Knee Pain Symptoms and Treatment

To fully understand the topic at hand, we must know what exactly chronic knee pain is. This pain found in the knee is long-term, and causes swelling and/or sensitivity in either both or just one of the knees. There are different symptoms of knee pain depending on the cause in which we'll uncover. There are also many different pre-existing conditions that can lead to the diagnosis of chronic knee pain. There are a lot of different knee pain treatments floating around out there for anybody who is suffering from this pain, chronic knee pain is different. Many people will experience the same causes, symptoms, and knee pain treatments so we'll highlight the pros and cons of each.

There are two different forms of knee pain: chronic and temporary. Temporary knee pain is obviously not as serious of an issue as chronic pain, but it is still nothing to mess around with. Temporary knee pain is usually caused by a small injury or accident and the pain will go away over time, usually without any treatment needed. On the other hand, nine times out of ten, chronic knee pain never goes away without seeking treatment. There are several different physical ailments or different diseases that can speed along the pain of chronic knee injury. Several issues that can lead to chronic knee pain include osteoporosis, tendinitis, bursitis, chondromalacia patella, gout, Baker's cyst, rheumatoid arthritis, dislocation, meniscus tear, torn ligament, and bone tumors. There are also several factors that could make the chronic pain in the knee so much worse, including sprains/strains, overuse of the knee itself, infections running through the body, bad posture during the day and when performing physical activities, failing to do warm up and cool down exercises before the physical workout, and not stretching your muscles properly.  

After hearing all of these causes and potential reasons for coming down with chronic knee pain, you may be wondering who is in fact at risk for this pain. It is statistically proven that people who are overweight are at a higher risk to have chronic pain in the knee. Other factors that could play a role in the long-term pain of chronic knee injury include age, extensive athletic activity, performing a lot of physical exercise, and having previous injuries to that area of the body. 
You may be wondering what the signs are for chronic knee pain. If you have the following symptoms, then you may be experiencing the onset effects of long-term chronic knee pain: constant aching in the knee area, sharp and shooting pains when putting the knee to use, and a burning discomfort in the kneecap. No one person will experience the exact same symptoms and the symptoms may vary based on the causes. You may also experience swelling and pain whenever something comes into physical contact with the infected area of the knee. 

Knee Pain Treatment

Depending on the causes, symptoms, and past medical history. While knee pain treatment is different for everybody, all healing processes revolve around physical therapy, medication, surgery, and needle injections. If bursitis is the cause for the knee pain, then treatment will be different. Icing the area with a with a cotton towel for a solid amount of time (three to four hours) is a good way to start healing the knee. You could also try wearing flat shoes that will help support your body structure and balance out the pain. You could also try sleeping on your back and not sleeping on your side. Sit down as much as possible. When standing, balance your weight equally on both of your legs and avoid walking on hard surfaces as much as possible. 

It might not be necessary to have to know all of these treatments because there are ways to help prevent the onslaught of chronic knee pain. If the pain in your knee seems to get worse because you seem to be using the knee too much, or if you determine that you are experiencing the highest amounts of pain in the knee after performing physical activities, you can try changing some of your lifestyle choices, including warming up before you begin your strenuous exercise routines, try performing low exerting exercises and toning down the amount of exercising you are doing, losing some weight if your current body mass may be part of the problem, walking down hills to avoid putting some extra pressure on that knee, stick to walking on paved surfaces such as a track around a park, get support such as shoe support or brace, replace the shoes you use for your workouts to make sure you are getting the best support and cushioning for your body weight possible. 

Speaking of a knee brace, they are a good way to ensure that the knee does not get any worse, especially during physical exercising. There are quite a few benefits to wearing a knee brace around the knee, including helping your body be able to stay active, preventing injury during warm up exercising, walking on a daily basis, keeping the ligaments and muscles around the knee in healthy condition, and improving your overall posture. Braces are easy to find in any convenience store, comfortable to wear, and are usually affordably priced. Wearing a knee brace for knee injury will not cure the issues that are already there. Rather, the brace will provide support and can alleviate some of the pain. A knee brace for knee injury is a good way to provide yourself with some comfort and relief, even if only for a brief period of time. 

There are a few different braces that can be used to alleviate the pain. The first brace is a functional brace also known as a knee compression sleeve. These braces actually can provide some protection against further injury and add a level of stability to the knee even if it is already injured. The second brace is rehabilitative. This brace is good for limiting movements that will hurt the knee even further, including side to side and up and down. These are good to wear if the knee is in the process of healing after either an injury or undergoing a surgery. The third brace is prophylactic. These braces are good to wear if playing a sport where there is heavy physical contact and it will go to great lengths to protect that knee from injury. Contacting a local physician before deciding to wear a knee brace is usually a good idea. The doctor can help determine if you need a brace at all based on the history of your ligaments, upcoming planned rehabilitation techniques that are going to be used, and any upcoming sports you may plan on participating in. While there is no statistical data that proves that wearing a brace around the knee will act as a cure for the pain, but it can help alleviate the volume of some of the symptoms and provide the wearer with a subtle sense of a peaceful mind.