Overview
Knee pain is a relatively common health disorder that can affect individuals of any age. However, it is a more common complaint of the elderly.
Symptoms
Knee pain is a symptom in itself, but some of the following other symptoms may be associated with it:
- Swelling and stiffness of knee joint
- Redness
- Warmth of joint
- Weak joint
- Popping or crunching noises from the joint
- Inability to fully straighten the knee
- Fever
Causes
There are a vast range of problems that can lead to knee pain. Some of them are listed below:
- Injuries (Anterior cruciate ligament injury, fractures, torn meniscus, knee bursitis, patellar tendinitis)
- Mechanical problems (loose body, iliotibial band syndrome, dislocated kneecap, hip or foot pain)
- Arthritis (osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, pseudogout, septic arthritis)
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of the underlying cause of the this health condition is made by:
- Physical examination of the knee
- X-ray knee
- CT scan knee
- Ultrasound knee
- MRI knee
- Blood tests for infection
Treatment
Treatment of knee pain differs according to the cause of the pain:
- Analgesics
- Physiotherapy
- Medicine injections (Corticosteroids, Hyaluronic acid, Platelet-rich plasma)
- Surgery (Arthroscopic surgery, Partial knee replacement, Total knee replacement)
