In the article we will figure out why the knee hurts when bending.
Painful sensations in the knee joint that occur when the knee is flexed or extended may indicate inflammatory processes localized in it that require therapy. During movement, the knee joints are subjected to significant work, so they are constantly subjected to a variety of intense loads.
So why do my knees hurt when I bend over?
Causes of inflammation in the knee joint
Inflammatory process in the joint may be the result of improper therapy of traumatic injury. Pain when extending the knee can occur for a variety of reasons:
- Cut.
- Allergy.
- Bite.
- Different origins of injury.
- Infectious lesions.
- Hypercooling.
If there is an open wound in the knee area, infectious pathogens can penetrate through it into the knee joint, resulting in inflammation. In this regard, even a scratch must be immediately treated with special antiseptics, otherwise pain may occur when bending.
Many wonder why the knee hurts when bending. What are the symptoms of this?
Symptoms
The main symptoms of malaise include:
- Painful feeling in the knee when it is bent.
- Appearance of puffiness.
- Hyperthermic state.
Pain in the knee during extension can cause weakness and limited movement. Some older people feel more pain when the weather changes.
Causes of puffiness
Knee swelling can develop for a number of reasons. If knee pain is accompanied by swelling, this can be a sign not only of damage from the outside, but also that there are certain diseases in the body. Only a specialist is able to correctly determine the cause and choose the right treatment.
Also, the knee may swell due to an allergic reaction that develops after an insect bite. They are able to carry the infection that causes erysipelas.
Many wonder why the knee hurts when bending. Psychologically, people may experience severe discomfort, as their normal life activities are difficult. Every movement is accompanied by pain.
If the cause of the swelling is difficult to determine, it may be necessary to perform a puncture. This procedure is quite difficult and unpleasant, but it will allow you to accurately determine the cause of the ailment.
We continue to figure out why the knee hurts when bending.
Soreness due to knee disease
Pain in the knee joint can develop against the background of joint damage by various diseases, including:
- Osteoarthritis.
- Post-traumatic arthritis.
- Rheumatoid arthritis.
- Arthrosis in development.
- Chondromalacia, pathological disorders in the development of the patellar cartilage.
- Excessive exercise or injury.
Adolescents under 15 years old, during their active growth, more often in boys, after physical education lessons, pain in the knee appears. This may indicate the presence of Osgood-Schlatter disease.
Why do knees hurt when bending in women?
Arthrosis
Inconvenience when moving, pain in the knee joint can indicate the beginning of the development of arthrosis. Symptoms of arthrosis manifest themselves while walking. It is worth noting that they disappear after exercise. Later, stiffness in movement appears, bending the knee is accompanied by severe pain, loss of the ability to walk is possible.
Bursitis
Why do knees hurt when bending in men? One of the possible reasons for the appearancepain can be bursitis. Bursitis is an inflammatory process that affects the synovial sac. This disease is often accompanied by a decrease in joint mobility, swelling of the inflamed area.
Bursitis is most common in people who are overweight or wear the wrong shoes.
Why does it hurt under the back of the knee when bending?
Baker's cysts are accompanied by symptoms such as swelling in the middle of the popliteal fossa and pain in the knee area. With Baker's cysts, the amount of secreted synovial fluid increases, the excess of which begins to pour out of the joint, leading to bulging from behind. When the leg is bent, the protrusion disappears; when the leg is extended, it appears. After pressing the bulge, the protruding tubercle decreases as the liquid spreads under the skin, and then collects again.
With chondromalacia and pathological disorders in the development of the patellar cartilage, a sharp pain manifests itself at a time when a person goes down the stairs. If a person stays in one position for a long time, the pain becomes aching, and movements are accompanied by a characteristic crunch of the knee.
Why does the knee hurt when bending with rheumatoid arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis can provoke the development of other painful symptoms, including:
- Fever.
- Hyperthermia of the inflamed area.
- Swelling and swelling of the joint.
- Difficulty in knee extension.
- Pain when bending the lumbar (withslopes).
This disease has a destructive effect on the knee joint. Rheumatoid arthritis can affect both adult and pediatric patients. Both knee joints or one of them can be affected at once.
Why does my knee hurt when I bend?
Post-traumatic arthritis
Post-traumatic arthritis refers to damage to the knee joint that occurs as a result of an injury. This disease occurs without obvious symptoms, but after a long time the disease manifests itself as pain in the knee.
Tenderness can also occur with osteoarthritis. The disease has a destructive effect on the cartilage, causing the cartilage tissue of the knee joint to become thinner.
We found out why knees hurt when bending. How to deal with such pain?
Fighting knee pain
If there is pain when bending the knee, therapy should not be delayed. Regardless of the cause of the pain, it is important to consult a doctor in time. If there is pain in the knee when moving, the first thing to do is:
- Reduce physical stress on the knee joints.
- If the disease takes the form of an exacerbation, it is recommended to prefer bed rest, after which the joint should be developed gradually.
- If it is not possible to immobilize the knee, it is recommended to use crutches or canes while walking.
- If there is a problem with the kneejoint, the patient should use comfortable and soft shoes. The best option would be to use orthopedic insoles.
When pain occurs in the knee joint, therapy is aimed at reducing painful symptoms and increasing the motor functionality of the lower extremities.
When the knee hurts after bending, therapy should be comprehensive.
Therapeutic methods for combating knee pain
Methods of therapy, non-invasive or invasive, suitable for a particular patient, can only be determined by a doctor after certain laboratory tests and a direct examination of the patient.
Non-invasive method of therapy involves minimally traumatic and maximally sparing treatment. Non-invasive techniques include activities that exclude surgical interventions:
- Assume the use of medications that can eliminate the inflammatory process, reduce pain. Experts recommend their use for bursitis and gonarthrosis.
- To eliminate pain in the knee joints allow non-steroidal drugs that stop the inflammatory process.
It would be preferable to use selective medicines that will not have a destructive effect on the gastric mucosa. After the elimination of painful symptoms, other types of therapy are allowed, for example:
- Therapeutic exercise.
- Swimming.
- Physiotherapy.
- Massage.
If the pain in the knee when bending it is unbearably strong, the specialist may recommend injectable forms of nonsteroidal medicines. Injections in this case should be made directly into the knee. They will eliminate inflammation as quickly as possible.
If the knee hurts a lot during flexion and extension, then it is possible to use chondroprotective agents that allow you to protect and nourish the articular cartilage. The result of their application will not keep you waiting. Moreover, against the background of their use, undesirable effects rarely develop. Therapy using chondroprotectors should be continuous. It is important to remember that a single use of such drugs will not work.
In addition, a special bandage should be applied to the knee, which will fix the damaged joint and help eliminate inflammation. The main purpose of joint immobilization is to limit movement, which will stop the focus of inflammation.
Another therapeutic method for treating joint pain is massage. As a result of knee massage, muscle tone increases, blood flow to the affected areas improves. It is important to remember that local massage can be performed only if the doctor has ruled out the presence of an infection, and the pain syndrome has been stopped.
It is also important to follow a special diet. The patient is recommended to give up fried and s alty, to reduce alcohol consumption to the maximum. Excessive body weight negatively affects the depreciation capabilities of the knee joint.
If there is a need to relieve pain, eliminate the external manifestations of the inflammatory process and at the same time act on the lesions, local therapy is allowed, that is, the use of applications, compresses, special ointments and gels. This type of therapy is characterized by the almost complete absence of negative reactions of the body. Moreover, it should be noted that the effectiveness of compresses is much higher than that of ointments.
Injections of glucocorticoids can be used as an emergency. Their introduction is carried out in the joint. The hormones in their composition can eliminate inflammation, reduce the pain that occurs with synovitis. If the first injection does not give the expected result, the drug should be replaced immediately.
Specialists believe that the most useful will be the introduction of medicines into the joint cavity, which are based on hyaluronate. These drugs are able to form a protective film on the surface of the joint, which prevents possible destruction, improves sliding between the articular surfaces.
Invasive therapy is prescribed to the patient if drug treatment does not give the desired results. The manipulations of the surgeon completely depend on the nature of the damage to the joint. Arthroscopic surgery is indicated when it is necessary to restore or improve blood flow, as well as to remove cartilage pieces and growths that occur in osteoarthritis. In addition, arthroscopy can be used to introduce medications into the joint and clarify the diagnosis and the reason why it hurts under the knee whenbending.
In the presence of severe injuries, gonarthrosis and diseases that do not allow saving the joint, prosthetics may be prescribed. In order to avoid arthroplasty, it is necessary to start treatment at the earliest stages.
Why the knee hurts when bending, the doctor should identify.
Treatment using folk methods
If you experience pain in the knee, you must act as follows:
- It is important to completely immobilize the limb.
- Apply ice to the injury site. Cooling the joint will prevent bruising and reduce pain.
- Seek medical help.
Without understanding too much why it hurts under the knee when bending, quite often many patients prefer to use alternative methods of treating knee pain. The most popular folk remedies are:
- Potato compress. You should grate the potatoes and mix it with a teaspoon of kerosene. The resulting mixture is applied to the damaged joint for 20 minutes before bedtime. A combination of potatoes with horseradish is allowed. To prepare the mixture, you need to take equal parts of the ingredients, grind them and apply to the knee. After applying the compress, the knee should be wrapped for 40 minutes.
- Turpentine composition. Unpleasant signs of joint damage will help eliminate a mixture of egg yolk and turpentine. To prepare it, you will need the yolk of one egg and a small amount of turpentine, which are mixed and added to 20 gramsapple cider vinegar. It is advisable to apply such a compress before going to bed.
- Elecampane. You can use compresses based on elecampane. It is necessary to first fill in elecampane in the amount of 100 grams with medical alcohol. The mixture should be infused for three days. Before applying the compress, it is necessary to lubricate the knee with vegetable oil.
- Horse chestnut. There are often positive reviews about the use of horse chestnut tincture. For its preparation, you will need 300 grams of horse chestnut fruit and medical alcohol. Chestnut is poured with alcohol and insisted for at least two weeks. It is important to constantly shake the tincture. Straining is not required. The resulting tincture must be rubbed on the affected joint.
- Herbal decoctions. Herbal decoctions will be useful if used in parallel with the main treatment. The greatest effectiveness of products based on chamomile and elderberry flowers. To prepare a decoction, you need to take equal parts of the ingredients, pour boiling water over them and insist for 15 minutes. After that, the herbs must be placed in a gauze bag, which is then applied to the affected joint.
In order to prevent joint diseases, experts recommend not washing your feet and hands in cold water, wearing warm shoes in cold and damp weather, and immediately consult a doctor when the first signs of illness appear.