What Does Your Knee Pain Indicate?

Knee pain is a rather common symptom experienced by people of several age groups. The nature and intensity of knee pain varies and is dependent on the cause of the pain. Some of the commonly experienced types of knee pain are mentioned below:

1. Dull Ache: Constant and dull pain may be experienced in the knees at times. It does not change in intensity or nature, but remains the same.

2. Sharp Pain: A sudden twinge of pain may be experienced in the knees without any obvious cause. Such kind of pain is often associated with stiffness.

3. Pain That Depends On Movement Of The Knee: Some disorders lead to development of knee pain that is experienced only when any movement of the knee occurs. No pain is experienced when the knee is resting.

It is very important to detect the cause of knee pain as the treatment and prognosis of the patient’s conditions depends entirely on the cause. Some of the commonest causes of knee pain are as follows:

1. Osteoarthritis: Osteoarthritis is the inflammation of knee joint due to severe wear and tear or over exertion of the joint. Pain in the knee is one of the primary symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee joint. Concurrent stiffness is also commonly present.

2. Injury: Direct injury to the knee, sprained ligament, strained muscles or damage to any other soft tissue surrounding the knee joint will lead to inflammation and resultant knee pain. The nature and intensity of the pain will depend on the degree of damage to the knee.

3. Bursitis: A bursa is a small fluid filled sac present directly beneath the skin covering the knee. Recurrent friction at the knee due to bruising, abrasion or traumatic impact to the knee may lead to inflammation of the bursa. This condition known as bursitis is quite painful.

4. Autoimmune Disorder: Rheumatoid Arthritis is a painful condition of the knee occurring due to deficiency in the immune system. It may take a longer time to heal than osteoarthritis.