Knee Pain Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention
Definition
Knee pain is a complaint that is often encountered in everyday life. This health condition is actually not a disease, but a symptom of several types of disease.
In the knee, there are several structures – namely bones, ligaments (tissue that attaches bones to joints), tendons (muscles that connect muscles to joints), and joint pads. Knee pain occurs when one of these structures is disturbed.
Symptom
The severity of the symptoms of knee pain depends on the cause. However, if the following symptoms occur, sufferers of knee pain should immediately see a doctor:
- Unable to stand and walk due to severe knee pain
- Knee cannot be moved (as if locked)
- Unable to straighten or bend the knee
- There is a fever accompanied by redness and swelling of the knee
- Accompanied by complaints of tingling in the upper and lower limbs
- Knee pain does not improve after 1–2 weeks
Reason
Several diseases can cause complaints of knee pain, including:
- Broken bones (fractures). Characterized by swelling, redness, and pain in the knee that occurs after an injury.
- Ligament injury. It often occurs in football players, characterized by a “pop” or “click” sensation on the knee when it is moved.
- Injury of the joint discs (meniscus). Characterized by knee pain, especially when straightening the leg.
- Osteoarthritis. Joint pain that occurs in elderly people due to thinning of the joint cartilage (or often called calcification in layman’s terms).
Diagnosis
After studying the complaints of knee joint pain experienced and carrying out an examination of the knee joint, the doctor may ask the patient with knee pain to carry out several examinations.
If it is suspected that complaints of pain arise due to bone disorders, X-rays of the bones are needed to confirm this. However, if knee pain is suspected due to tendon or ligament disorders, then a CT scan or MRI needs to be done. Whereas suspected knee pain is due to inflammation of the joints, it will require an examination of the joint fluid which is taken by arthroscopy.
Treatment
Treatment of knee pain depends on the cause. However, for initial treatment at home, the following should be done:
- Protect the knee from injury or other trauma
. To protect the knee, you can use knee padding, which is a kind of thick foam that covers the knee joint.
- Rest your knee.
Rest is beneficial for recovering from knee joint inflammation. Avoid excessive pressure on the knees, for example in activities going up and down stairs.
- Cold Compress
Do a cold compress with cold water or ice on the knee area. This action is beneficial to relieve inflammation and pain.
- Dressing and elevation
Wrap the knee joint with stockings or bandages to reduce swelling and fix bones and muscles. When sleeping and sitting, prop your lower legs with 2-3 pillows so that the fluid that has accumulated in the knee area can flow smoothly toward the heart, thereby reducing swelling.
- Taking pain relievers
To reduce pain, pain relievers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen can be taken.
Prevention
To prevent knee pain, there are several efforts that can be done, namely:
- Maintain body weight to remain ideal and avoid obesity
- Make it a habit to warm up before exercising
- If you have complaints of recurring knee pain, swimming is a good sport to do
- Use knee protectors