go away, but continues for a long period, then first of all you need to determine its origin.
In practice, if there is pain in the knee when bending, the reasons may be as follows:
- Injury;
- Inflammation;
- Congenital pathology and other diseases.
Let's take a closer look at the main possible reasons.
Injuries as a cause of knee pain
Knee injuries are a serious problem that often occurs among professional athletes during competitions and training. However, you can also get mechanical damage while walking down the street and slipping on an uneven surface.
If the cause of pain is physical trauma, the pain appears immediately. At rest, it may subside, but when turning and bending the joint, the discomfort intensifies.
A sign of injury is tissue swelling that appears over time, as well as bruising that forms on the skin.
If, after a mechanical injury, pain appears in the leg when bending the knee, then with a high probability we are talking about one of the following injuries:
Sprained ligaments and tendons - you need to provide rest for the leg, the damage goes away on its own;
Ligament or tendon rupture – you should definitely go to a medical facility, as the injury will not go away on its own;
Damage to the meniscus - a rupture or displacement of flexible tissue between the joints, also requires going to the hospital;
Dislocation - in a mild state, when mobility is not lost, you need to ensure rest and everything will go away on its own. In severe conditions, it is better to seek help;
A dislocated joint is a serious injury that requires realignment of the joint. Determined by acute pain, loss of leg mobility, change in bone position;
A fracture or crack requires a visit to the traumatology department and plaster casting of the injured limb.
If your knees hurt and it hurts to bend your legs the next day after active training, then don’t worry. You need to rest for a few days and reconsider your exercise regimen.
If discomfort occurs during training after a hit, jump, while running or during other physical activities, then we are talking about an injury and it is better to seek help.
Inflammatory pathologies
Severe pain in the knee when bending can be a consequence of inflammatory processes. Inflammation of the joint tissue is called arthritis, which in turn can be of the following two types:
Specific - develops against the background of various infectious diseases, such as intestinal infection and its analogues. If the initial disease is not treated in time, the bacteria can spread, including to joint tissue;
Nonspecific - develops with increased stress on the joints, frequent contact with cold and moisture, and excessive abrasion of the cartilage. It is an age-related disease.
Inflammatory pathologies also require timely and serious treatment. If measures are not taken to eliminate the infection, then it will progress in the future, affecting healthy tissue, aggravating the patient’s discomfort.
If we are talking about nonspecific arthritis, then it is almost impossible to stop it, but you can significantly slow down its development by following preventive measures, which will be described further.
If acute pain in the knee appears when bending without previous injuries or other obvious reasons for its occurrence, then you are most likely faced with an inflammatory process.
The danger of such ailments lies in the fact that in the absence of proper treatment and the disease is allowed to take its course, it can become a chronic condition.
Other diseases of the knee area
Modern medicine distinguishes a fairly large number of joint diseases, including the knee area. They are characterized based on the type of lesion and tissue that suffers the main damage, be it bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, meniscus, etc.
The disease can manifest itself as a concomitant disorder, become a congenital defect, or become an age-related illness caused by the natural biological processes of aging.
In any case, if you feel pain in your leg when bending your knee, you need to contact a specialist who can make an accurate diagnosis based on the nature of the problem.
Effective methods for treating knee tumors
When the knee is swollen and hurts when bending, only a doctor can prescribe treatment. Before therapy, it is important to establish the causes of the joint disease. For this purpose, the patient is shown MRI, computed tomography, x-ray, and joint puncture. To exclude infection, it is necessary to take a general blood test.
Treatment methods depend on the causes, type and course of the disease, the patient’s age and the presence of concomitant pathologies. Based on diagnostic test data, the doctor chooses one of the types of treatment:
- Conservative - prescribed when the knee is swollen after squats or other vigorous physical activity due to impaired physiological functions.
- Surgical treatment - complete or partial knee replacement, osteotomy, arthroscopy.
- Physiotherapy: magnetic therapy, cryotherapy, laser and ultrasound treatment.
The effectiveness of treatment largely depends on how correctly the patient followed all the doctor’s instructions.
Why do knee problems occur?
Knee lock can be true or false. In the first case, there is a real physical barrier, due to which the leg at the knee does not fully extend. A false reason is the absence of physical obstacles in the functioning of the joint, but the presence of pain due to which the leg does not fully extend at the knee. There are often cases when both factors are combined - pain and physical obstacle. This usually happens after injuries accompanied by dislocations and fractures. If there were no injuries to the legs, but the knee does not fully straighten and hurts, we are most likely talking about serious diseases of the musculoskeletal system, including:
- arthrosis;
- synovial fold syndrome;
- amyotrophic sclerosis.
If the legs are difficult to straighten at the knees, but there is no pronounced pain, the reasons can be very diverse. For example, this is often observed in women after prolonged walking in high heels. There are often cases when the knee does not straighten after an injury, and in such a situation it needs to be developed - to restore the mobility of the joints with the help of physical exercises.
Another large group of patients who, for example, experience difficulty in straightening their knee after sitting, need the help of a neurologist, since their problem is related to malfunctions of the nervous system. As paradoxical as it may sound, knee problems often arise when muscle contractions are unbalanced. Causes may include injury, atrophy and myopathy. But usually we are talking about a neurological deficit, for which only a specialized specialist can choose effective treatment.
Restoring the knee after surgery or injury
Knee surgery, joint injury or bruise
always cause bone displacement, tissue fusion and a decrease in range of motion. To reduce the negative consequences, the patient needs a course of rehabilitation to restore his usual state.
Rehabilitation after injury or surgery
In case of injuries or operations, the main thing is a correctly selected motor mode. Movement of the affected joint
, flexion and extension of the knee must be done regularly, otherwise the muscles and ligaments will remember a long stay in a resting position, soft tissue adhesions may form, and disabling contracture may appear. Subsequent rehabilitation procedures may not give a positive result, and the amplitude of knee flexion will be much less than in the post-traumatic period.
To strengthen muscles, ligaments and joints, doctors prescribe medications. In case of injuries and operations, in order to reduce pain and swelling, anti-inflammatory and analgesic ointments, creams, and gels are prescribed. To relieve pain, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and medications that normalize blood flow are necessary.
You can develop the joint using massage. The procedures must be performed by an experienced specialist. If the knee is in a cast, then massage should begin after it is removed. If you are wearing an orthosis, then it is removed during the massage. Massage reduces pain, swelling, and muscle spasms. Not only the knee itself is massaged, but also the areas next to it. After just a few procedures, the patient will see how the range of motion of the knee has increased. Massage techniques used in the recovery process: lymphatic drainage and manual procedures.
Methods of recovery after injuries and operations of the knee joint
The following methods are used for recovery:
- drug treatment;
- physiotherapy;
- kinesitherapy;
- pressotherapy;
- manual therapy;
- imperative-corrective gymnastics;
- kinesio taping.
Physiotherapy speeds up the process of the effects of drugs. Procedures such as electrophoresis, paraffin therapy, phonophoresis, magnetic therapy, UHF therapy will help quickly relieve swelling, pain, and muscle spasms. By developing joints with the help of physiotherapy, the joint will quickly return to normal and be ready for stress and physical activity.
Exercises after surgery or injury
Recovery after surgery or injury to the knee joint should be under the supervision of a physician. By following the recommendations, you can quickly return the functionality of your knee to normal. High-quality and regular exercise contributes to this, and here are some of them:
- Sitting on the floor with your legs extended, you should tense and relax your knee without moving your legs. Keep it tense for 2 seconds. The exercise should be repeated at least 20 times every 60 minutes.
- Lie on your back with your legs extended, knees straight, lying on a hard surface. Slowly raise your extended leg and also slowly lower it. Repeat 10-15 times, three times a day.
- Lying on your back with your legs extended, lift your leg up. Grasp your leg by the thigh with both hands and relax the muscles; the weight of your leg will cause your knee to bend. Return your leg to the starting position. Repeat 10-15 times three times a day.
- While sitting on a chair or bed, place a soft cushion under your knee so that your leg hangs off the bed. Straighten the injured leg, and then bend the knee under the force of the foot of the healthy leg. If severe pain occurs when bending, you can help with your healthy leg by holding it by the ankle with your foot.
- Lying on your stomach, bend your knee, helping it with an elastic band or bandage. You need to tighten until you feel pressure in the knee joint. Hold in this position for 3-4 seconds. Repeat the exercise several times during the day.
- Lying on your back, perform the bicycle exercise with the maximum possible degree of straightening of the injured knee.
By increasing the frequency of exercise, muscles and joints become stronger faster.
If after surgery or injury the knee can bend more than 100 degrees, you can exercise on a bicycle trainer. The saddle should be set to the highest possible position. When a person can perform the exercise for 10-15 minutes, the time and level of the saddle can be increased. Exercises in the pool are effective when possible: after removal of stitches after surgery or a cast for injury.
All exercises should be performed after consultation with your doctor to avoid negative consequences. During the initial restoration of the knee, it is better to use therapy using the Artromot, Kinetek, Oxycycle devices.
Recovery at home
At home after surgery or injury, you should also follow the recommendations of the orthopedist, in this case the recovery will be much faster and more efficient. Gradually you need to increase your walking, first around the apartment, then gradually go outside. Moderate walking on stairs, constant standing and sitting on a chair. Continue to do regular exercises for a few minutes a day to develop movement and strengthen the knee joint. Following a diet is also important. The diet should include foods containing iron, this will help quickly restore muscles and speed up tissue healing.
Modern methods of rehabilitation after surgery or knee injury help to quickly recover and return to a full life: restore the previous function of the joint, improve muscle tone, and prevent further injuries or pain.
Author: K.M.N., Academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences M.A. Bobyr