If it is not the stairs that are creaking but your knees, you could be in trouble.
One of the most common musculoskeletal issues is back pain, however in any medical camp or wellness drive we never miss a number of people suffering from knee pain. It is ubiquitous.
Accurate pain diagnosis is the first step in recovering from a knee problem.
The most common reason for knee pain to recur is failure to treat the underlying cause. You misdiagnose and it will come back.
So how do we make an accurate knee pain diagnosis? There are a few ways to you can approach it:
1) The Location of the Pain — where exactly your knee pain is.
2) How the Pain Started: the mechanism of injury, for example sudden twisting or gradual onset
3) Your Specific Symptoms: what are the main symptoms associated with your pain, say popping noises, locking.
Pain Location: The pain can be in one of the following areas as front knee pain, inner side, behind the knee, the calves or knee cap.
Front kne pain can be caused by the following:
RUNNERS’ KNEE: General ache around the front of the knee and patella/knee cap pain, grinding sensation with knee movement, mild swelling, which gets worse with repetitive activities.
Runners Knee is the most common cause of front knee pain caused by how the cap moves up and down in the trochlear groove. It does not only affect runners
It builds up gradually, but there is no specific injury. Runners knee
is also known as patellofemoral pain syndrome or anterior knee pain.
Exercises, brace, orthotics, occasionally surgery are some of the ways of treatment.
CHONDROMALACIA PATELLA:
Classic Symptoms: Achy pain in front of knee, swelling, clicking sounds and grinding sensation with knee movement. Worse when you first stand up, play sports, comedownstairs and apply pressure through the kneecap. Typically affects young, healthypeople.
It damages the cartilage on the back of the kneecap and more common in women.
Treatment: Exercises, knee straps, orthotics, gel pads, occasionally surgery.
HOUSEMAIDS’ KNEE
Classic Symptoms: Painand swelling at the front of the knee like a squashy orange. Symptoms aggravated by kneeling, walking and bending the knee.
What Is It? Inflammation/swelling of the prepatellar bursa (fluid filled sac) at the front of the knee
Onset: Gradual onset in people who spend a lot of time kneeling, including carpet layers, plumbers, housewives, gardeners.
Treatment: PRICE (Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation), stretches, gel pads, injections, occasionally surgery
OSGOOD SCHLATTERS
Classic Symptoms: Tender, bony lump just below the kneecap, causing front knee pain. Typically affects adolescents. It gets worse with sports activities.
An irritation of the bone just below the kneecap, it is the most common cause of front knee pain in teenagers
Onset: Most common in boys aged 9-16. PRICE is its treatment method.
PATELLAR TENDONITIS (JUMPERS’ KNEE)
It manifests in front knee pain just below the patella, aching and stiffness after activity, thickening of the patella tendon. It damages the patellar tendon just below the kneecap
Rest, ice, knee straps, exercises, surgery are forms of treatment.
CARTILAGE/MENISCUS TEAR
Classic Symptoms: Knee swelling, locking, instability, difficulty straightening the knee, catching pain with knee movements. It gets worse when weight-bearing, like walking, running, on stairs and when squatting.
What is it? A tear in the cartilage lining the joint that can occur suddenly with a force through or sudden twisting of the knee, or gradually through wear and tear.
It also takes PRICE for treatment but it can take long to heal.
KNEE SPRAIN
Instability — knee gives way, knee swelling, bruising at time of injury, generalised pain and stiffness, leading to reduced knee movement.
There are three grades of sprain depending on the severity of the injury.
It onset: Sudden twisting movements or a force through the knee.
ARTHRITIS
Morning stiffness in the knee, generalised swelling, clicking/grinding noises and sensations and knee stiffness with loss of end range movements are some of the symptoms.
Changes in the bone caused by wear and tear, known as osteoarthritis or inflammation, known as rheumatoid arthritis
