When Is Knee Pain Serious

Can Dehydration Cause Pain In The Back Of The Knee

In general, dehydration does not cause pain in the back of the knee. However, if you are dehydrated, you may experience cramping of your muscles. This is due to electrolyte imbalances leading to muscle irritation. This can lead to pain in the back of your leg if those muscles cramp. Most commonly, dehydration leads to exhaustion, thirst, muscle cramps, and dizziness.

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.

What Are The Symptoms Of Knee Pain In Teens

Symptoms depend on whats causing your teens knee pain.

Anterior knee pain:

• Pain begins gradually worsens with activity.
• Dull, aching pain behind the kneecap, below the knee or on sides of the kneecap.
• Pain flares and grinding sensation with repeat knee bending .
• Thigh muscle weakness .
• Knee buckles .

Trauma to knee:

• Popping, clicking, crackling in the knee when bending .
• Knee that locks or buckles.

Osgood-Schlatter disease:

• Pain on the bony prominence.
• Pain that varies and gets worse during or just after the activity.
• Reduced range of movement.

• Pain, tenderness and swelling at the bottom of the kneecap.
• Balance problems.

• Trouble putting weight on the affected leg limps first thing in the morning.
• Redness, swelling, warmth, stiffness and soreness in joints, including the knee.
• Symptoms come and go.

• Dull ache, stiffness and swelling at the knee.
• Joint clicking.

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For Tendinitis Runners Knee Gout And Bursitis

The treatment for conditions that cause swelling, redness, and dull, burning pain usually starts with resting the joint. Ice your knee to control swelling. Elevate and stay off your joint to promote healing.

Your doctor may recommend or prescribe NSAIDs like ibuprofen. Lifestyle changes, such as wearing protective kneepads and going to physical therapy, can help you manage pain and experience fewer symptoms.

You may need to make changes to your diet, especially if youre treating gout.

Meniscus Tears And Pain Behind Your Knee

Root tearsof the meniscus are prevalent. The root of a meniscus is where the meniscus attaches to the shin bone or tibia. Much like a tree roots into the ground, the meniscus has a firm, deep attachment to your bones as well.

Sadly, over the years, these attachment points or roots can weaken. A common story is that you bent down or knelt and felt a pop in the back of the knee. Later that day or two days later, your knee is swollen, and the pain is very severe. The root of the meniscus tore in this situation because it had degenerated from decades of activity.

The pain from root tears often subsides over the next few weeks to months. By the time you see a doctor, and they order an MRI, the pain is often starting to improve. This post below goes into far more detail about root tears as the cause of pain in the back of your knee.

The meniscus is a shock absorber. When the root of the meniscus tears, the meniscus no longer works as a shock absorber. Therefore, following a root tear, you may develop stress fractures or stress reactions. That is why the pain worsens a few days after you felt the pop.

On some occasions, we need to consider surgery to repair these root tears but this is not usually necessary.

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You Cant Put Weight On Your Knee

If you cant bear weight on your knee, theres a good chance theres something serious going on.

The inability to put weight on your knee after a knee injury could be caused by a fracture, bone contusion, cartilage injury, or ligament tear.

After a minor injury like a twist or fall, you probably wont be able to immediately put weight on your leg.

Thats normal, but if you havent recovered within a few minutes or a few days, or it has turned into chronic knee pain, it could indicate something more serious.

You should also watch out for numbness after the injury.

Numbness could be the result of a pinched or damaged nerve and blood vessels.

This could be a symptom of an ACL or MCL tear, a kneecap dislocation, a fractured kneecap, or loose bone.

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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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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Less Common Causes Of Knee Pain

Less-common causes of significant knee pain include conditions and injuries. Injuries include:

• Dislocated kneecap: Causes are sharp blows to the knee or twisting. Severe pain in the front of the knee plus buckling, slipping, or catching during movement.
• Kneecap fracture: Causes are a direct blow or falling onto the knee. Pain, difficulty straightening the leg, bruising, and swelling can occur. Sometimes there’s visible deformity.

Conditions include:

• Gout: High uric acid levels form sharp crystals inside the joint. Affects the knee, hip, fingers, and especially the big toe. Pain can be severe.
• Plica syndrome: Irritation of the synovium . Pain is in the middle and front of the knee. Worsens with inactivity or squatting, running, or kneeling. The knee may pop when bent.
• Osgood-Schlatter disease: Strikes after growth spurts in kids between 9 and 14. Pain is in the front of the knee. It improves with rest and worsens with activities like running and jumping.
• Osteochondritis dissecans: In children, lack of blood supply weakens the bone and cartilage. The knee may separate from the underlying bone. Causes pain with activity.
• Knee joint infection: Causes significant pain, swelling, warmth, painful movements, and fever. It may result from a bacterial infection in the bloodstream.
• Bone tumor: Very rarely the source of knee pain. Symptoms include fever, unintentional weight loss, and pain that’s worse at night.

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What Causes Chronic Knee Pain

Temporary knee pain is different from chronic knee pain. Many people experience temporary knee pain as a result of an injury or accident. Chronic knee pain rarely goes away without treatment, and it isnt always attributable to one incident. Its most often the result of several causes or conditions.

Physical conditions or diseases can cause knee pain. These include:

• osteoarthritis: pain, inflammation, and joint destruction caused by degeneration and deterioration of the joint
• tendinitis: pain in the front of the knee that is made worse when climbing, taking stairs, or walking up an incline
• bursitis: inflammation caused by repeated overuse or injury of the knee
• gout: arthritis caused by the buildup of uric acid
• Bakers cyst: a buildup of synovial fluid behind the knee
• rheumatoid arthritis : a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disorder that causes painful swelling and can eventually cause joint deformity and bone erosion
• dislocation: dislocation of the kneecap most often the result of trauma
• meniscus tear: a rupture in one or more of the cartilage in the knee
• torn ligament: tear in one of the four ligaments in the knee the most commonly injured ligament is the anterior cruciate ligament
• bone tumors: osteosarcoma , most commonly occurs in the knee

Factors that may make chronic knee pain worse:

• injuries to the structure of the knee can cause bleeding and swelling and can create a chronic problem over time if not treated properly

• injections

What Is Knee Pain

The knee is a joint that permits the leg to bend and straighten. Knee pain is common due to injury, age-related degeneration, inflammation, and infection.

What Are Symptoms of Knee Pain?

Symptoms of knee pain include:

• Sudden, intense pain at the knee
• Swelling
• Inability to bend or fully straighten the knee
• Clicking, crunching, or catching sound in the knee joint when walking

Signs knee pain may be serious include:

• Extreme pain
• Feeling or hearing a popping when injury occurs
• Joint instability
• Inability to bear weight on affected leg
• Inability to straighten leg
• Knee buckles under when you try to walk

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Questions Your Doctor May Ask About Pain In The Back Of The Knee

To diagnose this condition, your doctor would likely ask the following questions:

• Is the knee pain affecting one or both knees?
• Do you often feel your knees buckling?
• Where is your knee pain?
• How would you explain the cause of your knee pain?

Self-diagnose with our free Buoy Assistant if you answer yes on any of these questions.

Your Knee Keeps Buckling

When you got hurt, did it feel like your knee gave way underneath you? Were not talking about a temporary sensation of weakness or some wobbliness, but more like your shin and thigh bone werent connecting or staying in place. A buckling knee could signal an ACL tear or a cruciate ligament injury.

It could start with a small pop or crack, or you could feel it after a strenuous exercise session or a soccer game.

Either way, your knee feels unstable or weak. Your knee may give out momentarily, which is scary because you might not trust yourself to walk safely when this happens. According to Dr. Howard Luks, an orthopedic surgeon, this could indicate a tear in the patella or the quadriceps tendon.

These tendons are on the front of your knees and offer a lot of support to keep you upright. If theyre not in top form, youre bound to feel weak in the knees , and you might not be able to walk at all. If this is the case, you could need surgery.

On the other hand, the weakness could be temporary, caused by wear and tear, improper footwear, or a strain. If youre a weekend warrior or youre over the age of 30 , you might experience this symptom on a regular basis.

However, if the weakness is recurring and happens every time you exercise, its possible you have a time bomb thats waiting to happen. When in doubt, seek advice from a physician.

If your knee buckles under you when you are walking, then it usually indicates instability, she says.

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Brief Anatomy Of The Knee

The knee is a vulnerable joint that bears a great deal of stress from everyday activities, such as lifting and kneeling, and from high-impact activities, such as jogging and aerobics.

The knee is formed by the following parts:

• Tibia. This is the shin bone or larger bone of the lower leg.

• Femur. This is the thighbone or upper leg bone.

• Patella. This is the kneecap.

Each bone end is covered with a layer of cartilage that absorbs shock and protects the knee. Basically, the knee is 2 long leg bones held together by muscles, ligaments, and tendons.

There are 2 groups of muscles involved in the knee, including the quadriceps muscles , which straighten the legs, and the hamstring muscles , which bend the leg at the knee.

Tendons are tough cords of tissue that connect muscles to bones. Ligaments are elastic bands of tissue that connect bone to bone. Some ligaments on the knee provide stability and protection of the joints, while other ligaments limit forward and backward movement of the tibia .

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Prevention Tips For Knee Injuries

• Warm up joints and muscles by gently going through the motions of your sport or activity and stretching muscles.
• Wear appropriate footwear.
• Avoid sudden jarring motions.
• Try to turn on the balls of your feet when youre changing direction, rather than twisting through your knees.
• Cool down after exercise by performing light, easy and sustained stretches
• Build up an exercise program slowly over time.

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Your Knee Feels Unstable Or You Felt A Pop

Most ACL tears and patella dislocations occur from a twisting, non-contact injury. A typical story is that you were turning or twisting hard, and you felt a pop. As I mentioned earlier, most patella dislocations will reduce or go back into their usual place on their own. But if your patella remains dislocated the knee will look strange.

If you felt or heard a loud pop as you twisted or turned to avoid another player, then you may have torn your ACL. Other causes of popping include a patella or kneecap dislocation. If you felt or heard a loud pop in your knee, then there is a strong chance that you have a severe knee injury. Most ACL injuries and patella dislocations are non-contact injuries. A running back turning to head upfield. A striker moving laterally to avoid the defense. These are familiar stories when we see high school and college athletes who have torn their ACL.

This post dives further into the immediate management of suspected ACL injuries.

Is It Possible For Adults To Have Growing Pains

No one knows for certain what causes âgrowing pains.â They are defined as self-limited and recurrent pains in the extremities of children with no other explanation or clear musculoskeletal causes. These usually occur during sleep and may awaken the child. Some physicians believe they occur due to fatigue, overuse, and mild orthopedic abnormalities, but the cause is still unknown. No matter what causes growing pains, we know that adults do not have them â most growing pains occur between age 2 and 12. It is possible to have similar pains, however, due to very mild injuries or overuse of muscles.

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Will Surgery Treat And Cure Knee Pain

Surgery

Knee operations range from arthroscopic knee surgery to total knee replacement. Arthroscopic knee surgery is a very common surgical procedure that allows the physician look inside your knee through a few small holes and a fiberoptic camera. The surgeon can repair many of the injuries and remove small pieces of loose bones or cartilage. This is a common outpatient procedure.

Partial knee replacement: The surgeon replaces the damaged portions of the knee with plastic and metal parts. Because only part of the knee joint is replaced, this procedure has a shorter recovery then a total knee replacement.

Total knee replacement: In this procedure, the knee is replaced with an artificial joint.

Other therapies

Acupuncture has shown some relieve of knee pain, especially in patients with osteoarthritis. Glucosamine and chondroitin supplements have shown mixed results in research studies.

For Ligament Cartilage And Joint Tears

Ligament, cartilage and joint tears in your knee will need to be addressed by your doctor.

After imaging diagnostics and a clinical assessment, your doctor will let you know if your treatment will include physical therapy and anti-inflammatory medication, or if youll need to undergo surgery to repair the injury.

Recovery from knee surgery can take some time. It may take anywhere from 6 months to a year to resume your normal activities.

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Your Knee Is Unstable Or It Pops

If you have pain in your knee and it feels unstable, or you heard it pop, you may have an anterior cruciate ligament tear or a dislocated knee cap.

These injuries typically occur when you twist your knee.

These are often the non-contact knee injuries you see many athletes sustain.

Knee cap dislocations are more common than most people think.

Most of the time, a dislocated knee cap will go back into place, but if it remains dislocated, your knee will start looking strange.

Surgery to repair the patella ligaments usually isnt necessary for your first dislocation.

Anytime you hear a loud pop in your knee accompanied by pain, there is a strong chance your knee pain is serious and you should see a doctor for medical advice.

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.

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