Pain at the Side of Knee

This article explains the anatomy of the knee and tells why the knee is the most vulnerable joint and the treatment for the knee pain.

Knee is one of the largest joint of the body. It bears the weight of the body and acts as a shock absorber while the body is in movement. This makes it the most susceptible joint to injury and wear and tear of the joint bones. This may result in pain at the side of the knee as well as inside of the knee. To understand the reason behind the pain associated with the knee first the anatomy of the knee should be understood.

Knee has two joints within it. One which joins the femur and the knee cap and the second one which joins the femur with the tibia. These two joints are then supported by the ligaments to make the knee stable and the knee cap or patella helps in smooth sliding of the bones in the knee joints. Injury to any of these ligaments, knee cap or menisci which provides lubrication to the knee causes pain at the side of the knee.

Pain at the side of knee may be due to the following reasons first as already enumerated above is ligaments injury which causes a pain with burning sensation. This is very common in persons associated with sports where pressure on the knee is very high. Second is chondromalacia which is a common cause of pain in young athletes where the knee cap is deteriorated. This pain increases with the flex of the knee. Third is a very common cause that is arthritis which normally is a degenerative disease but may occur to people at young age. It affects the cartilage first and then it affects ligaments and bones of the joint in serial.  Injury to menisci also causes pain at the side of the knee. Tendonitis is another major cause of pain where the tendons of the joints are damaged.

Knee pain could be there for other reason as well like infection, injuries etc. The treatment for the knee pain depends on the degree of pain and primarily is aimed at reducing the pain. The primary steps which should be taken is use of knee castings and braces while playing or walking for the people suffering from any knee disease. Use of ice therapy is also said to bring a lasting improvement in reducing the knee pain. Relaxation of the joint is the best way to heal an aching knee. Anti-inflammatory drugs given during the pain also aims at reducing the pain. When the pain at side of knee is due an injury where the drugs do not respond, orthopedic surgeons suggest surgery for such knees.

Pain at the side of knee could also be treated with alternative methods of treatment like the use of natural methods which include use of natural products to reduce the inflammation and the pain. Herbal therapies are also looked as an alternative methods used to cure pain of the knee which uses herbs to reduce the pain. These methods have pushed down the traditional methods as they provide same relief as in the case of allopathic methods but at a cost much lower than the expensive replacement surgeries and drugs.

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