Knee Pain Overview in Vacaville

Knee pain in Vacaville happens to people of all ages. This is usually caused by several factors including injury, like a torn cartilage or ruptured ligament. There are also medical conditions such as arthritis, gout, and infections that can cause knee pain.

If the knee pain is just minor, it can be resolved with the help of self-care measures. Knee braces and physical therapy can also treat this condition but there are severe cases where it may require surgical repair.

What are the symptoms?

The location and severity of the knee pain may vary depending on what caused it. The signs and symptoms of knee pain may include the following:

• Swelling and stiffness
• Popping or crunching noises
• Weakness or instability
• Redness and warmth to the touch
• Inability to fully straighten the knee

When to see a doctor in Vacaville

If you experience any of the following, you need to see your doctor right away:

• Have marked knee swelling
• Feeling of instability on the knees
• Inability to fully extend or flex the knees
• An obvious deformity in the leg or knee
• Fever due to pain, redness, and swelling in the knee
• Severe knee pain caused by injury

Causes

Knee pain can stem from injuries, mechanical problems, types of arthritis, and many others.

Injuries

Having knee injury can affect any of the ligaments, tendons, or fluid-filled sacs that surrounds the knee joint. These are some of the most common knee injuries that you will face:

• Fractures - When you've been through a motor vehicular collision or fall, the bones of the knee can become broken. People with bone weakness due to osteoporosis can also experience knee fracture simply by stepping wrong.
• Torn meniscus - The meniscus consists of a tough, rubbery cartilage that acts as a shock absorber between the thighbone and shinbone. A sudden twist of the knee while carrying something heavy can easily tear it.

Knee bursitis - There are knee injuries that can cause inflammation in the bursae, which are the sacs of fluid cushioning the outside of the knee joint so that the ligaments and tendons can glide smoothly over it.

Mechanical problems

These are the common examples of mechanical problems that can cause knee pain:

• Hip or foot pain - Having hip or foot pain can change the way you walk so that it can spare these painful joints. However, this altered gait can put more stress on the knee joint. This can refer the problem to cause knee pain.
• Dislocated kneecap - This happens when the patella covering the front of the knee slips out of place. In some cases, the kneecap remains displaced and the dislocation will become more visible.
• Loose body - The injury or degeneration of the bone or cartilage can cause a piece of them to break off and float in the joint space. This won't usually cause any problems unless the loose body interferes with knee joint movement. This effect is something like a pencil being caught in a door hinge.

Types of arthritis

There are more than 100 different types of arthritis that have been recorded. These are the varieties that are most likely going to affect the knee:

• Gout - This one is caused by a buildup of uric acid crystals in the joint. While gout mostly affects the big toe, it can also take place in the knee.
• Pseudogout - This is sometimes mistaken for gout but this one is caused by calcium-containing crystals that forms in the joint fluid. Knees are the most common joint affected by pseudogout.
• Osteoarthritis - This is often referred to as degenerative arthritis. It is a wear-and-tear condition that happens when the cartilage in the knees deteriorates with age and constant use.

Other problems

Patellofemoral pain syndrome is a term used to refer the pain arising between the patella and the femur. This happens mostly to athletes, young adults, and older adults who developed the condition as a result of arthritis in the kneecap.