Knee pain – Causes

You may have started to experience Knee Pain due to age or other lifestyle associated factors. Today the same is not just an age related issue. The usual symptoms are selling and redness in the knee, difficulty in standing for a long time, trouble climbing stairs or walking for long distances, limping. Some people also have difficulty in standing up immediately and walking. All these issues are due to various causes. To recommend the treatment plan, the doctor has to understand the reason of the symptoms. Be clear to your treating on the cause and the history of the pain.

Causes of Knee Pain:

Broken bones– Knee is made up of three bones, tibia or shin bone, femur or thigh bone and patella or knee cap. Fractures of any of these bones causes severe pain and swelling.  There is another bone called fibula present very near to the knee joint. The fracture of this bone also causes pain and swelling in knee.

Torn soft tissue– Knee has numerous ligaments and special moon shaped cartilages called menisci. Injuries to these structures also leads to significant pain and many times wobbly knee and also locked knees. They can be also called as knee cartilage tears.

Inflammation– Various inflammatory conditions like Rheumatoid arthritis , gout are significant causes of knee pain. They can also cause disability and affect the quality of life. Please note that these are an autoimmune disorder and require a rheumatologist.

Infection– Infecion of the joint occurs usually in those whose immunity is low.

Degeneration– Wear and tear in the  joint may be due to  natural aging process or accelerated rate of wear and tear in an injured knee

Risk factors – Excessive weight and injured knee are the two major risk factors for  chronic knee pain

Osteoarthritis – While osteoarthritis is the most common surgical patient diagnosis, those with severe pain from any type of arthritis may benefit from surgery, including a partial or total knee replacement. It’s crucial to discuss and explore all treatment options with your doctor before opting for surgery

Associated Symptoms of Knee Pain:
Swelling, deformed bent knees, recurrent giving way, and locking are few of the associated symptoms  with knee pain