Knees are the supports for the whole body. The weight of the complete spine including the hips is borne by knees. The main function of the knee joint is to bend, straighten and bear the weight of the upper body. The knee is a lot more than just a single hinged joint as it twists and rotates to perform several actions. For all these actions and support, the knee relies on several bones, ligaments, tendons, and cartilage.
Now, all these parts of the knee tend to suffer wear and tear in some way or another way and that leads to knee pain. The knee joint has 4 bones and the knee cap rides along the front femur. During most accidents, generally the position of the body is such that the complete body weight gets concentrated on a single bone causing the knee cap to crack or the ligaments to be strained. Most of the knee pain problems start with an injury that starts a inflammatory cycle. Generally, there are 4 basic causes of knee pain:
- Acute injury – a bone crack, a ligament stretches, or a meniscal tear.
- Medical conditions: problems like arthritis or infections.
- Chronic conditions: osteoarthritis, patellar syndromes, bursitis, tendinitis
- Physical conditions: side effect of obesity or a result of old age.
The Basic Symptoms of Any Kind of Knee Pain Are:
- Obvious swelling around the knee.
- Stiffness in the legs while the body is in any position other than sleeping.
- Redness over the knee area and the part feel slightly warm to touch.
- The person is unable to completely straighten or bend the knee.
- Weakness while standing, kneeling and walking.
- Instability while standing
- Popping or crunching noises
- Inability to climb chairs easily
Now that most of the symptoms are listed here, it is critical to know the factors that cause knee pain so that you can be alert and avoid those. Knee pain is one of the most uncomfortable disorders in the physical body as it makes you immobile.
Here Are Some Basic Causes to Avoid:
- Ignoring minor signs of knee injuries: When you have minor accidents and fall down, you may tend to neglect minor knee injuries. But this may be a cause of your lifetime discomfort. Most knee pain problems that doctors attend to are escalated knee injuries which were ignored at primary levels. When you fall, you may suffer from a ligament tear or some internal injury on the knee that you fail to notice and therefore do not lay much importance on it. This goes ahead to turn into a chronic knee problem.
- Obesity: You may be postponing those gym workouts everyday but what you do not know is that all those extra pounds you put on directly lay extra stress on your knees. Obesity has several side effects and one of those is knee problems. The more the stress on the knees, the more the joint cartilage between the knee bones break down. This leads to osteoarthritis which is a chronic disorder. Instead, you really should try to shed some extra pound while you still have time.
- Certain sports: There are some sports, which if not played with caution can greatly damage your knees. Skiing with rigid ski boots, basketball jumps and pivots, and any such movements that includes repeated pounding to the knees can risk knee injuries and escalate to chronic knee pain problems. Also, once you already have had a knee injury, it is crucial to take ample care to not strain the spot again or else the healing process will be hindered.
All these preventive tips of knee pain can help you avert knee problems all your life. In case, you are already suffering from knee pain, you should contact a professional to determine the cause and cure of the pain.
