You may have experienced knee pain in your life for a wide variety of reasons, but chronic knee pain is described by pain in and around the knee that is long-lasting and does not dissipate over time. Along with pain, some of the additional issues that you could experience with this condition include a heightened sensitivity and swelling, both of which can become more severe over time. There are numerous causes for chronic knee pain, extending from inflammation and tendonitis to bone tumors and damaged cartilage.
If you’ve recently experienced pain in this area of your body and have noticed that nothing you do seems to reduce the pain, this could be a sign that the pain is chronic. It’s important to understand that the signs and symptoms associated with chronic knee pain are distinctly different with everyone, particularly due to the fact that there are a large number of different causes that can lead to the development of this knee pain.
Some of the primary symptoms that you may notice if you are starting to suffer from chronic knee pain include a constant ache that doesn’t seem to go away, a shooting pain that is sharp and usually occurs when the knee is being used, and a dull discomfort in the area that comes with a burning feeling. If you touch your knee and you find that it is swollen for seemingly no reason, it could be due to a chronic pain in the knee.
While some causes of chronic knee pain won’t go away, treatment options do exist for most of them. These treatments could include a variety of different medications, injections, surgeries, and physical therapy depending on the underlying cause. If you are overweight, this could cause additional damage to the knee, which is why losing weight is one of the more effective methods of alleviating the pain that you could be experiencing. Your doctor will be able to determine which treatments are best for you.
1. Inflammation
Inflammation is a very common cause of chronic knee pain that could occur in the knee for any number of reasons, such as taking a direct blow to the knee to suffering from some form of arthritis. This occurs when the white blood cells in this area of the body try to protect you from further infections with viruses or bacteria. It’s also possible for your immune system to trigger inflammation in your body even when there is no bacteria or virus to fight off, which results in the development of auto-immune diseases like arthritis.
When your knee has become inflamed, you will experience an array of symptoms that should be immediately noticeable. The most common symptoms associated with inflammation include stiffness and pain in the knee, swelling wherein the knee feels warm to the touch, a substantial amount of redness, and issues with moving the knee. When it comes to chronic pain in the knee, inflammation is one of the leading causes. The pain may also not go away until the underlying cause for the pain has been treated. Once you’ve noticed some of the aforementioned symptoms, it’s important to see a doctor so that you can determine if the cause of the pain is inflammation or a more serious condition.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]2. Tendonitis
Tendonitis is a common injury that occurs within the tissue that connects the your shin bone to your kneecap. When this tissue is healthy, your knee will be able to extend properly without any pain or stiffness. The injury will usually occur in athletes who play basketball or other sports where jumping is common. When repeated stress is placed on the tissue, very tiny tears will occur in the tissue, which will have the effect of causing you to experience pain, swelling, and a variety of other issues. If left untreated, the tears can multiply and cause your tendon to weaken substantially.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]3. Bursitis
Towards the front of your knee joints are fluid-filled sacs that are known as bursae. A bursa can become inflamed and cause the condition known as bursitis, which may lead to the pain you’re experiencing in your knee. These bursae help to provide cushion to all the tendons, muscles, and bones in your knee. Because of their soft nature, a bursa can be highly painful when inflamed. When you are affected by this condition, your knee will appear swollen and red. Treatment involved resting the knee until the inflammation has died down. This condition can develop due to extensive amounts of kneeling for work tasks like laying carpet.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]4. Gout
This is a type of arthritis that can affect the knee and will result in high amounts of redness and tenderness in the knee as well as pain. Attacks of pain will occur at intervals and will do so suddenly, typically at night. It’s possible to be affected by a chronic case of gout, which means that the pain can only be reduced and not healed completely. Anti-inflammatory medications as well as exercise can help to reduce the symptoms of gout that have caused pain in your knee. This condition can develop when your body produces too much uric acid, which can settle in the knee joint and cause pain.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]5. Baker’s Cyst
This is a type of cyst found behind the knee that is filled with fluid. When you have developed this cyst, the pain will be at its worst when you are fully extending your knee or when exercising. The condition can occur due to a tear in the cartilage around your knee or the development of arthritis, as both of these problems lead to the creation of too much fluid, which then turns into a cyst. The swelling and pain will occur behind your knee, which makes it fairly easy to detect.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]6. Dislocation
This is among the more painful causes of chronic knee pain and occurs when the bones in and around your knee are moved out of their correct place, which can happen due to impact or other issues. The bones in your knee are held together by tissues known as ligaments. When these ligaments tear, your knee will become dislocated. You can lose the leg if this condition is left untreated. It’s possible that the knee can be relocated without any treatment but you will likely need to schedule some form of treatment to fix the issue and alleviate the pain you’re going through.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]7. Meniscus Tear
This is a very common injury in sports to the right side of the knee that is caused from high amounts of twisting. When this twisting becomes sustained and consistent, some of the tissues towards the front of the knee can become torn, particularly around the cartilage that cushions the thighbone from the shinbone. The standard pain and swelling symptoms will accompany this injury as will issues that you may have with fully extending your leg. A treatment combination of rest and physical therapy should eventually help the pain to subside. However, this injury can be severe and may take months of time to heal.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]8. Ligament Tear
There are several main ligaments within the knee, including the MCL, PCL, and ACL. Each of these ligaments can tear, which will lead to a high amount of pain and instability when trying to walk. As is the case with a meniscus tear in the knee, these ligament tears are typically caused by persistent twisting of the knee. These injuries will most commonly occur in sports like basketball, tennis, soccer, and football. When a ligament is torn, the severity of the sprain is referred to as grade 1, grade 2, or grade 3 sprains. Grade 3 sprains can take up to four months to heal.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]9. Bone Tumors
Bone tumors in the knee are caused by a buildup of a mass of cells in the bone, which would be classified as unusual cells. Despite being referred to as tumors, they are typically not cancerous. The primary reason that these tumors can develop is due to an injury that didn’t heal properly in the area as well as the usage of radiation therapy. The pain you experience in the knee with these tumors is typically a dull and aching one. Surgery will typically be required for the treatment of these tumors but it is possible for the non-cancerous ones to dissipate on their own.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]10. Damaged Cartilage
The cartilage in your knee is connective tissues that keep the joints together and operating smoothly. Although these tissues are highly flexible and strong, they can be damaged due to a range of different issues. You will usually experience joint pain and stiffness in the knee when the cartilage has been damaged. The cartilage can either become damaged over time or you could suffer heavy impact from a direct blow to the knee due to an auto accident or a fall. In most cases, the cartilage will heal over time as long as you remain off of the knee and give it time to heal.
[nextpage title=“Next” ]11. Rheumatoid Arthritis
This is a chronic condition that primarily affects the joints in the feet and hands but can also spread to the knees. It is an auto-immune disorder that can result in the erosion of bone and cause a painful amount of swelling. The stiffness of your knee will typically be worse in the morning. The disease can progress and spread to other areas of your body. It’s also possible for the pain to come and go at intervals. There is no cure for the disease but there are some strong medications that are known to help with the reduction of pain.
