Knee
pain
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Lower leg muscles |
Leg pain (Osgood-Schlatter) |
Alternative
names
Pain - knee(s)
Definition
Any pain in the knee.
Considerations
Knee pain is a fairly common
complaint. The majority of knee pain complaints
stem from use trauma, are fairly acute, and resolve
without treatment or with mild pain medications.
Significant trauma with torn or ruptured ligaments
results in both pain and an unstable knee joint.
The knee is also the site of other types of injuries
such as dislocation of the knee-cap (patella),
patellar bursitis, joint effusions.
Pain may be referred to the knee from the hip
as in Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, where the actual
disease is in the hip but the first symptom may
be knee pain. Other conditions that can lead to
knee pain are infection in the joint (septic joint),
arthritis, blood in the knee joint (hemarthrosis),
bone tumors, Baker cyst, and Osgood-Schlatter
disease.
Moderate exercise (such as walking ) does NOT
cause knee problems. If the knee is not injured,
exercise is generally good for the knee. Side
stresses, which the knee is not engineered to
withstand very well, cause most knee injuries.
Uneven cartilage wear can cause the leg to bow
in or bow out. Being overweight can also contribute
to knee problems.
Common
causes
- ligament or cartilage
damage due to trauma or injury
- ACL injury
- MCL injury
- LCL injury
- osteoarthritis
- rheumatoid arthritis
- acute gouty arthritis
- adult Still's disease
- Baker cyst
- bursitis
- chondromalacia patellae
- chronic gouty arthritis
- gonococcemia (disseminated
gonococcal infection)
- Osgood-Schlatter
disease
- pseudogout
- psoriatic arthritis
- Reiter's syndrome
- systemic lupus erythematosus
- systemic sclerosis
(scleroderma)
Home
care
Rest, apply ice, and elevate
the knee to bring any swelling down. Gentle compression
with an elastic bandage may reduce swelling and
provide support. Avoid activities that aggravate
the pain.
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