Knee Pain – Introduction, Common Types & Symptoms, Alternative Medicine, Conventional Treatment, Surgery & Physiotherapy

Table of contents to this article – click on a link to navigate through the page

a. Introduction
b. Conditions that lead to knee pains
d. Natural home remedies for knee problems and pains *HOT*
e. Traditional treatment
- Medication
- Injections
- Surgery
- Physiotherapy
f. Resources

Knee pain is one of the most common health disorders that people around the world have to deal with. Statistical records show that a whopping 19.4 million people seek medical help every year in the U.S., complaining of some kind of pain in the knees.

The problem with knee pain is that it can be caused by a number of factors. Arthritis, excessive usage of the knee joint, injuries and even back pain can all result in knee pain. Scientists have even associated stress and emotional conditions as being the cause for pain in the knees.

If you have read this far, it means that you are suffering from some kind of knee pain. While my advice and home remedies to cure knee pain can by no means replace the professional advice of a doctor, I do believe that my post below will at least allow you to identity the cause of your knee pain and then maybe work towards a simple and non-complicated solution that will help eliminate that knee pain forever.

Knee pain conditions – Identify your problemsAs mentioned earlier, there are several kinds of knee pain. We have briefly mentioned and discussed the most common types that affect the vast majority of people.

Ligament injuries

You might have suffered a ligament injury if you experience pain when you bend the knee or when you put pressure on it, by balancing your body weight. A ligament injury can result in knee pain that is very bearable to knee pain that results in unbearable pain, resulting in the complete disability of the affected knee.

Ligament injuries are generally caused by physical trauma to the knee area. As an example, a soccer player can suffer from a ligament injury in the knee when another player slides their boot into the knee area, thereby rupturing or possibly even tearing some of the knee ligaments.

Meniscus Tears

A meniscus tear will usually result in the swelling of the knee. A person might also feel unusual warmth in the skin in the knee area.

Meniscus tears can be caused by sharp motions that extend the knee joint beyond it normal range of motion. Taking the same example of a soccer player, it is possible for the player to suddenly suffer a meniscus tear, when he quickly changes direction while running at top speed.

Tendinitis

This condition is usually referred to as Jumper’s knee. A person suffering from this condition will often experience a certain level of inflammation in the knee area.

Arthritis

This is actually one of the most common causes of knee pain. As a person ages, their cartilage begins to naturally disintegrate, resulting in pain in the joints as bones start to rub against each other. Since the body weight is balanced on the knees, older people tend to experience various levels of pain in the knees before they experience pain in any of the other joints in the body. When arthritis results in pain that is felt at the back of the knee, it is said to be a condition called Baker’s Cyst.

Osgood-Schlatter disease

This disease can result in pain in the kneecaps. It is caused when the tendon just below the knee cap is inflamed. Tenderness of the knee is another common symptom that is associated with this condition.

Chondromalacia

This is a condition where the cartilage under the knee cap has softened to the point where knee pain in generated. The symptoms of this condition are when someone feels pain in a spot that is very deep in their knees.

Bursitis

This type of knee pain is characterized by paint and other symptoms such as tenderness, stiffness and maybe even some swelling in some cases. It also results in a reddening of the skin. The skin on the knees might also become warm when someone suffers from this kind of knee pain. This condition is usually caused by excessive strain on the knee at a sudden point of time. As an example, bursitis can be caused if someone falls hard on their knee, when they slip and fallHome remedies/Alternative treatments to treat knee pain

A number of home remedies have the ability to dramatically reduce or even eliminate knee pain that is caused by a number of factors. Some of the most popular home remedies are briefly discussed below.

1. RICE – RICE stands for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. This simple treatment can provide relief to most types of knee pain
2. Studies have shown that steam baths have the ability to reduce knee pain by improving the blood circulation around the knees, thereby reducing inflammation. A slight massaging of the knee, while in the steam bath, can help make this remedy all the more effective
3. Several herbal remedies such as dried ginger, wintergreen, Devil’s claw, Cat’s claw and a few other herbs have also been very effective at reducing or even eliminating pain in the knees
4. A great and simple remedy that almost anyone can try is by mixing a powdered form of Bishop’s weed seeds into a glass of warm water that is then ingested
5. You can also try another innovative home remedy that will require you to create a paste using the following ingredients. Castor, wheat, turmeric and Goat’s milk. If you can’t find any goat’s milk, just use some clarified butter instead. This paste does wonders when it is applied on the area of the knee that is generating the pain
6. Another simple home remedy simply involves the light massaging of the knee area, with some easily available oils like coconut oil, mustard oil or even olive oil. Just be sure to warm up the oil a little bit and also use it about three times in a day, to get adequate relief
7. Some very specific yoga exercises and certain physiotherapy type exercises can also go a long way in helping you reduce or even eliminate knee pain. More of that is discussed just a little bit later
8. Traditional Treatment for knee pain

The most common forms of commercial treatment for knee pain are treatments with the help of medications and injections. Surgery is a form of treatment as well. Surgery is explained in further detail in the last passage.

Medications

There are over the counter medicines as well as prescription medicines that are routinely recommended for patients who are suffering from knee pain. Popular over the counter medications include pills like Tylenol, Advil and Aspirin. Aleve is another very popular over the counter drug that may help reduce knee pain.

Prescription medicine that is used to treat knee pain is classified as NSAID’s and COX-2 inhibitors. Unfortunately, most prescription grade medicine that is used to treat knee pain will often result in side effects. Common side effects include heart complications, other associate cardiac issues and some gastrointestinal side effects as well. Because of the dangerous nature of side effects, doctors prescribe prescription pain medication to patients only when the knee pain is unbearable.

A good product that keeps all the side effects to a minimum is Joint Advance. 

Injections

There are two types of injections that can be used for knee pain relief.

Corticosteroid injections – These injections will dramatically reduce inflammation and provide immediate pain relief. Sometimes, one of these injections can provide relief for about 3 to even 6 months at a time although the patient will need another injection when the pain returns.

Viscosupplementation injections –This injection is given as a treatment to people who are suffering from an early stage of arthritis. The injection has the ability to lubricate the knee joint and thereby prevent cartilage wear and tear that can in turn prevent or reduce knee pain.

Injections that can treat knee pain can be quite expensive. However, many people invest the money in these injections as they want to avoid surgery at all costs. Surgical procedures to treat knee problems are both expensive and fairly difficult to recover from, as described towards the end.

Physiotherapy to treat knee pain

When one practices the right physiotherapy exercises to tackle their knee pain, they can eliminate the problem by strengthening or stabilizing the knee. Physiotherapy will address a number of issues when it is trying to eliminate a knee pain condition.

First off, an experienced physiotherapist might suggest exercises that will strengthen the muscles around the knee, thereby allowing it to be less susceptible to stress, injury and daily wear and tear. A physiotherapist will then address balancing issues. A simple change in posture can result in a dramatically improved balancing of the knee muscles that will in turn lead to less pain.

A physiotherapist might also ask a patient to strengthen, stabilize and balance their quadriceps and hamstrings that also play a vital role in the health of the knee. In many patients who suffer from knee pain, their quadriceps muscle group is usually much stronger than their hamstrings or their hamstrings are much stronger than the quadriceps. Such imbalances will result in an extra workload for the knee that might in turn radiate pain. A trained physiotherapist will be able to eliminate such problems with a methodical approach that primarily uses exercises.

Surgery to seek relief from knee pain. 

Surgery is often the last resort for patients who cannot seek relief from knee pain, from any of the other forms of treatment that are discussed above. Surgeons can completely or partially replace the knee to alleviate or eliminate pain.

When a patient undergoes a knee replacement surgery, the problematic knee will be removed and completely replaced by mechanical parts that will last about 20 years.  Though a knee replacement surgery sounds like a very complicated procedure, a patient can be in and out of a hospital in as little as five days if the surgery goes as planned.

However, most patients will need to undergo physiotherapy before they are able to use their knee like a normal person. This physiotherapy period can be anywhere between one month to even as many as three months for more complicated cases. Until the physiotherapy period is over, they might have to use crutches or other walking aids.

Of late, doctors are also performing what are known as minimally invasive surgeries, where they can fix problems such as damaged tendons, torn cartilage and a few other issues by making a small incision through which a probe can be inserted, to carry out a surgery. If you are considering surgery, please visit a doctor to get a thorough diagnosis to see if surgery is indeed the right solution for your knee pain problems.

Resources

• http://www.medicinenet.com/knee_pain/page2.htm#2whatinjuries
• http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00325
• http://www.everydayhealth.com/pain-management/knee-pain/medications...
• http://www.bigkneepain.com/knee-exercises.html
• http://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/guide/knee-replacement-surgery

 http://www.humanclinic.net/home-remedies-for-knee-pain-and-joint-pa...