Recommened For Knee Pain
Meniscus Tear – The menisci of the knee are the pieces of cartilage that cushions the knee joint. When the posterior portion of the meniscus is torn, it may cause pain behind the knee .
Other causes – Direct trauma to the knee may also cause behind knee pain. Your doctor will diagnose whether it is a knee sprain or a ligament tear.
When To Contact A Medical Professional
- You cannot bear weight on your knee.
- You have severe pain, even when not bearing weight.
- Your knee buckles, clicks, or locks.
- Your knee is deformed or misshapen.
- You cannot flex your knee or have trouble straightening it all the way out.
- You have a fever, redness or warmth around the knee, or a lot of swelling.
- You have pain, swelling, numbness, tingling, or bluish discoloration in the calf below the sore knee.
- You still have pain after 3 days of home treatment.
What Can You Do For The Pain
Your plan will depend on your specific injury. Mild to moderate issues will often get better on their own. To speed the healing, you can:
- Rest your knee. Take a few days off from intense activity.
- Ice it to curb pain and swelling. Do it for 15 to 20 minutes every 3 to 4 hours. Keep doing it for 2 to 3 days or until the pain is gone.
- Compress your knee. Use an elastic bandage, straps, or sleeves to wrap the joint. It will keep down swelling or add support.
- Elevate your knee with a pillow under your heel when you’re sitting or lying down to cut down on swelling.
- Take anti-inflammatorymedications. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or naproxen will help with pain and swelling. Follow the instructions on the label. These drugs can have side effects, so you should only use them now and then unless your doctor says otherwise.
- Practice stretching and strengthening exercises if your doctor recommends them. You may want to do physical therapy, too.
Make an appointment with a doctor if you still have pain after 2 weeks of home treatment, if the knee becomes warm, or if you have fever along with a painful, swollen knee.
Some people with knee pain need more help. For instance, if you have bursitis, your doctor may need to draw out extra fluid from the bursa in your knee. If you have arthritis, you may need an occasional corticosteroid shot to settle down inflammation. And if you have a torn ligament or certain knee injuries, you may need surgery.
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I Only Have Pain Behind My Knee When Walking Up Or Down The Stairs What Should I Do
The act of walking up and down stairs involves straightening the knee whilst it is bearing weight, and the the most common cause of pain in this case is chondromalacia patella. This condition is brought about by the cartilage on the underside of the kneecap deteriorating and softening. Some people can ignore the condition, but in the end it will probably need to be surgically addressed. It may be that a flap of cartilage has become unstable, in which case it can be treated by a chondroplasty, repairing the damaged cartilage using keyhole surgery.
Inflamed Synovium In Rheumatoid Arthritis
In rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease, the body attacks its own joints. White blood cells, which are agents of the immune system, travel to the synovium and cause an inflammatory process to occur, referred to as active synovitis. The inflamed synovium causes warmth, redness, swelling, and pain in and around the affected joint.
Specifically, during the inflammatory process, the synovium thickens and causes the joint to swell. As rheumatoid arthritis progresses, abnormal synovial cells invade and erode cartilage and bone within the joint. Surrounding muscles, ligaments, and tendons weaken.
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When To See A Healthcare Provider
If you are unsure of the cause of your symptoms, or if you do not know how to treat your condition, you should contact your healthcare provider. Your treatment will depend on the specific cause of your calf pain.
Some signs that you should be seen by a healthcare provider include:
- Inability to walk comfortably on the affected side
- Injury that causes deformity of the lower leg
- Calf pain that occurs at night or while resting
- Calf pain that persists beyond a few days
- Swelling of the calf or ankle joint area
- Signs of an infection, including fever, redness, warmth
- Any other unusual symptoms
Osteoarthritis Of The Knee
The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis, which is a progressive wearing of the cartilage in the knee joint. It occurs more frequently in people age 50 and older.
After 50, the impact of osteoarthritis can worsen due to accumulated use and the wearing down of cartilage that occurs with age.
Osteoarthritis is often the result of bone rubbing on bone, and yes, thats as painful as it sounds. Osteoarthritis can also be caused by age, weight, genetics, previous injuries, infections, illness , and certain occupations, such as construction and manufacturing.
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Symptoms Of Pain Behind The Knee
Since several conditions can cause pain behind the knee, the symptoms can vary. The most common symptoms include:
Varying types of pain
The pain can be sharp, dull, or burning. It may come on suddenly or gradually. It may be constant, or it may occur when you put weight on the leg or when you bend the knee. This information can help a doctor diagnose your knee problem.
Swelling or stiffness
The knee may look swollen or misshapen. You may be unable to bend the knee, or your knee may pop, lock up, or collapse when you put weight on it. These symptoms usually indicate that you have sustained an injury, but there are other possibilities as well.
Redness or warmth
Under certain circumstances, the back of your knee could feel hot to the touch, or redness could be visible. You might also have a fever. These symptoms would point to a different cause than if you only have pain.
Common Causes Of Knee Pain Without Injury
Of all the joints, our knees are arguably the ones most likely to feel pain. Lots of injuries can cause knee pain. Car accidents, falls and sports accidents are some of the most common causes of knee injuries, like fractures, torn ligaments and sprains. Even though its never fun to experience knee pain, when it follows an injury, at least you have a pretty good idea whats causing your discomfort. And that can make it a little easier to seek and receive proper treatment.
Sometimes though, knee pain occurs without a preceding injury. In those cases, it can be tempting to ignore the pain at first to see if it subsides on its own. The problem is, even though you might not have had an accident, the issue causing your pain can still be serious. And delaying care can wind up prolonging your symptoms and even making them worse.
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Burning Pain When Sitting Still
Some people feel more pain at night than during the day.
You might feel more pain when youâre sitting still. Some of us are just too busy to monitor pain. We need debilitating pain to tell us to slow down and be still.
So when you sit down and take a break, do not be surprised if the little niggles of pain begin to visit you.
Your nightly knee pain can also come from reduced hormone signals. When you rest, your hormone signals are reduced. These reduced hormone signals give way for pain signals to reach the brain.
So youâll feel pain as you try to nod off.
Your blood vessels may also be the culprit for pain at night. When you sleep, your blood vessels increase in diameter. This is a natural process that allows more blood to come to muscles, allowing them to heal.
However, those expanding blood vessels can put pressure on your nerves. This will cause pain such as pain in your knee even as you try to sleep.
When To See A Doctor For Lateral Knee Pain While Kneeling
If any of the following is happening, please seek medical advice:
- You cant bear weight on the injured leg.
- You cant straighten your knee.
- The pain and swelling arent improving after 72 hours.
- The other leg is starting to hurt as well.
- Your knee is clicking or popping, but it didnt before the injury.
- You have unexplained weight loss.
- The pain doesnt let you sleep.
- You feel like the knee is giving out under you.
- Theres a visual deformity on the knee joint.
- You have a fever.
Your doctor will perform a physical exam to determine the cause of knee pain. They may need blood or imaging tests as well.
Once the diagnosis is ready, your healthcare providers will design the treatment plan.
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Pain Behind The Knee: Common Causes And Treatments
Have you ever been standing at barbecue or party and felt you needed to sit down due to an aching pain behind your knee?
Have you ever been sitting at a movie theater and felt a sharp shooting pain behind your knee that distracted you from enjoying the movie?
Pain directly behind the knee is very common but can be misdiagnosed due to the amount of muscles, tendons, and tissues that reside there. Likely, you have searched the Google trying to find information on what could possibly be causing the pain behind your knee only to find scary and intimidating causes such as deep vein thrombosis or posterior cruciate ligament tear.
These are potential causes you want to pay attention to if you have had recent surgery, take blood thinners due to previous clotting, or had recent trauma to your knee. In these specific cases the course of action would be to call your doctor for a speedy appointment.
How about the majority of other cases though where the knee pain began without a know cause?
In this article we will explore the most common causes for pain in the back of the knee, but first lets peer into the anatomy of the back of the knee.
What Is Causing Pain On The Inside Of My Knee
Inner knee pain can be the result of a variety of conditions, from arthritis to a ligament tear. Heres how to identify the source of your discomfort and determine the most effective treatment plan.
Made up of bones, ligaments, cartilage, and tendons, the medial knee also known as the inner knee can weaken or become inflamed due to injury, overuse, or a degenerative condition. Typical symptoms include a dull ache or sharp pain, a cracking or popping sound when the joint moves, and an unstable feeling in the knee when walking or standing.
In most instances, inner knee pain responds well to at-home remedies. If your pain persists, however, its important to see an orthopedic specialist to pinpoint the exact cause of your discomfort and determine the right course of action.
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When Will My Kneecap Start To Feel Better
One broad caveat to keep in the back of your mind. Many of you are thinking that a few weeks are enough time to start to see improvements with treatments such as exercise or physical therapy. Sadly thats not going to happen. It is not unusual for it to take 3-4 months before you start to see significant improvement in your pain. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for it to take 8-12 months for a complete resolution of your symptoms. This is important I wouldnt want to seek a surgeons consultation because 4-6 weeks of therapy and exercise left you with persistent pain.
Down below.. under coping strategies, we list a few things to try that can calm down your pain while we give the exercise time to work.
Possible Causes Of Pain Behind The Knee On Back Of Leg
There are some possible causes that may lead to pain behind the kneecap. Reading through the symptoms will help you determine which one out of these causes might be the one causing your behind the knee pain and thus, help find out the most possible cause of the problem.
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Tennis Leg Causing Muscle Pain And Swelling Behind The Knee
A condition called tennis leg can also cause pain in the back of your leg behind the knee.
Tennis leg is associated with damage to the gastrocnemius where damage to the muscle and the soleus muscle in the calf causes a buildup of fluid.
According to the journal Radiology Case Reports, tennis leg is often a result of sports injuries. Damage to the calf muscles can cause swelling and pain in the posterior knee.10
Rheumatoid Arthritis Or Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis occurs when the protective cartilage in the knee wears down. A classic symptom of this condition is pain when you exert pressure on the joint, especially when walking up and down stairs. Rheumatoid arthritis, on the other hand, is the result of the bodys immune system attacking healthy joints and tissues. Swelling, stiffness, and loss of motion in the knee are signals that you may have rheumatoid arthritis.
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Bakers Cyst And Pain In The Back Of The Knee
A Bakers cyst is a fluid-filled pocket in the back of the knee. Bakers cysts are a common cause of painful swelling. If the cysts are small, they do not create much discomfort.
A Bakers cyst can grow larger. If a cyst becomes large, it can put pressure on the muscles, blood vessels, and nerves behind the knee and can cause discomfort. Most people with a Bakers Cyst will also have osteoarthritis.
In most instances, treatments to diminish the swelling associated with arthritis will help reduce the pain and swelling from the cyst. In the majority of cases, these cysts are not dangerous. An ultrasound can usually tell if you have a simple cyst versus something more complex that warrants further evaluation with an MRI. If the Bakers cysts are huge, then one treatment alternative is to have the fluid drained. While that will result in relief of pain, the fluid might come back again.
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Dvt: Deep Vein Thrombosis Can Cause Pain In The Back Of Your Knee And Calf
Deep vein thrombosis or DVT can cause pain in the back of your knee but the pain is not often isolated to the back of the knee. There is usually calf pain, calf swelling and perhaps thigh pain too. A DVT is not a common cause of pain and swelling, but I list it first because it can be a worrisome cause of pain.
Usually, the pain from a DVT will also occur in the back of your calf or your inner thigh. While not impossible, the pain can be isolated to just the back of your knee. Most people with a DVT will also have swelling in their calf or leg. In people who are obese, swelling of the leg is not uncommon so swelling alone does not mean you have a DVT.
People who are at risk for a DVT include people who are obese, have cancer, chronic diseases, and those of you who recently traveled and sat still for hours/days while recovering from illness, injury, or surgery. We do not know the exact incidence of people walking around with a DVT. People who recently had surgery are at an increased risk for a DVT. If your calf is tender and swollen and the back of your knee hurts, you need to see your doctor urgently or go to an emergency room.
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Anterior Knee Pain In Middle
- Osteoarthritis : Arthritis of the patella causes pain because the cartilage under the kneecap is thinning. Arthritis, which only involves the patella in your knee, is more common in women. Physical therapy can be very effective in the early stages of osteoarthritis of the patella. Injections and over the counter medications may have a role in some patients. In some situations, when the arthritis is severe, a patient will need to consider a tibial tubercle osteotomy, replacement of the patella, or a total knee replacement if the arthritis is elsewhere within the knee.
How Do You Know If You Have A Blood Clot Behind Your Knee
A blood clot in the veins of your lower leg is called a deep vein thrombosis or DVT. You may have a blood clot behind your knee if you have one-sided leg swelling, pain, warmth, and redness below the knee. Sometimes these clots can occur on both sides at once, but this is uncommon. Some blood clots in the legs, however, do not present with any symptoms. A DVT requires immediate treatment to reduce the risk of embolizing to the lungs.
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Calf Or Hamstring Strain Or Cramp
Sudden activity and overuse are two leading causes of pain behind the knee due to a calf or hamstring strain or cramp, according to Dr. Tanaka. Movements that require pushing off or severe knee bending cause this calf and hamstring pain, respectively. Both can be managed with ice, rest, gentle stretching, and anti-inflammatories however, one should seek care if there is swelling or persistent pain associated with this to rule out blood clots, Dr. Tanaka says. Dr. Lyons adds that although an orthopedist could treat this, if you cant bear weight on the knee or are at risk of falling, then its time to go to the emergency room. Heres what else could be causing pain in your calf.
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