Knee Pain: Common Causes, Home Care and When to Be Seen

What it involves

MedlinePlus says knee pain is a common symptom in people of all ages that may start suddenly, often after an injury or exercise, or may begin as mild discomfort and slowly worsen. The knee joint is made of bone, cartilage, ligaments, and fluid, with muscles and tendons that help it move. When any of these is hurt or diseased, you have knee problems, and the right treatment depends on which one.

Who this is for

• Adults with knee pain that has lasted more than a few days of home care
• Patients whose knee swells, gives way, clicks, or locks
• Patients with arthritis, extra weight, or a past knee injury whose pain is changing
• Patients who want to talk through options before seeing a specialist

What to expect

• Questions about how the pain started, what it feels like, and what helps or hurts
• A physical exam that includes your knees, hips, legs, and other joints
• A plan that may include home care, exercises, or a medicine, and a referral for imaging or a specialist if needed
• A conversation about whether a joint injection is one reasonable option for your situation

Medical conditions behind knee pain

MedlinePlus lists the medical causes of knee pain:

• Arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, lupus, and gout
• Baker cyst, a fluid-filled swelling behind the knee
• Osgood-Schlatter disease and infection in the bones or the joint
• Cancers that spread to the bones or start in them

Injuries and overuse

MedlinePlus lists bursitis, tendinitis, a dislocated or fractured kneecap, iliotibial band syndrome, patellofemoral syndrome, a torn ligament such as the ACL or MCL, torn cartilage or a meniscus tear, and strains and sprains. It adds that being overweight puts you at greater risk for knee problems. The most common disease affecting the knee, in the MedlinePlus health topic, is osteoarthritis, in which the cartilage gradually wears away and causes pain and swelling. A twisted ankle is a different injury with its own steps, and the ankle sprain guide explains the three grades of sprain MedlinePlus describes and when swelling means a trip to the hospital.

Weight and the knee

MedlinePlus says every pound of extra weight puts about five extra pounds of pressure on the kneecap when you go up and down stairs, and the pressure is greater when you jump. It advises asking your provider for help losing weight if you are overweight. The obesity and BMI guide explains how weight is measured and what a provider looks at.

What you can try at home first

For pain that has just started and is not severe, MedlinePlus suggests rest, ice for up to 15 minutes at a time with a towel between the ice and skin, raising the knee, an elastic sleeve or bandage, and ibuprofen or naproxen for pain and swelling. It notes that acetaminophen can help pain but not swelling, and says to contact your provider before using these medicines if you have medical problems or have taken them for more than a day or two. It also advises warming up and stretching before exercise. Pain lower in the leg, at the heel or the arch of the foot, has its own causes, and the heel pain and plantar fasciitis guide explains them and the home care MedlinePlus suggests.

Signs you should not wait

MedlinePlus says to contact your provider if you cannot bear weight on the knee, have severe pain even without bearing weight, or your knee buckles, clicks, or locks. Other reasons are a deformed knee, being unable to straighten or flex it, a fever with redness or warmth and a lot of swelling, pain or color change in the calf, or pain that persists after three days of home treatment. Swelling lower in the leg is covered in the leg swelling evaluation.

Tests, injections and where they fit

MedlinePlus says a provider may order a knee x-ray, an MRI if a ligament or meniscus tear is suspected, a CT scan, or a joint fluid culture, and may inject a steroid into the knee to reduce pain and inflammation. Imaging is arranged through a referral. Serenity offers joint injections at the Loxahatchee and West Palm Beach offices, and whether one fits depends on the cause. Back pain with leg symptoms may have a different source, covered in the low back pain evaluation. Hip problems can also cause pain that is felt in the knee, and the hip pain evaluation explains why a provider examines the hips, thighs, and back as well as the knee. Elbow tendon pain shares some overuse patterns with knee pain, and the elbow pain guide explains tennis elbow and golfer's elbow and when MedlinePlus says to be seen. Leg pain that begins in the lower back rather than the knee is covered in the sciatica guide, which explains how a pinched nerve differs from a joint problem.

Sources

• MedlinePlus — Knee pain
• MedlinePlus — Knee Injuries and Disorders