Knee pain is a common complaint that affects people of all ages. Knee pain may be the result of an injury, such as a ruptured ligament or torn cartilage.
Medical conditions — including arthritis, gout and infections — also can cause knee pain.
Signs and symptoms that sometimes accompany knee pain include:
• Swelling and stiffness
• Redness and warmth to the touch
• Weakness or instability
• Popping or crunching noises
• Inability to fully straighten the knee
a) During the physical exam, your doctor is likely to:
• Inspect your knee for swelling, pain, tenderness, warmth and visible bruising
• Check to see how far you can move your lower leg in different directions
• Push on or pull the joint to evaluate the integrity of the structures in your knee
b) Imaging tests
In some cases, your doctor might suggest tests such as:
• X-ray. which can help detect bone fractures and degenerative joint disease.
• Computerized tomography (CT) scan. CT scans can help diagnose bone problems and detect loose bodies.
• Ultrasound. Doctor may want to maneuver your knee into different positions during the ultrasound, to check for specific problems.
• Magnetic resonance imaging. This test is particularly useful in revealing injuries to soft tissues such as ligaments, tendons, cartilage and muscles.
c) Lab tests
If your doctor suspects an infection, gout or pseudogout, you're likely to have blood tests and sometimes arthrocentesis, a procedure in which a small amount of fluid is removed from within your knee joint with a needle and sent to a laboratory for analysis
Treatments will vary, depending upon what exactly is causing your knee pain.
• Medications: Your doctor may prescribe medications to help relieve pain and to treat underlying conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis or gout.
• Therapy
Aadil hospital Physiotherapist use ultrasound, short wave diathermy, interferantiol and other measures to help ease your pain and prevent a recurrence.
Strengthening the muscles around your knee will make it more stable. Training is likely to focus on the muscles on the front of your thigh (quadriceps) and the muscles in the back of your thigh (hamstrings). Exercises to improve your balance are also important.
In certain conditions, different types of braces may be used to help protect and support the knee joint.
In some cases, the injection of a corticosteroid drug into your knee joint may help reduce the symptoms of an arthritis flare and provide pain relief that lasts a few months.
Surgery
Consult at Aadil Hospital for physical therapy and medical treatment.
