Knee pain can impact your everyday life and keep you from doing the things you love. Knowing what can cause it can help you prevent it.
An injury can cause knee pain as can a medical condition like arthritis, gout, and an infection. Some mechanical issues can also cause knee pain.
Common Knee Injuries
The knee area contains many parts including ligaments, tendons, bursae, bones, and cartilage. Injuries can happen to any or all of these areas.
Common injuries are:
- ACL tear- These happen frequently when playing sports that require sudden direction changes.
- Kneecap fracture
- Meniscus Tear- Tears happen when suddenly twisting the knee while weight is on it.
- Knee bursitis- When the small fluid sacs cushioning the knee joint get inflamed, pain can happen.
- Patellar tendinitis- The tendons connecting muscles to bones can get inflamed. People who run, ski, cycle, or jump a lot can develop this injury.
Knee Mechanics Issues
Sometimes, the way the knee and surrounding muscles and bones function can cause knee pain.
A piece of bone or cartilage can break off and float around the joint. It can cause pain if it gets close to the joint itself.
Iliotibial band syndrome and hip or foot pain can also impact the knees. Iliotibial band syndrome happens when the tissue that connects the outside of the hip to the outside of the knee becomes really tight. It rubs against the femur causing pain.
You may be changing the way you walk if you have hip or foot pain. That might be putting more stress on your knees, causing pain.
Many different types of arthritis can also impact the knee.
Preventing Knee Pain
All of us are not destined for knee pain. There are some ways to prevent it.
A healthy weight can help reduce stress on your knees. Every extra pound can hurt your joints and accelerate the breakdown of cartilage around the knee joints, increasing the risk of osteoarthritis.
Make sure to stretch often, especially before playing sports. Make sure your technique is good and you practice often. Lessons with professionals can help make sure your technique is proper. Conditioning is a good way to keep from injuring yourself. Don’t suddenly change the intensity of your activities. This can hurt your knees. Build up to new levels of activity.
Tight and weak muscles contribute to injuries, so staying strong and flexible are keys to preventing knee problems. Building up quadriceps and hamstrings can also help since they both support the knee.
If you play sports, proper knee guards and braces can protect these joints.
If you have chronic knee pain or injuries keep happening, you might need to change the way you exercise. Find something with a lower impact like swimming or water aerobics. Reducing the higher impact activities could allow your knees to have a bit of a break.
Also, make sure you’re wearing good shoes with a proper fit. Shoes that do not fit correctly or do not provide adequate support can make knee problems worse.
If you have knee pain or want to learn more about preventing it, the medical professionals at B3 Medical can help. Educating patients is a key to their ability to make the right choices for their health. Contact us today to get rid of your knee pain.
