When my knees hurt after childbirth, what should I do? This is a common question. Let's look into it in more detail. The birth of a child is one of the most important events for any woman. However, the burden of childbirth and the incredible changes in the female body do not always have a positive effect on the he alth of the woman who has given birth. During the period of bearing a child, the lower limbs, and the knee joints in particular, experience a large load. So many women have knee pain after giving birth.
This is a common complaint in elderly patients. But knees can also bother young pregnant women or those who have recently given birth.
In some cases, the appearance of pain in the knee may be normal, in others - the result of some kind of violation.
Norma
So, my knees hurt after giving birth. It may be temporary peculiara phenomenon that occurs after childbirth. This is due to the fact that during pregnancy, a woman's body weight increases, has a negative effect on the legs, including cartilage and the surface of the knee joints.
Most often, this problem affects women who gave birth to more than one child at the same time, had a large fetus, and gained more than 12 kg during pregnancy. After childbirth, there is a sharp decrease in the woman's weight, which is why it takes some time for the joints to adapt to the new weight and load level. Practice shows that if there are no other causes of pain, then within a month after delivery it will pass.
Why do my knees hurt when I bend over after giving birth?
Calcium deficiency
Calcium deficiency in the body is also a common cause of joint pain. A growing fetus requires a huge amount of calcium, which is taken from the mother's body.
After childbirth comes the lactation period, and additional calcium is required for milk production. Along with knee pain, calcium deficiency can cause brittle nails, sleep disturbances, mood swings, calf and other muscle cramps.
Why my knees hurt after childbirth is interesting to many.
Hormonal disruption
During pregnancy, the female body produces a large amount of a special hormone - relaxin. This hormone is required to soften the ligaments located in the pelvis. This allows the pelvic bones tochildbirth is easy to disperse, thereby facilitating the passage of the child through the bone ring. However, relaxin has a similar effect on the ligaments of all joints. Therefore, the knees hurt after childbirth.
Inflammatory process
Inflammatory joint diseases such as periarthritis, synovitis, bursitis, arthritis can cause knee pain after childbirth. Such inflammation can occur for a variety of reasons. The most common is infectious arthritis, which develops as a result of infection of the joint by bacteria. As a rule, all pregnant women are examined for sexually transmitted infections, thus, by the time of delivery, the woman should be treated for diseases present, such as chlamydia.
When your knees hurt after childbirth, the doctor should determine the reasons.
Autoimmune diseases
Autoimmune diseases are a special category of pathologies when the human body begins to perceive its own tissues as foreign and try to destroy them. Articular cartilage, which lines the surface of the knee joint, is one such tissue. The result is rheumatoid arthritis.
Remission
An interesting fact should be noted - all autoimmune diseases go into remission during pregnancy. This is due to the fact that normally during pregnancy, a woman's body is tolerant of foreign tissues, since the fetus for the expectant mother is halfforeign object. After childbirth, the immune defense is activated and the body resumes the fight against its own tissues. As a result, rheumatoid arthritis worsens.
What to do and where to go if your knees start to hurt after giving birth?
Diagnosis of knee pain
If a young mother has pain in the knee for more than a month and is accompanied by swelling, redness, fever, you should consult an arthrologist or orthopedist. You can start the examination with a visit to a therapist who, if necessary, recommends a visit to a rheumatologist. In the case when there is a suspicion of chlamydial arthritis, an examination by a venereologist is indicated.
For pain in the knee, the following diagnostic measures are prescribed:
- Laboratory examination of a blood sample.
- Biochemical laboratory blood test to determine the following indicators: rheumatoid factor, sialic acids, C-reactive protein, other specific markers of the inflammatory process.
- Special tests for chlamydia and other infections that can trigger arthritis.
- X-ray examination of the joints, MRI, CT.
- Examination of joints with ultrasound. It is a relatively new, absolutely safe and very informative study that allows you to assess the condition of the articular surface and gap.
- Puncture. Using a long needle, the specialist takes a small amount of synovial tissue for examination.liquid.
If during the diagnosis there is a need for any more studies, the specialist may prescribe them to clarify the clinical picture of the disease.
Knee Pain Therapy
Of course, a doctor with a certain qualification should prescribe and carry out therapy for joint pathologies. It is important to inform the specialist that the delivery has recently occurred and the patient is in the lactation period.
Therapy should be given according to the cause of knee pain. Unfortunately, most drugs intended for the treatment of various arthrosis and arthritis affecting the knee joint are contraindicated for use in the lactation period. That is why it is important to tell your doctor about breastfeeding, specifying how urgently you need to start treatment and, accordingly, stop breastfeeding.
Quite often, patients who have severe knee pain after childbirth are prescribed the following medications:
- Preparations containing calcium. Such medicines are one of the few that are not only allowed, but also recommended for taking by a nursing woman. Calcium deficiency can also be replenished by replenishing your diet with foods rich in this element.
- Chondroprotectors. Glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate are substances that are able to nourish, protect and restore damaged joint cartilage. These drugs should be taken inlactation period is prohibited. Breastfeeding should be discontinued before starting therapy.
- Anti-inflammatory drugs. The most commonly used drugs are non-steroidal type, which include: "Indomethacin", "Ibuprofen", "Diclofenac". Other drugs can be used in various pharmacological forms: capsules, tablets, ointments, gels, creams intended for topical use. Topical preparations can be used by women in the lactation period.
- Herbal preparations for oral and external use - cinquefoil, comfrey, green tea extract, basil, neem, soy. These funds are allowed to be used while breastfeeding, but only after agreement with the doctor.
- Complexes that are rich in boron, selenium, B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, calcium. Such complexes can be used during pregnancy, in the lactation period.
- Specialized drugs for the treatment of arthritis. These include a large list of drugs that are prescribed by a rheumatologist, for example, cytostatics and glucocorticosteroids. These drugs are capable of provoking negative effects and are contraindicated in the lactation period. They should only be used on the advice of a doctor.
It is important to remember that the use of any medication should be agreed with a specialist.
Auxiliaries
If your knees hurt after childbirth, inas auxiliary methods in therapy can be used:
- Poultices, local compresses.
- Physiotherapy treatments. Physiotherapy can significantly alleviate the severity of pain and reduce inflammation, and can be prescribed to lactating women. The most effective procedures are: thermal, darsonvalization, laser therapy, EHF, UHF, electrophoresis using Dexamethasone, Novocaine.
- Therapeutic exercise.
When treating knee pain in a nursing woman, an individual approach should be followed. In addition, all her actions aimed at eliminating pain in the knee after childbirth, the woman must coordinate with the doctor. Only an integrated approach will prevent undesirable consequences, exacerbations and quickly get rid of the problem.
We looked at what to do when knee joints hurt after childbirth.
