If the knee is swollen and hurts, this is a reason to sound the alarm and take care to restore working capacity, restore activity of life and avoid disability in the future. Without knowledge of the clinical symptoms and understanding of the processes, this cannot be done. And advanced forms of diseases can lead to an inflammatory process, secondary pathologies, limitation of physical activity and deprivation of mobility. Below we will take a closer look at why the knee is swollen and sore, the causes, how to treat and what are the methods for diagnosing this condition.
What you need to know before starting treatment
As a rule, swelling and pain in the knee joint are the result of any injuries. But such a problem can also arise due to pathological processes of an inflammatory and infectious nature in the body.
Is it worth payingattention to the fact that the knee is swollen and sore? In some cases, this may be a temporary complication caused by severe overload, which will go away on its own over time. But according to statistics, most often such unpleasant sensations serve as harbingers of any disease. This means that it is dangerous to delay going to the doctor.
About a third of people in pre-retirement age are prone to pathologies with similar symptoms - gout, arthritis, polio, arthrosis. And people over 65 suffer from chronic diseases of the knee joints in almost half of the cases, most often on both legs.
If the knee is swollen and sore, then most likely this is due to anatomical, destructive, atrophic or morphological changes in the articular tissues: tendons, cartilage, muscles. They decrease in volume, lose their elasticity and strength. In such situations, urgent action is needed.
Possible causes
The appearance of pain and swelling in the knee can be due to many reasons. Below are the main ones:
- Tendinitis is an inflammation of the tendons. Tendons are dense connective tissue fibers that attach muscles to bones. When they become inflamed, irritated, or damaged, the knee joint swells, and a sharp pain appears during movement.
- Injury to the knee ligaments. In the case of such a pathology, there is a feeling of instability and severe sharp pain. For example, if the anterior cruciate ligament is damaged due to the above signs, stepping on the sore leg will be practicallyimpossible.
- Bursitis - inflammation of the articular bag. This disease leads to reddening of the soft tissues near the knee, a severe swelling and a serious inflammatory process. In this case, the person feels that the knee is swollen and the leg hurts. And physical activity is noticeably reduced.
- Bruised. As a rule, it is accompanied by redness, swelling and pain.
- Displacement of the patella. The patient experiences discomfort, difficulty walking, swelling occurs, and when trying to straighten the leg, pain appears that does not allow it to be done completely.
- Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that is accompanied by constant pain and swelling in the knee joint. Unpleasant sensations are especially intensified in the morning. Most often, patients with this pathology complain that the knees are swollen and hurt on both legs. The disease gradually destroys cartilage tissue. It requires serious and long-term treatment.
- Baker's cyst. It usually occurs after a severe injury. The cyst causes swelling. This is due to the accumulation of fluid in the knee area. Before the appearance of this pathology, the following symptoms occur: pain in the calf muscles, tingling in the foot area.
- Goff's disease. It is characterized by inflammation of the fatty tissue around the knee joint. In this case, patients often complain that it is swollen behind the knee and hurts. The pain syndrome is localized on the inner surface of the articular joint.
- Gout. The knee joint swells, there is severe redness, unbearable pain,the temperature rises. The disease is chronic. It makes no sense to wait for the onset of a severe or acute form. For gout, it is best to see a doctor as soon as possible.
- Osteoporosis. A person suffering from this pathology complains not only that the knee is swollen and sore, but also about discomfort when moving the joint, as well as about meteorological dependence. Unpleasant sensations intensify before any weather changes.
Who most often asks how to treat
Anyone can suffer from arthritis or get a knee injury. But there are categories of people who often complain that the knee is swollen and hurts. This is due to the following factors:
- Overweight. In such patients, the load on the joints is increased, and therefore they are more quickly destroyed and deformed.
- High physical activity. This includes athletes and people whose work involves lifting weights.
- Age after 40 years, especially for women. These patients are at increased risk of developing osteoporosis. In addition, it has been observed that women are more prone to torn knee ligaments than men.
- Anatomical features. This includes people who have different leg lengths or flat feet.
- Sedentary lifestyle. In this case, there is a lack of muscle flexibility, due to which the knee joint is less supported, and the load on it increases.
What to do?
If a person is at risk, he needs to limit excessive stress on the knee. If the patient is overweight, you should think about the correction of lifestyle and nutrition. After all, extra pounds have a bad effect not only on the joints, but also on blood vessels, the heart, and other internal organs.
And most importantly, don't take your he alth lightly: if your knee is swollen, your legs hurt, and other discomforts appear, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Diagnosis
Timely and correct diagnosis guarantees the success of treatment. After a clinical examination and analysis of anamnestic data, the following types of diagnostic examinations are prescribed:
- Arthrography.
- X-ray.
- Ultrasound.
- MRI.
- Computed tomography.
- Scintigraphy.
If an infectious process is suspected, a knee puncture may be prescribed. This is necessary to identify the pathogen. To obtain complete information about the patient's state of he alth, clinical analyzes of urine and blood are collected, and a biochemical study is carried out to determine rheumatic tests.
Swollen knee and hurts: what to do?
What to do before contacting a specialist? If your legs hurt, your knee is swollen, and movement is difficult, you can try to get rid of these symptoms yourself before visiting the doctor. Below are quick home cure methods:
- The first thing to do is to give the knee joint a rest and, if possible, not to put too much strain on the injured leg.
- Apply for 20minutes to the sore joint ice or something cold. This will reduce pain and swelling. If there is no ice on hand, you can use any product from the freezer.
- Horse chestnut flower tincture helps relieve pain and swelling. It is done as follows: 0.5 l of vodka and 50 g of flowers are mixed in glassware. The solution is infused in a cool place for a week. During the onset of pain, they rub the sore spot.
- Compresses from medical, camphor alcohol and iodine. The components are taken in a ratio of 1:1:1 and 10 tablets of analgin are added to them. The resulting mixture is applied to the affected knee. After 30 minutes or when the pain subsides, the compress is removed gently, washed off with warm water.
If your knees are swollen and hurt, how to treat? These methods are only a temporary measure. In any case, the symptoms should be described to the doctor, who will prescribe the necessary treatment regimen.
Treatment
The nature and scope of therapeutic measures depend on the disease that caused swelling and pain in the knee area. Timely implementation of surgical and conservative methods of therapy helps to restore motor activity and the disappearance of pain.
First Aid
If the knee is damaged as a result of an injury, the following first aid rules must be observed:
- Applying an elastic bandage.
- Immobilization.
- Applying cold.
- The victim needs to raise his leg and givehorizontal body position.
- Iodine mesh helps relieve swelling.
In order to cope with pain, you can use "Ibuprofen" or "Paracetamol" tablets.
Conservative therapies
If the knee is swollen and hurts, how to treat? As a rule, in case of serious injuries, a plaster cast is applied. With persistent edema, treatment with diuretics is prescribed. In addition, anti-inflammatory drugs can be used to alleviate the condition. At the stage of recovery, massage, physiotherapy exercises and physiotherapy help to prevent re-swelling.
Pain symptoms are treated with the following ointments:
- Heparin ointment fights bruising.
- "Diclofenac" is prescribed against inflammation.
- "Dolgit" - an anesthetic.
Other drugs may also be used. All medicines are used only as directed by a doctor.
Most drugs for the treatment of knee injuries contain cooling and decongestant components. This is especially important at the initial stage of therapy, since the warming effect can increase pain and swelling. To enhance the therapeutic effect, injection solutions can be prescribed, which are found inside the joint. For these purposes, steroid hormones are used: Dexamethasone, Hydrocortisone, Diprospan. To eliminate problems with vessels are shown:
- Antiaggregants("Pentoxifylline", "Acetylsalicylic acid").
- Anticoagulants ("Heparin").
- Venotonics ("Troxevasin").
Surgical treatment
If conventional therapy fails, surgery may be indicated to restore physical activity. Baker's cyst requires the removal of excess synovial fluid and puncture of the joint in the early stages of the disease. Cystic formation and damage to the meniscus are successfully treated only with the help of surgery. Complex knee injuries with severe injuries and torn ligaments require surgery to restore motor functions.
Swollen knee and hurts - how to treat (folk remedies)?
To reduce swelling after the appointment of a medical course of treatment, you can apply traditional medicine methods. They help speed up recovery. The most common and effective include:
- Ointment or tincture based on horse chestnut fruit.
- Burdock.
- Compress of grated potato cabbage leaves.
To improve metabolic processes, it is recommended to drink decoctions due to the following medicinal plants:
- Nettle.
- Cowberry.
- Mint.
- Hop.
Unconventional remedies can only be used after consultation with a doctor and after conservative and surgical treatment.
Possible Complications
Untimelythe medical care provided may lead to the development of the following complications:
- Stiffness.
- Arthrosis with deformity.
- Thrombophlebitis.
- Rupture of a Baker's cyst with fluid entering the calf muscles.
- Infection of the knee joint and surrounding tissues with infection.
