Knee Pain Causes That You Must Know About
The knee is one of the most important joints in the body. When the knee is subjected to injury or trauma and cannot carry the torso, one’s mobility and ability to function is severely affected. “My knees ache!” is a common complaint heard not only from the older people but from younger patients, as well. The cause(s) of the knee pain may be may have some physical or physiological roots. One common cause is arthritis, which is characterized by the painful swelling and inflammation of any of the joints in the body this time, it is the knees. Another cause for knee pain is injury to the ligaments.
The ligaments are the tissues that connect the different bones in the body to make a joint. Fibrous and stretchy, they keep the joints stable and thus prevent the extremities from going awry. Because of them, elbows bend this way and not THAT way. The smaller tendons in the hands make fine work possible. The knee joints are among the largest in the human body. Without the knee ligaments, we will not be able to stand up and walk erect. Therefore, it is very important to find out what is causing the knee pain so that appropriate steps may be taken before the condition worsens.
There are three bones that constitute the knee joint: the thigh bone (femur), the shin bone (tibia), and the knee cap (patella). Working in tandem, they make many different movements possible and at the same time make them susceptible to many injuries, too.
Injury to the ligaments commonly happens during sports activities. The injury may be slight or severe but usually they will be painful. The more common knee injuries are:
Cartilage Injuries | Meniscal Tear
These are cartilage tears that can happen to both young and old patients alike, and as such are an extremely common cause of knee pain. People, who play contact sports, are at a high risk for meniscal tears. Anyone, at any age can tear a meniscus. A torn cartilage is synonymous with a meniscal tear and the attendant knee pain.
Patellar Tendonitis
Tendonitis is the inflammation of the tendon around the joint and patellar tendonitis is the inflammation of the large tendon over the front of the knee. Because tendons transmit the force of the muscle contraction to the bone, they one of the major controllers of body movements and are thus subject to a lot of wear and tear.
Chondromalacia Patella
Chondromalacia is knee pain under the kneecap that is caused by a softening of the knee cartilage. It is most common in younger patients from 15-35 years old.
Dislocated Kneecap
A dislocated kneecap can cause excruciating pain at the time of dislocation and may cause chronic knee pain long after the condition has been corrected. This can be due to the injury or damage that has been done to the knee.
Baker’s Cyst
A Baker’s cyst is characterized by a swelling in the back of the knee joint, accompanied by knee pain and is usually a manifestation of another underlying injury such as a meniscus tear.