What You Can Do To Prevent Knee Pain:
- Maintain a healthy weight. Extra weight increases your risk for knee pain. Ask your healthcare provider how much you should weigh. He or she can help you create a safe weight loss plan if you need to lose weight.
- Exercise or train properly. Use the correct equipment for sports. Wear shoes that provide good support. Check your posture often as you exercise, play sports, or train for an event. This can help prevent stress and strain on your knees. Rest between sessions so you do not overwork your knees.
How Long Do You Have Pain After Knee Replacement Surgery
It is usually normal to have some pain after surgery, but this pain generally improves with time. However, doctors can provide some pain relief until this happens.
In rare cases, pain may persist longer. Therefore, people who have ongoing or worsening pain should seek advice from their doctor, as there may be a complication.
The most common complication is that people dont like the way their knee works or they continue to have pain or stiffness.
Damage To The Cartilage At The Back Of The Kneecap
Knee pain that feels worse when you go up or down stairs could be a sign of a damaged kneecap, called chondromalacia patellae.
This should not cause any redness or heat around the knee.
The cause is not understood, but it can be linked to overuse of the knee.
You can treat this problem yourself with anti-inflammatory medicines, such as ibuprofen, an icepack and rest.
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Why Do We Experience Knee Pain
There are many causes of knee pain from injuries such as strains, sprains, torn ligaments and cartilage tears, to conditions such as osteoarthritis, tendonitis and bursitis .
Sports Injuries
Knee injuries are common among athletes, for example, who often experience tears in the knee ligaments, leading to sudden knee pain. Runners knee is a condition that can affect anyone who does a lot of knee bends, for example while running, walking, jumping or cycling. It is felt as pain around the kneecap and can be the result of overuse, injury, abnormalities of the leg bones or feet and weak muscles.
Other causes
Knee injuries can happen slowly because of osteoarthritis, for example. If you experience problems with your hips or feet that cause you to walk awkwardly, it can throw off the alignment of the knees leading to damage. If you have a knee injury, even if it is a minor one, it is more likely that you will have similar injuries in the future.
Locate the cause of your pain
Injuries to ligaments or tears to the menisci can cause pain in the side of the knees. Pain at the front of the knee can be due to bursitis, or cartilage problems. Osteoarthritis can lead to pain in the back of the knee.
How Long Does It Take For Knee Swelling To Go Down
How soon swelling goes away depends on what caused it.
If it happened after doing too much physical activity, it could take a few days if you follow the steps above.
For tears of the ligaments or meniscus, its best to ask your doctor for individual details.
For rheumatoid arthritis, the swelling sadly comes and goes. Its best to treat the flare-ups with medication.
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Conventional Treatments For Knee Pain
Ron Torrance II, D.O, a Sports Medicine Trained Physician at the New ReGeneration Orthopedics of Florida, says he commonly sees knee pain-related conditions among his younger patients who are generally fit especially runners, female athletes and anyone who uses their legs in other repetitive ways
Dr. Torrance feels that an often overlooked aspect of treating knee pain is the need for different interventions depending on someones current fitness level. For example, a young woman who experiences knee pain after running for several months will benefit from a much different treatment approach than an older man with osteoarthritis of the knees.
When treating knee pain injuries, Dr. Torrance first looks at his patients symptoms and then discusses their lifestyle and exercise habits. Knee pain treatment should always depend on which specific part of the knee is injured and the underlying cause of the pain. Even if medications and corrective devices like knee braces are needed to treat knee pain, exercises, stretching and other functional medicine practices should also be incorporated to help with recovery and injury prevention.
Aside from resting the knee after an acute injury, conventional treatments for chronic knee pain that lasts more than several weeks include:
What Can You Do To Help Heal A Bruised Knee
Apply heat to your injured knee to help relieve pain. While your knee is healing, after the initial swelling has gone down, you may find it helpful to apply gentle heat to your knee on a regular basis. The heat will help reduce the pain in your knee and will allow you to regain some range of motion.
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What You Need To Know:
Knee pain may start suddenly, or it may be a long-term problem. You may have pain on the side, front, or back of your knee. You may have knee stiffness and swelling. You may hear popping sounds or feel like your knee is giving way or locking up as you walk. You may feel pain when you sit, stand, walk, or climb up and down stairs. Knee pain can be caused by conditions such as obesity, inflammation, or strains or tears in ligaments or tendons.
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Other Causes Of Knee Swelling
Go to a doctor if the swelling appeared out of nowhere. It could be a symptom of a health problem like:
- Knee osteoarthritis, an overuse injury of the knee joint cartilage.
- Rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disorder characterized by swelling of the joints.
- Deep vein thrombosis, a medical emergency where a blood clot forms within the deep veins of the leg.
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How The Location And Type Of Tear Affect Healing
Where a meniscus tear occurs is one of the most important things that affects healing. Tears at the outer edge tend to heal well because there is a good blood supply. The inner area lacks a good blood supply and therefore does not heal well.
The type of tear often determines whether a tear can be repaired. Longitudinal tears are often repairable. Radial tears may be repairable depending on where they are located. Oblique tears and another type called horizontal tears are generally not repairable.
How To Reduce Twisted Knee Swelling
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The Role Physical Therapy Plays In The Process
Physical therapy is definitely beneficial. Improving range of motion and strength in the knee are helpful, but physical therapy for knee osteoarthritis has a large focus on strengthening the hips, explains Dr. Day.
Weak hips put more pressure on the knees. If your hips are strong, when you get up from a chair or go up and down stairs your knees have less work to do.
Everyone with knee osteoarthritis should consult a physical therapist, according to Dr. Day. Not only will you be taught the right kinds of exercises, a physical therapist also provides valuable instruction about using assistive devices and modifying activities to reduce pain.
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What To Expect At Your Office Visit
Your provider will perform a physical exam, and look at your knees, hips, legs, and other joints.
Your provider may do the following tests:
- MRI of the knee if a ligament or meniscus tear could be the cause
- CT scan of the knee
- Joint fluid culture
Your provider may inject a steroid into your knee to reduce pain and inflammation.
You may need to learn stretching and strengthening exercises. You also may need to see a podiatrist to be fitted for orthotics.
In some cases, you may need surgery.
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How Is The Cause Of Knee Swelling Diagnosed
Your doctor will ask you questions about your pain. These may include:
- What is the exact location of the pain the front of the knee, the back, the inside, the outside, above or below the kneecap?
- Do you feel better or worse at certain times of day?
- Does it hurt more when youre walking up or down stairs?
- How does it hurt? Is it a dull ache or a sharp, stabbing pain?
- Is the knee range of motion decreased?
Along with these questions your doctor will physically examine the knee and afterward suggest the next step in terms of diagnosing the exact problem. You may have a blood test or fluid taken from the knee with a needle for lab examination. Imaging tests may also be used to diagnose your condition.
Why Does Knee Swelling Happen
Swelling is one of the ways our bodies respond to damage. Its there to help increase the blood flow to the injured area which, in turn, also brings in more of your bodys cells that promote recovery.
In people without health issues, knee swelling can happen because of:
- Falling on the knee joints.
- Changes in your workout.
- Standing and/or walking more than youre used to.
- After doing intense physical activity, like moving to a new place.
- A knee injury, like a ligament tear. This may require an X-Ray or MRI to evaluate the size of the injury and plan your recovery.
Identify the root cause of the inflammation so you can treat it properly.
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Joint Or Bursal Aspiration
When a patient has a swollen knee, a doctor may want to verify or rule out certain diagnoses by analyzing the accumulated fluid. To do this, the doctor will remove fluid from the affected knee joint capsule or bursa using a needle and syringe. When performed on a joint capsule, this process is called joint aspiration or arthrocentesis. When performed on a bursa, this process is called bursal aspiration.
The doctor will take note of the aspirated fluid’s color and viscosity and may send it to a lab for further analysis. Determining the contents of the fluid can lead to an accurate diagnosis. For example, uric acid crystals in the joint fluid indicate gout, and bacteria in the fluid indicate infection.
See The Joint Aspiration Procedure
Aspiration and examination of the fluid are important diagnostic steps because the underlying cause of knee swelling will determine the appropriate medical treatment.
Aspirated fluids are not always sent to a lab for analysis. If a diagnosis is already known, a physician may perform an aspiration to improve joint function and patient comfort.
See Diagnosis through Synovial Fluid Analysis
How Is Knee Swelling Treated
Depending on the type and severity of your problem, treatments range from surgery to home remedies. Non-surgical remedies include:
- RICE: an abbreviation for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation, is best to do shortly after suffering an injury. RICE can be helpful for managing minor pain.
- Compression: wrapping the knee not too tightly in an elastic bandage
- Physical therapy: doing exercises to strengthen the knee and improve its stability
- Wearing a brace on the knee
- Taking over-the-counter pain-relief medication
- If you are overweight, losing weight to reduce pressure on the knee
In some cases pain medication or a lubricating substance might be injected into the knee. Or a needle may be used to reduce swelling by removing excess fluid.
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Exercises To Relieve Pain & Stiffness
Complications Of A Swollen Knee
You may develop a Baker’s cyst. This is when joint fluid leaks out into the back of the knee and causes pain and swelling. Treatment usually involves compression and applying ice packs. However, if your swelling is severe, you may need to have the fluid removed using a fine needle.
You may lose muscle mass, especially in your thigh muscles. This is because fluid in your swollen knee can prevent your thigh muscles from working properly over time this causes them to weaken and deteriorate.
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Medication Not Your First Option
Thanks to Amazon you can now buy 500 Ibuprofen for less thatn 10$. We put medication at the bottom of our list simply because its our least favorite, but we want to mention it because it does work. Anti-inflammatories such as Ibuprofen do reduce swelling but we caution against long term use do to risk of impaired kidney function and increased cardiovascular event risk. Always check with your physician if you are already taking other medications to watch for potentially dangerous drug interactions.
Supports And Braces To Reduce Knee Swelling
Supports and braces can be used to support an injured knee joint, stabilize, and also provide compression to the area. Both of these assist with the healing process and help to avoid reinjury before the knee is fully repaired.
Supports can even be worn during sport once the injury has healed to give additional support to the area and again prevent reinjury.
There are several different types of knee braces and supports available and each is used for a different reason.
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When To Call Your Doctor
If your pain and swelling are gettingworse and you can no longer put weight on your knee, see your doctor. A simpleX-ray can show if there is osteoarthritis and, if needed, an MRI scan can checkfor meniscal tears or loose chips of cartilage.
Arthroscopic surgery can sometimes remove loose cartilage. Partial or total knee replacements are other surgical options, especially for those who can no longer stay as active as theyd like. Sometimes computer assistance is used for some complicated knee replacements.
Surgery is a last resort, though,says Dr. Nickodem. Its something to consider when nonoperative treatmentsarent helping.
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Preserve Knee Function With Exercise & Changes In Your Lifestyle
Exercise, including water aerobics, strength training, and yoga, can help preserve knee function to ultimately relieve pain and swelling. The same exercises will help you lose weight, lessening the pressure on your knees. Exercise also helps maintain full range of motion in the knee joints, strengthens the muscles supporting the joints, and absorbs shock impacting the joints.
Walking is the most beneficial form of exercise. Its low-impact, and because its a weight-bearing exercise, it helps strengthen muscles and builds bones. Start out slow, gradually increasing your pace and distance for best results. Water exercises or walking in the shallow end of the pool are also great for muscle strength and knee flexibility. Because the body is buoyant in water, it lessens impact to near zero as it makes you work a little harder to move.
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When To Contact Your Doctor
There are several symptoms that imply you should see a doctor or medical professional. These include
- Severe swelling
- If you can not straighten or fully bend the knee
- Severe pain, not adequately treated by OTC medications
- If you can not bear weight on the knee
- The skin over the knee is hot or red
- Having a fever of 100.4° F or more
- Knee swelling for 3 days or longer
From here the doctor will examine the knee pain and ask several important questions. It begins with a physical examination accompanied by a patient interview so that enough information is collected to make an accurate diagnosis.
If sufficient information is not available then you may need additional medical imaging, for example, an x-ray, or aspiration. This in-office procedure involves removing fluid buildup from the knee.
What Are Some Common Knee Problems
Many knee problems are a result of the aging process and continual wear and stress on the knee joint . Other knee problems are a result of an injury or a sudden movement that strains the knee. Common knee problems include the following:
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Osteoarthritis Vs Rheumatoid Arthritis
The two main types of arthritis have a few key differences. Heres how to tell them apart.
Osteoarthritis
Cause: Wear-and-tear damage to the cartilage that causes its breakdown over time.Symptoms: Pain, stiffness and sometimes swelling in the joint also, loss of flexibility in the joint.Another sign: Osteoarthritis tends to show up in a single joint or in a pair .
Rheumatoid arthritis
Cause: The bodys immune system attacks the lining of the joints, causing swelling and inflammation.Symptoms: Tender, warm, swollen joints also, joint stiffness that lasts a long time.Another sign: Rheumatoid arthritis shows up in multiple joints over time.
Rachel Nania writes about health care and health policy for AARP. Previously she was a reporter and editor for WTOP Radio in Washington, D.C. A recipient of a Gracie Award and a regional Edward R. Murrow Award, she also participated in a dementia fellowship with the National Press Foundation.
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