Daily, a large number of individuals all over the world suffer from knee pain. These individuals often find walking or climbing stairs very painful which greatly limits their mobility in performing daily tasks. Typically,older people experience knee pain since their knees become weak after years of wear and tear. Nonetheless, younger people or adults can still have the same conditions since knee pain causes can have many sources. Normally, people use their knees for different movements like running, climbing, and crawling. As years go by, the knees disintegrate due to normal wear and tear but other knee pain causes can also make the situation more difficult. It would be helpful to understand that the knee is a hinge joint formed by two bones the femur and tibia. Four important ligaments hold the knees together which is surrounded by the synovium. The synovium is a thick fluid that protects the cartilage. At the same time, the outer layer of the synovium protects and supports the joint. A total understanding of the knee's anatomy is beneficial in understanding the following knee pain causes.
Rheumatoid arthritis -One of the typical knee pain causes felt by the elderly. This condition happens when the body's own immune system attacks its own joints. The white blood cells accumulate in the synovium making it swollen. This results to redness, swelling, and pain especially after waking up in the morning. As the condition worsens, the cartilage becomes eroded which can really be debilitating.
Osteoarthritis One of the top leading source of knee pain causes. As a result of the cartilage breakdown, the bones begin to rub one another that results to pain. The result is inflammation and loss of motion. There's also the likelihood of having a bone deformity later as year go by. Small bone spurs slowly develop along joint edges which is one of the painful knee causes in this condition.
The above mentioned are just some of the common knee pain causes but there are other sources of knee pain too. The knee pain causes can be a symptom of something more serious depending on the pain's location in the knee. Other knee pain causes can be bursitis, softening of the patella or Bakers cysts. Past injuries or infections can also be knee pain causes that must be examined by a medical specialist.
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Posted in: Knee Pain