Around one in four American adults suffer from chronic knee pain. From joint stiffness and swelling to instability and weakness, knee pain symptoms make almost all everyday tasks painful and difficult.
But despite how widespread knee pain is, it’s not always easy to find effective treatment recommendations without knowing the cause.
So, what are the leading causes of knee pain? And what can you do about them? Let’s take a look!
1. Knee Injury
Being active is great for your joints and the rest of your body. But bad form, over-reaching, and other exercising errors can often cause knee injuries.
Some of the most common causes of knee pain are arthritis in knee, ACL tears, tendinitis, sprained ligaments, bursitis, and runner’s knee. Or, if you have an old knee injury that wasn’t treated at the time, it may flare up occasionally or cause consistent pain now.
This is why it’s important to take steps to fix knee pain as soon as it starts. One of the best ways to stop or help knee pain following an injury is to make an appointment with your local chiropractor at BCAchiropractic.com.
2. Mechanical Problems
Various mechanical problems affecting your knees or other parts of your body can also cause knee pain. Some examples include:
- Misaligned bones – If any of the bones from your hips down to your ankles are not in their correct position, this can put excessive pressure on certain spots. This kind of misalignment causes knee pain when the kneecap can’t move smoothly
- Loose body – Following injury or degeneration, a “loose body” (a piece of bone or cartilage) may break off and float in the space between joints. If this loose body interferes with the knee joint, moving it becomes difficult and painful
- Referred pain – Pain in your hip or foot, such as plantar fasciitis, can cause you to change the way you walk. But knee pain can be a side effect of this altered gait because of the stress you’re putting on your knee joint when walking
While you would likely need surgery to remove a loose body, your local chiropractor should be able to help you with bone misalignment and referred knee pain.
3. Arthritis
There are more than 100 types of arthritis. Those most likely to affect the knee include:
- Osteoarthritis – This degenerative or “wear-and-tear” arthritis is the most common type. It occurs when the cartilage in your knee deteriorates over time due to age and use
- Rheumatoid arthritis – This debilitating autoimmune condition can affect almost any joint in your body, including your knees
- Gout – This type of arthritis involves a build-up of uric acid in the joint. Although gout usually occurs in the big toe, it can also affect the knee
- Pseudogout – This occurs when calcium-containing crystals develop in the knee joint
One of the best ways to help knee pain is to maintain a healthy weight and exercise regularly. But, low-impact activities such as swimming are the best option for those of you with any of these forms of arthritis.
Your Guide to the Common Causes of Knee Pain
As this quick guide shows, there are three very different common causes of knee pain.
But, whatever the reason for the pain you’re experiencing, knowing the cause can get you the right treatment and help you on the path to recovery.
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