How Effective Are Vitamin C Supplements For Knee Pain
In the Framingham Osteoarthritis Cohort Study, who underwent regular knee x-rays, people with the highest vitamin C intakes were three times less likely to see their knee osteoarthritis progress than those with the lowest vitamin C intake. This protection was mostly related to a reduced risk of cartilage loss. Those with high vitamin C intake also had a 70% reduced risk of developing kneepain.
In the similar Clearwater Osteoarthritis Study, those who took vitamin C supplements were 11% less likely to develop knee osteoarthritis than those who did not take vitamin C supplements.
Vitamin C may also enhance the effects of glucosamine and chondroitin. A small trial involving 34 males from the U.S. Navy who had degenerative joint disease of the knee or lower back found good results from combing glucosamine HCl , chondroitin sulfate and vitamin C in the form of manganese ascorbate . After 16 weeks, knee pain in those with osteoarthritis was reduced by 26.6% using a pain scale recorded during clinic visits, while their physical examination score improved by 43.3%. The researchers concluded that this combination was effective in relieving symptoms of knee osteoarthritis.
Knee Replacement Pain At Night
Knee replacement surgery is often the treatment of last resort when other conservative measures have failed to address painful damage to the knee. A total knee replacement removes the kneecap and removes or repairs damaged bone and other surfaces before inserting an artificial replacement. Partial knee replacement surgery is less invasive and preserves the parts of the joint that are healthy.
The level of your knee replacement pain at night depends on which type of knee replacement surgery you get. The recovery time for total knee replacement can be from one to three months. Partial knee replacement offers a faster recovery time of a week or two. Regardless, during recovery, knee replacement pain at night can be extreme and make daytime activities even more challenging.
How Acl Reconstruction Is Performed
Youll be prepped for the surgery by changing into a hospital gown and having an intravenous line placed in your arm. The IV will allow the surgical team to administer medications, anesthesia, or sedatives.
Once the sample tissue is selected, its either surgically removed from your body or prepared from a cadaver. The tendon is then outfitted with bone plugs, or anchor points, to graft the tendon into the knee.
During surgery, a small incision is made in the front of the knee for an arthroscope a thin tube outfitted with a fiber optic camera and surgical tools. This allows your surgeon to see inside your knee during the procedure.
The surgeon will first remove your torn ACL and clean the area. They will then drill small holes into your tibia and femur so the bone plugs can be attached with posts, screws, staples, or washers.
Following the attachment of the new ligament, the surgeon will test your knees range of motion and tension to ensure the graft is secure. Finally, the opening will be stitched, the wound dressed, and your knee will be stabilized with a brace. The length of the surgery will vary depending on the experience of the surgeon and if additional procedures are performed , among other factors.
Typically, you can go home the day of your surgery.
Because ACL reconstruction is a surgical procedure, it carries certain risks, including:
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First Aid For Knee Injuries In The First 48 To 72 Hours
- Stop your activity immediately. Dont work through the pain.
- Rest the joint at first.
- Reduce pain, swelling and internal bleeding with icepacks, applied for 15 minutes every couple of hours.
- Bandage the knee firmly and extend the wrapping down the lower leg.
- Elevate the injured leg.
- Dont apply heat to the joint.
- Avoid alcohol, as this encourages bleeding and swelling.
- Dont massage the joint, as this encourages bleeding and swelling.
Posterior Cruciate Ligament Injury
The posterior cruciate ligament is the ACLs partner. Its another band of tissue that connects your thighbone to your shinbone and supports your knee. However, the PCL isnt as likely to get injured as the ACL.
You can injure the PCL if you take a hard blow to the front of your knee, such as in a car accident. Sometimes injuries occur from twisting the knee or missing a step while walking.
Stretching the ligament too far causes a strain. With enough pressure, the ligament can tear into two parts.
Along with pain, a PCL injury causes:
- swelling of the knee
- trouble walking
- weakness of the knee
Rest, ice, and elevation can help a PCL injury heal faster. You might need surgery if youve injured more than one ligament in your knee, have symptoms of instability, or you also have cartilage damage.
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What Are The Possible Causes Of Back
If your back-of-knee pain is not due to any specific accident or incident, it could be caused by a wide array of factors. According to Dr. Celeste Holder, who holds a B.S. in behavioral neuroscience from Northeastern University, a doctorate in chiropractic medicine from the University of Bridgeport, and is a 1AND1 LIFE doctor, back-of-knee pain presents itself less often than other kinds of knee discomfort, but when it does appear, the “differential diagnosis is rather broad.” Holder continues that diagnoses for this kind of pain can include “pathology to the bones, musculotendinous structures, ligaments, nerves, vascular components, and/or to the bursas,” which makes pinning down the main reason quite challenging.
Apart from musculotendinous injuries, one of the most common causes of posterior knee pain is a Baker’s cyst. Dr. Patrick Jean-Pierre, board certified internal and nonoperative sports medicine doctor and part of the 1AND1 LIFE team, cites Baker’s cysts as cysts that “develop from the breakdown of cartilage or arthritis in your knee, causing an out pocket of swelling and fluid. Sometimes this swelling can become very painful, resulting in the pain behind your knee joint.” Dr. James adds that these cysts “can be caused by repeated irritation of structures in the knee. This also can be caused by poor movement habits or muscle imbalances.”
Wear And Tear Of The Knees
The back and knees are true workhorses of our bodies, but its difficult to remain a thoroughbred forever. As time takes its toll, or as we lose core strength, our backs can become achy and sore.
To compensate for a sore back, you may find ways of adjusting your posture or gait to relieve pressure. The problem is, as you take the pressure off your back, you are applying it to the knees and other parts of your body.
An achy back, worn down from years of wear and tear, can throw your gait off-track forcing your knees to absorb the brunt of the work. If this is the case, you can expect knee pain. An orthopedist or musculoskeletal specialist is the best physician to see to help treat this type of pain.
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Look Into Nerve Blocks
A nerve block is a specific type of knee joint injection that prevents nerves from delivering pain signals to the brain.
After a knee replacement, the most common kind of nerve block for knee pain is a saphenous nerve block. For patients who cannot have knee replacement surgery or who are experiencing chronic knee pain at night from other causes, genicular nerve blocks are another option.
Why Am I Getting Pain At The Back Of My Knee
Published on: 4th February 2020
When it comes to knee pain, we often tend to think first of the front and sides. But pain that comes from the back of the knee is probably every bit as common.
It would be helpful if there was a single likely reason for this! But in fact the causes of back-of-knee pain can be very diverse. You could experience it as a sudden pain or a gradual ache. There may be swelling and inflammation or none at all. You might find it difficult to fully extend your leg.
In other words we need to do some narrowing down to find out whats going on. One useful starting point is to think in terms of problems inside or outside the knee joint: in medical-speak, intra- or extra-articular causes. Lets have a look at the most common ones.
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If It Hurts When You Try To Straighten Your Knee:
You may have a popliteal cyst . This is a bulge in the back pit of your knee, called the popliteal fossa, that is filled with fluid and causes tightness behind your knee. The pain may increase when you while participating in physical activity. You may also feel swelling, pain and stiffness or tightness behind your knee.
Problems Due To Blood Vessels
The popliteal artery and its accompanying vein are major blood vessels at the back of the knee. The artery branches off from the large femoral artery which runs down from the top of the leg, and divides into several other significant blood vessels around the distal end of the femur and proximal ends of the tibia and fibula. The popliteal vein follows the path of the artery and carries blood back to the heart.
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When To See A Doctor
If you are experiencing chronic pain or pain more associated with serious injury, see your doctor promptly. Not addressing your pain properly can lead to increased pain, joint damage, and disability. Depending on the cause of your knee pain, your doctor may suggest the following treatments:
- Medications: Your doctor may prescribe medications to help relieve pain in the back of the knee and swelling and treat underlying conditions like arthritis.
- Physical therapy: Your doctor may prescribe stretching exercises or a physical therapy/rehabilitation program to help you restore range of motion, strength and stability to your knee.
- Injections: In some situations, your doctor may suggest injecting medications and other substances directly into the knee joint in order to reduce inflammation, lubricate the knee and promote healing.
- Surgery: If conservative measures do not provide relief, your doctor may recommend surgical options.
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Can Growing Pains Occur In Just One Leg
Usually growing pains occur bilaterally or in both legs. These pains usually occur deep in the thigh or calf in school-aged children. They generally occur at night with resolution by morning. If your child is experiencing pains in just one leg, consider bringing them for medical evaluation. One-sided leg pain can be indicative of infection, musculoskeletal injury or deformity, or other serious conditions such as a tumor.
Immediate First Aid For Knee Injuries
All acute knee injuries should be treated using the P.R.I.C.E. principles . You should apply the PRICE principles for at least the first 2 3 days.
- Protect knee from further damage. Rest to allow healing to take place
- Apply ice or cold therapy to reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation.
- If you have swelling then then apply compression and elevate your knee to allow tissue fluids to drain away.
- More on first aid for knee injuries
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What You Need To Know
- The most common causes of knee pain are related to aging, injury or repeated stress on the knee.
- Common knee problems include sprained or strained ligaments, cartilage tears, tendonitis and arthritis.
- Diagnosing a knee injury or problem includes a medical examination and usually the use of a diagnostic procedure such as an x-ray, MRI, CT scan or arthroscopy.
- Both non-operative and surgical treatment options are available to treat knee pain and problems depending on the type and severity of the condition.
See The Doctor If You Have:
- An inability to walk comfortably on the affected side
- An injury that causes deformity around the joint
- Knee pain that occurs at night or while resting
- Knee pain that persists beyond a few days
- Locking in the knee
- Swelling of the joint or the calf area
- Signs of an infection, including fever, redness, or warmth
- Any other unusual symptoms
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Symptoms Of Pain Behind The Knee
Pain behind the knee is sometimes referred to as posterior knee pain. Your knee joint is made up of ligaments, tendons, cartilage, muscles, and bones.
According to Dr. Matthew Hoffman on WebMD, the knee is one of the most complex joints in the body. Tendons connect the thigh bone and shin bone to your leg muscles. These work together to provide stability and movement to your knee.1
For example, your hamstring is at the back of your thigh and helps to flex the knee. However, a pulled hamstring will cause pain in your thigh and at the back of your knee.
Dr. Jerry R. Balentine on MedicineNet says that damage to the ligaments and tendons in your knee can cause bones to rub together and result in inflammation, redness, and pain around the back of the knee or kneecap. This can make walking difficult, and instability in the knee joint could result in more pain and damage. In some cases, the pain can be so disabling and severe that it is impossible to put any weight on your leg.2
Years Of Wear And Tear Can Take A Toll On Your Knees But There Are Strategies To Relieve Pain
Whether its a sharp pain or a dull ache, knee pain is a common problem in women particularly older women. One study of women ages 50 and older, published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, found that nearly two-thirds had some type of knee pain during the 12-year study period.
Dr. Rebecca Breslow, a sports medicine doctor and an instructor in orthopedic surgery at Harvard Medical School, says many of the active older women and the female athletes she sees in her practice have knee pain. While there are numerous pain-inducing knee conditions, three seem to be the most common culprits in older women:
-
patellofemoral pain
Below is a guide on how to recognize these conditions and how to treat them.
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Exercises To Reduce Knee Pain
Knee pain is one of the most common orthopedic conditions for which people seek medical treatment. It includes pain felt behind and around the knee cap, especially during activities like stair climbing, squatting, running, and walking while carrying a heavy load. Knee pain can prevent you from participating in your favorite activities and performing daily tasks. Without proper treatment, it can linger for years.
Knee pain can be caused by a variety of factors, some of which include knee stiffness, incorrect positioning of the knee cap at rest or with movement, flat feet, improper exercise form, and weakness of the muscles that control the hip and knee.
A physical therapist can work with you to address your knee pain. After an evaluation, a physical therapist will design an individualized comprehensive treatment program to address the specific factors causing your knee pain. You can contact a physical therapist directly for an evaluation.
To find a physical therapist in your area, visit Find a PT.
These exercises are proven by research to reduce pain and improve your ability to participate in the activities you love.
Consult your health care provider before starting these exercises to determine if they are right for you. If you experience any symptoms such as pain, shortness of breath, or dizziness at any time, you should stop immediately. These exercises are provided for educational information only.
Pain Swelling And A Bony Lump Below The Kneecap Typically In Children Or Adolescents
The patellar tendon can also be a factor in both Osgood-Schlatters Disease and Sinding-Larsen-Johansson Syndrome, where it become inflamed at its attachments to bones during growth spurts together with inflammation of the growth plates. This typically occurs in children or adolescents and often heals of its own accord, but your doctor may prescribe physiotherapy, knee protection or other measures.
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Conditions Due To Cartilage Damage
There are two triangular, or wedge shaped, pieces of cartilage in the synovial joint which are called menisci. One lies on the inside, or medial side, of the knee, and one on the outside or lateral side. They act as shock absorbers between the femur and tibia, the end surfaces of which also have a cartilage covering called articular cartilage. At the front of the synovial joint is the patella which is an oval bone protecting the front of the joint and lined internally with cartilage.
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