You are devoid of free movement if you have chronic knee pain. Choosing the right treatment procedure helps to alleviate it while relieving the patient.
Chronic knee pain is the feeling of swelling or persistent pain in the knee joints. Chronic knee pain is a complex issue, which varies with age and lifestyle.
It is difficult to lead a proper lifestyle with chronic knee pain. Your mobility is negatively impacted by it. Treatment procedures vary with causes and that indicates the need for early diagnosis. Ketamine injections for chronic pain are commonly advised to people having this issue.
Main Causes of Chronic Knee Pain
Chronic knee pain can take place because of multiple causes
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a knee disease that occurs due to the wearing down of protective cartilage with time. This disease mainly affects hand joints, knee joints, and spine joints.
Managing osteoarthritis is possible but reversing the damaged joints is not possible. This disease is highly prevalent among the older adults.
Patients over 55 years comprise 73% of the total osteoarthritis-affected people in the world. Here is the predicted arthritis-affected population in Canada.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a type of arthritis where the tissue lining in your body joints are attacked by the immune system. Well, other body parts can also be impacted.
Along with knees, rheumatoid arthritis affects the joints in your wrists, ankles, and feet. Hence, you will feel joint inflammation. 7 out of 10 people having this disease are females. Here is the prevalence of this disease among different age groups.
Past Injuries
You can experience chronic knee pain if you have experienced any injury previously. This can be any fracture, a torn ligament, meniscus tear, etc.
This cause is very common among the athletes. Injuries are part of their lives. This might make them suffer from long-term pain. A PRP treatment (traitement prp) is often suggested by the doctors.
Repetitive Strain
This is the damage to your muscle that is done by repetitive motion. Repetitive strain is usually seen among the people who are engaged in labour-intensive jobs.
This mainly leads to bursitis or tendonitis. Such injuries are common among people and that affects your fingers, wrists, and thumbs. Sports personalities and musicians often deal with this problem and that causes chronic knee pain.
Obesity
Obesity is one of the common causes of chronic knee pain. People who are overweight experience high loads on their knee joints. This results in breaking the cartilage, which causes long-term pain on the knee. If you are 10 lb overweight, your knee witnesses 3-6 times of it with every step.
Diagnosis of Chronic Knee Pain
To diagnose chronic knee pain, there are several available measures. Here are some of the diagnosis procedures of chronic knee pain.
Physical Examination
To detect any swelling or deformity, doctors assess your knees. This helps to understand any fluid buildup in your joints. Any repetitive strain can be identified via this procedure. The McMurray test is suggested when a patient has a torn meniscus.
Imaging
Physical examination might not always be enough to diagnose the disease. In such cases, X-ray, ultrasound, MRI, etc. are done to diagnose osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. If you have a fractured bone, an X-ray can identify it. MRI helps to identify any ligament injury or tearing of cartilage.
Blood Tests
Your doctor can send you for a blood test, if he or she suspects any kind of inflammation or infection. Additionally, arthrocentesis can also be done.
Chronic Knee Pain: Main Treatment Procedures
Chronic knee pain needs immediate treatment so that it fails to create a long-term impact on mobility. Let’s discuss the top treatment procedures that doctors prioritise after diagnosis.
Medications
Your doctor can prescribe you medicines to deal with chronic knee pain. To treat inflammation, NSAIDs like aspirin, ibuprofen, etc. are prescribed.
Corticosteroid injections are given to people who experience persistent pain in the knee joints. Such injections can offer you an inflammatory relief. Often, doctors rely on ketamine infusions for pain management.
Supplements like chondroitin, MSM, or glucosamine are also given to treat chronic knee pain. Such supplements slow down the breakdown of cartilage, along with lowering inflammation. Your joint health is also improved.
Physical Therapies
You can combat chronic knee pain by performing different exercises (step-ups, hamstring curls, calf raises, etc.). These exercises support your knee while making your pain somewhat manageable. You need to interact with a physiotherapist for that.
Knee braces offer adequate support to the knees while holding them in place. To figure out the right brace for you, you need to interact with your doctor.
Minimally Invasive Procedures
Arthroscopy helps to treat chronic knee pain. Using an incision, a small camera is inserted. This lets the doctor obtain an inner picture of your knee.
To treat arthritis, your doctor can consider plasma replacement therapy for knee. Plasma platelet knee injection is considered here. This injects your plasma into the affected knee. Here, a concentrated form is considered. Pain, mobility, and stiffness are improved via platelet replacement therapy.
Surgery
Depending on the main causes of the pain and the damaged knee portion, your doctor will suggest a surgical procedure. This is prioritised when medicines or support do not work anymore.
- Partial knee replacement: In such cases, a specific part of your knee will be removed. This will be replaced by prosthetic pieces. You need around 1-2 months to recover.
- Total knee replacement: Doctors will go for replacing your knee fully if it is severely damaged. To achieve a full recovery, you need around a year. 700,000 total knee replacements are done in the USA every year.
Lifestyle Improvement and Self Care
You can manage chronic knee pain if you change your lifestyle. Prioritising weight management or performing physical exercise daily is helpful. You also need to include walking, swimming, and cycling to your daily routine.
Using the proper footwear and maintaining a correct posture are also vital. The RICE technique is effective to combat knee pain.
Let’s compare various treatment procedures
| Treatment options | Applied to | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medications | Inflammation | Instant relief from pain and easily accessible | Stomach problems and do not offer permanent relief |
| Physical therapies | Weak muscles and consistent pain | Mobility improvement and preventing joints from further damage | Slow outcomes and the need for daily sessions |
| Minimally invasive procedures | Initial arthritis stage and ligament damage | Targeted treatment process and quick recovery | Inapplicable in advanced stages |
| Surgery | Fully damaged joints and advanced arthritis | Restoring mobility and offering prolonged relief | Long recovery span and costly |
| Lifestyle improvement | Mild to moderate pain | Improving joint health and cost-effective | Slow procedure |
Table: Comparing different treatment procedures for chronic knee pain
How to Prevent Chronic Knee Pain?
To prevent chronic knee pain, you need to follow several considerations.
Maintaining a Healthy Weight
You need to maintain a healthy weight so that your knee joints are not pressurised by excessive load. Your BMI must be within 18.5-24.9. Here are suggested weights with matching heights.
Performing Regular Exercises
You must walk and swim daily to avoid chronic knee pain. Prefer cycling for a short distance. This will save your knees from dealing with excessive strain.
Avoiding Sudden Stress
Keep in mind that your knees must not experience heavy stress suddenly. Be careful while lifting heavy objects.
Preferring Early Consultation
Are you experiencing pain in your knees? Is it a constant one? Consult a doctor immediately.
Summary
Chronic knee pain is hard to deal with. The main causes are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, past injuries etc. Treatment processes like platelet replacement therapy, NSAIDs, knee replacement, etc. are common. Maintaining a healthy weight can be effective in preventing it.
Dealing with Chronic Knee Pain
Are you experiencing intolerable knee pain? Is that affecting your mobility? Contact us to find the best possible treatment for you.
