Knee pain

The knee joint is a largest hinge synovial joint consisting of 4 bones and is also a major weight bearing joint of the body. The 4 bones are femur (thigh bone on the top), the tibia (shin bone below), fibula (outer shin bone), and patella (knee cap in front). Knee injuries are most common during sports.

Causes:

• Knee pain may occur due to Knee injury, Fractures, Inflammation of lateral/medial ligament of knee, Twisting injuries to knee, Bursitis, Ligament sprains, Repetitive strain injury, Overuse syndrome, Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Patellar fracture, Excessive jumping, Muscle strain, Tendonitis, Meniscus tears.

Symptoms:

• Pain, Swelling, Stiffness, Weakness, Redness and Warmth on the knee.

• Pooping/Crunching sounds in the knee while movement.

• Pain /Inability to straighten the knee or Locking while straightening the knee.

• Painful knee movements and Difficulty while walking. Any deformity/ Unusual symptoms of knee.

Diagnosis:

• X ray, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), Menisci tear can be diagnosed through arthroscopy, arthrography.

Treatment:

NOTE: The treatment to the fractures, severe pain and post-operative cases should be followed by the advice of the doctor.

• R I C E treatment program is to be followed for pain reduction.

  1. Rest the knee. Using of knee caps while walking gives stability.

  2. Ice application to the painful knee area is to be done for 15-20 min with certain gap.

  3. Elevation of the knee joint helps reduce swelling and induce healing.

• Analgesics, Anti-inflammatory drugs, Cortisone injections given under doctor’s supervision.

• Joint mobilization, Soft tissue massage, Electrotherapy modalities done by the physiotherapist.

• Strengthening exercises

  1. Quadriceps

     - Sit in a chair comfortably at its edge. Slowly lift the feet off the floor keeping knee extended and straight along with tightening of thigh muscles. Hold and relax.

     - Lie on the back bending one (left) knee to 90 degrees and foot flat on the floor. Keeping another leg (right) straight, slowly lift it up to a certain height. Hold and relax.

     - Sit/Lie on the floor/bed. Keep your leg straight and place a rolled towel underneath your thigh. Then slowly raise your foot off the floor pressing the towel with the thigh. Hold and relax.

  2. Hamstrings

    - Sit/ Lie on your back. Bend one of your knees to 45 degrees keeping only toes off the floor. Then slowly pull your heel back towards your buttock as if sliding/ digging the heel into the floor. Hold at a point and relax.

    - Lie on your stomach. Slowly lift one foot off the floor tightening the back thigh muscles. Hold and relax.

    - Place left foot on the heel of the right foot. Then slowly try to lift your right heel towards your buttocks with the resistance of the left one (press the left foot to the right heel against each other to resist).

    - Backward walking also strengthens hamstrings resulting in giving less strain to your knees.

  3. Hip adductors (inner quadriceps)

  4. Hip abductors

• Stretching exercises

1.    Quadriceps stretch              2. Hamstrings stretch

• Balancing exercises

Stand straight and take support of the chair. Stand with one leg for one minute and switch to other side. Slightly increase your balance removing the chair support.