Understanding Knee pain: Causes, Symptoms, and Management

What is it?

Knee pain is a common complaint that affects people of all ages. It may be the result of many causes: an injury to the knee and its component: ligaments, meniscus, or patella. arthritis (inflammation) of the knee - it can cause by an infection, or by an autoimmune disorder. Bone tumor can cause knee pain when a tumor grows on the femur or the tibia - two of the bones that meet in the knee joint. In the older community knee pain may be the reason of osteoarthritis - a degenerative disease of joints in the body.

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Signs & symptoms

Symptoms that sometimes occur during knee pain are: swelling, stiffness, redness, weakness or instability, and sometimes popping noises.

Diagnosis

During knee pain diagnosis you will be asked by your healthcare provider about your medical history and symptoms. A physical examination will be used to inspect your knee: its color, shape, range of motion, and stability. Your healthcare provider may suggest following tests: imaging tests to better detect fractures, inflammation and other lumps in the knee junction area. These imaging tests are: X-ray, ultrasound, CT and MRI scans. If your doctor suspects an inflammation, he may suggest an arthrocentesis procedure - a small amount of fluid is removed from within your knee joint with a needle and sent to a laboratory for analysis.

Treatment

Treatment of knee pain varies depending on its cause. In less severe cases, like a mild trauma or an osteoarthritis without complications - over-the-counter painkillers may be suggested. Bacterial infection of the knee should be treated with antibiotics as soon as possible, to prevent any damage to the knee. Inflammation caused by an autoimmune disorder may be treated with steroids or other immune-mediated drugs.

☝️ This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult with your physician before making any medical decision.

Learn more about our editorial process for content accuracy.

Source of Information - We analyze big data of more than 23 million patients de-identified medical records from the following sources:

National Institution of Health ∙ World Health Organization ∙ University of Illinois hospital