Your knee is a very complex structure consisting of bones, ligaments, cartilage, tendons, muscles and meniscus. Most people encounter knee pain at some point in their lives. If your knee pain is chronic in nature, then it may last for a prolonged period.

Many causes may be responsible for your knee pain. Some of the causes are stated as follows:
1. Your knee is very much prone to injuries. Knee injuries may happen due to accidents, falling down carelessly or while playing sports. The most common knee injuries that may be the cause for your knee pain are mentioned as follows: 
a) Fractures may cause you to feel pain in the areas of your knee bones.
b) Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury (ligament injury caused by twisting and a sudden motion) or Medial Collateral Ligament injury (injury to the tissue in the insides of your knee) is very common to sportspersons and may be the reason for severe knee pain.
c) Sometimes your knee bones may get dislocated from their usual alignment. This can also make you experience severe knee pain.
d) Ligament injuries, meniscus tear or tendon tear can also be responsible for your knee pain.

2. Sometimes pain in your buttock or foot region can also result in mild knee pain.

3. At times chronic problems like osteoarthritis that affects the cartilage can cause the problem of knee pain. Other chronic problems like Gout, rheumatoid arthritis can also cause severe knee pain.

4. Being overweight can also result in knee pain.
The symptoms of knee pain may be different in each case. The most common symptoms are mentioned below:
a) Stiffness of knee
b) Swelling of your knee
c) You may also feel unstable
d) Difficulty in walking or bending of your knee.
e) You may notice redness in your knee area.

Knee pain must not be ignored. It is highly recommended for you to seek advice from an orthopedic as soon as you encounter any of the above mentioned symptoms.

Suffering from Knee Pain - Know What Causes it? 

Your knee is guarded and cushioned by a cartilage known as meniscus. A meniscus tear, therefore, is an extremely painful and discomforting situation. It occurs very frequently and has emerged as one of the most commonly occurring cartilage injuries. What makes a meniscus tear an extremely common phenomenon is the way it can tear that is all it takes is a twist of the knee for it to happen.

People involved in sports mostly face the brunt of this form of injury. The risk of getting meniscus torn increases with age and tends to occur at the slightest change of direction of movement. 

Symptoms 
Some of the symptoms of a torn meniscus are:
1. Pain and inflammation: it goes without saying that an internal injury of the cartilage or tearing away of it would inevitably result in extreme pain and inflammation near the knee.
2. Immobility: the extreme pain and inflammation, which follows will inevitably make it difficult to move. Since the pain occurs in the joint, you will have difficulty in walking and any forceful movement will only aggravate the pain.
3. Locking of the knee: locking of the knee refers to a situation when you are unable to move your knee. This occurs most commonly after you have your meniscus torn.

Treatment
Notwithstanding its frequency of occurrence, there are several ways, by which you can treat a torn meniscus. Some of the ways are:
1. Apply ice: in order to get some relief, applying ice is a suitable option. If you apply ice every day for some time, it wonders in reducing swelling and the consequent pain.
2. Use a bandage: in order to control the swelling, it is important that you cover your knee with an elastic bandage.
3. Change the posture: it is important that you keep the affected knee in an elevated plane, in order to ensure an efficient blood supply and a consequent relief from pain.

Some medical treatments
There are many things to consider when deciding how to treat your torn meniscus, including the extent and location of the tear, your pain level, your age and activity level, your doctor's preference, and when the injury occurred. Your medical treatment choices are:
1. Nonsurgical treatment with compression, elevation, and physical therapy. This may include wearing a temporary shoulder brace.
2. Surgical repair to sew the tear together.
3. Partial meniscectomy, which is surgery to remove the torn section.
4. Total meniscectomy, which is surgery to remove the entire meniscus. This is generally avoided, because this option increases the risk for osteoarthritis in the shoulder.
5. Whenever possible, meniscus surgery is done using arthroscopy, rather than through a large cut in the shoulder.

Symptoms and Treatment of Torn Meniscus

Knee pain or injuries are very common and have numerous causes. Knee pain can emerge from delicate tissue wounds like ligament sprains and muscle strains. Bone conditions like knee joint pain, Osgood Schlatters, and biomechanical dysfunction can also cause knee pain. Treatment can include basic knee mobilization techniques, taping, massages or knee strengthening exercises completely through a careful recovery method after knee replacement or reconstruction.

Physiotherapy can help you overcome the pain and increase your strength and flexibility. A physiotherapist can suggest you a number of treatments and also help you understand your issue and get you back to your everyday routine. Physiotherapists are said to be successful in getting rid of the source of the knee pain by diagnosing a cause. This includes tightness around the knee and treating it with stretching and exercises.

Following are some of the exercises a physiotherapist might generally recommend for knee pain:

Hamstring stretch: Stretching keeps you flexible and increases your scope of movement, or how far you can move your joints in different directions. It additionally helps you reduce your chances of injuries and pain. Continuously warm up with a five minute walk first. Lie down when you are prepared to stretch your hamstring. Circle a bed sheet around your right foot, use the sheet to pull the leg up and hold for twenty seconds and then lower the leg. Repeat twice and switch legs.
Calf stretch: Use a chair for balance. Bend your left leg. Step back with your right leg and gradually straighten it behind you. Press your left heel toward the floor. You should feel the stretch in the calf of your back leg. Hold for 20 seconds. Repeat twice and then switch legs.
Straight leg raise: It helps build muscle strength to give support to the weak joints. Lie on the floor. Twist your left knee, foot on the floor. Keep the right leg straight, toes pointed up. Tighten your thigh muscles and raise your right leg.
Quad set: With these, you don't raise your leg. Just tighten the thigh muscles, also called the quadriceps, of one leg at once. Begin by lying on the floor. Keep both legs on the ground, loose. Flex and hold the left leg tense for five seconds and then relax. Do three sets of ten repetitions. Switch legs after every set.
Cushion squeeze: This move strengthens your legs from the inside so that they can support the knees. Lie on your back, both knees facing inwards. Place a cushion or a pillow between the knees. Press your knees together, squishing the cushion between them. Hold for five seconds and then relax. Do three sets of ten repetitions. Switch legs after every set.
Heel raise: Stand tall and hold the back of a seat for support. Lift your heels off the ground and rise on the toes of both feet. Hold for three seconds. Gradually lower both heels to the ground. Do three sets of ten repetitions. 

Knee Pain - How Physiotherapy Can Heal Knee Pain?

Pain in the joints continues to bug mankind till this very day. There are different types of joint pains, which might occur all of a sudden, with no signs of receding. The most common of them all are arthritis, tennis elbow, frozen shoulder, back pain and repetitive muscular strain. These joint pains are sometimes impossible to diagnose properly by the regular modes of diagnosis. In those cases, resorting to the homeopathic mode of medication might be a good idea as it is a medication based on treating the actual cause of the disease and sustained use might result in complete remission of the pain.

Some commonly used homeopathic medications for pain in the joints are as follows:
1. Rhus Tox: This is the most commonly used in homeopathic preparation for severe joint pains, the symptoms of which include severe pain after relaxation, pain triggered by slightly wet weather and pain after walking or running for a long time.

2. Arnica Montana: When the symptoms are pain in every joint of the body resulting in body aches and pertaining injuries due to accidents, Arnica Montana serves as the perfect medication.

3. Actea Spicata: This medicine is primarily used as a remedy for pains in the small joints of the hands. The symptoms for which the medication can be implemented are rheumatoid arthritis in the joints of the finger and swollen wrists after usage of the hand.

4. Colchium: This medicine can be used in case of Rheumatoid Arthritis (inflammatory and chronic form of arthritis).

5. Bryonia Alba: This medication can work wonders if the symptoms include severe pain in the knee joints while walking, severe swollen joints and osteoarthritis (affects the flexible tissues present at the bone ends).

However, it is always advisable to take medication as prescribed by your doctor, as the potency and frequency can only be decided by your doctor.

Homeopathic Treatment for Pain in the Joints

Three Ways to Protect Your Knees

The knee is known as the largest and one of the most complex joints in the human body, and also one of the most vulnerable, as it supports the weight of the entire body. The knee joint is made up of several elements including the knee cap, meniscus, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and muscles. Damage to any part of the knee can cause chronic pain. So how can you protect your knee from damage and injury? Take a look at these three points!

Dealing with Load: Weight is a big one. Carrying around extra pounds and kilograms can be detrimental for your knees in the long run. Your knee is not equipped to handle the excessive weight. It already supports three to five times your weight when you get up and walk around or indulge in some mild jogging. One must be careful of those extra pounds to take the load off the knee and keep it from falling prey to damage.

Exercise: Moderate to intense exercise is prescribed for one and all. This, of course, depends on one's overall health and age. If you are already suffering from joint pain, then you may want to go easy on the exercise with a focus on building muscle strength and foundation. If you are healthy, then some amount of daily exercise as a routine will keep those knees in prime working condition and well lubricated as well. Inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle can affect the knees very badly.

Do not Ignore: Warning signals such as chronic or acute knee pain should not be ignored. Remember to see a doctor or an orthopaedic specialist to find out if you have contracted an infection or if you may have suffered a fracture due to an injury. Also, it is important to take a bone density test regularly, especially after the age of 40 or for women going through menopause, as this will point to any deficiencies and even warn you in case there is any trace of osteoporosis.

Rest, exercise, and food should be kept in fine balance for a healthy body. These are a few measures that one can take to keep knee pain at bay. Yet, it is also advisable to speak with a doctor at length regarding measures to protect your knees.

Remember to ask us for a private consultation today!

Three Ways to Protect Your Knees

Knee pain is a common phenomenon that plagues most of the people irrespective of their age. It can be the outcome of a torn cartilage or a ruptured ligament. Medical complications, such as infections, gout or arthritis (painful inflammation and stiffness of the joints) can also give way to knee pain. Minor knee pain can be eased by self-care remedies such as physical therapy or by putting on knee braces. However, few complications might demand surgical repair. Pain can be managed by the pain management specialists.

Tips to manage knee pain

1. Medications such as naproxen, ibuprofen and acetaminophen can be administered to help remedy knee pain.
2. You can seek relief by massaging your knees with ointments constituting of a number of agents such as capsaicin or lidocaine.
3. Keep away from your usual chores to prevent repetitive strains on the knees, thus, allowing the injury to heal as well as to stay safe from further damage.
4. Applying an ice pack in a towel can ease the inflammation and pain. But do not extend its usage for more than 20 minutes because that might harm the skin and nerves.
5. Compression bandages can inhibit fluid accumulation in the damaged tissues aiding knee alignment stability. Ensure that it is tight enough to render support to your knees without actually obstructing blood circulation.
6. To pacify the swelling, try resting your sore leg on a pillow (the idea here is to keep the affected leg elevated to reduce further pain).
7. Shed off your extra pounds as being overweight increases chances of other disorders such as osteoarthritis.
8. Go for regular work outs to enhance and maintain the flexibility of your muscles as excessively weak or abnormally tight muscles can contribute to injuries. Be smart while choosing your method of exercise based on the condition you are suffering from.

Knee Pain - 8 Effective Ways to Manage it

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