Two Reasons Your Knee Hurts
Healthy knees are essential — not just for maintaining an active lifestyle but for your everyday movements. Knee pain can impact your quality of life and prevent you from doing the activities you love.
Pain in your knee is not a condition, it’s a symptom of a deeper issue. Here are two common reasons you’re experiencing knee pain.
1. Knee Pain Caused From an Injury
The most common type of knee pain Dr. Sterett and his team at Vail-Summit Orthopaedics & Neurosurgery treat in their Vail Valley clinics is knee pain caused by an injury. Knee injuries can happen to anyone, but they are more frequently seen in athletes whose sports involve:
Twisting
Running
Spinning
Jumping
Patients with knee injuries are often dealing with trauma, such as a fall or a direct blow to the knee. The pain will often be accompanied by swelling and a reduced range of motion. This knee pain could be the result of any of the following injuries:
ACL Tear: The anterior cruciate ligament is one of four ligaments that help stabilize the knee joint. When this ligament tears, the knee will swell, feel unstable, and sometimes be too painful to walk on.
Meniscus Tear: The meniscus is a horseshoe-shaped piece of cartilage that acts as a cushion between the shinbone and thighbone. A quick twisting motion while bearing weight on the knee can cause this cartilage to tear, resulting in pain, swelling, and loss of motion.
Knee Fractures: The knee joint is composed of four bones — the calf bone, shinbone, thighbone, and kneecap. A direct impact to the knee or fall can damage any one of these bones and result in a fracture. Symptoms of a knee fracture include pain, swelling, bruising, and deformity in the joint.
If you are experiencing knee pain after a traumatic injury, it’s important to see an orthopaedic physician immediately for proper diagnoses and treatment.
2. Knee Overuse Pain
People whose sports or daily activities require their knees to perform repetitive motions can injure their knees from overuse. Common knee overuse injuries are:
Runner’s Knee: A common condition that causes pain around the patella (kneecap) when the tissue of the knee becomes inflamed. Symptoms include a dull ache behind or around the kneecap, swelling, and a popping sensation.
Patellar Tendonitis: The patellar tendon connects the shinbone to the kneecap. Repetitive jumping motions can strain the tendon, causing it to become inflamed. If left untreated this can cause the tendon to weaken and tear.
IT Band Syndrome: The iliotibial band extends from the shinbone to the pelvic bone. Repetitive bending of the knee can cause the IT band to tighten and rub against the thighbone. This results in pain on the outside of the knee.
While these injuries are typically seen in our Eagle County athletes, they also appear in patients whose jobs involve a lot of squatting, twisting, or pivoting. Symptoms of knee overuse include:
Pain
Swelling
Numbness
Tingling
Difficulty moving the knee
Reduced range of motion
Treatment for a knee overuse injury will depend on the severity of your condition. In the majority of cases, Dr. Sterett is able to treat these injuries nonsurgically. He may recommend any or all of the following conservative treatment methods:
Rest
Ice
Compression
Elevation
Bracing
Physical therapy
Steroid Injections
Dr. Sterett will only recommend surgical intervention if conservative treatments have no impact or the injury is severe enough to require it.
Diagnose Your Knee Pain; Contact Team Sterett Today!
If you are experiencing pain in the knee, contact Team Sterett today! As one of the leading knee physicians in the Vail Valley, Dr. Sterett is known for his expertise and compassion. Whether he’s treating Olympic athletes or a teacher, Dr. Sterett and his team will take the time to understand your injury, how it impacts your quality of life, and design a treatment plan that gets you back to doing the activities you love.
Schedule a consultation today by calling (970) 476-7220 or complete Dr. Sterett’s online appointment form.
