Knee pain can follow an injury or build slowly from overuse, wear or arthritis. A knee that will not bear weight, gives out or looks deformed needs a call to your doctor. A red, swollen, painful knee with a fever needs a doctor right away. Pain that lingers can be looked at in Towson.
What a Sore Knee Can Be Telling You
Maybe the knee swelled after a twist on the court, or maybe it has ached a little more each year. Either way, the knee may not be the whole story. A sore hip or foot can change the way you walk, and that change can make a knee hurt.
Knee pain is one of the problems we see at our Towson clinic, and how the whole leg moves matters here.
How Knee Pain Starts
Knee pain is common at every age. It can come on suddenly after an injury or exercise, or begin as a mild discomfort that slowly worsens. Where it hurts and how badly depends on the cause, which may be an injury, a mechanical problem, arthritis or an infection.
The knee joins the thighbone and the shinbone, with the kneecap in front. Four ligaments tie those two long bones together, and a pad of tough cartilage called the meniscus absorbs shock between them.
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Something else starts to hurt
A painful hip or foot can lead you to favor that side as you walk.
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The knee takes more stress
The change in your walk puts extra load on the knee joint, and the knee begins to hurt too.
What raises the risk
- An earlier knee injury, even a minor one
- Skiing, basketball, running and other sports that pound or twist the knee
- Jobs such as construction or farming
- Extra body weight
- Weak or tight muscles around the joint
When it may be something else
- An infection in the joint or in the nearby bones
- Lupus or gout
- Cancer that began in bone or spread there
- A problem that starts in the hip or foot
Signs That Go Along With Knee Pain
The cause shapes where the pain sits and what comes with it.
- A knee that feels weak or unstable
- A knee that buckles, clicks or locks
- Popping or crunching sounds
- Swelling and stiffness
- Trouble straightening the leg all the way
- Redness and warmth
- Pain around the kneecap
- Pain on the inner or outer side of the joint
Common Reasons a Knee Hurts
Torn ligaments
An ACL tear is common in basketball, soccer and other sports with sudden changes of direction. Swelling or an unstable knee can follow.
A torn meniscus
Twisting the knee with your weight on it can tear this cartilage. The pain may sit on the inner or outer side of the joint.
Tendinitis and bursitis
Runners, skiers, cyclists and jumpers can irritate the tendon below the kneecap. Kneeling for a long time can inflame a bursa, a small sac of fluid that cushions the joint.
Pain around the kneecap
Doctors call this patellofemoral pain, because it comes from between the kneecap and the thighbone. Athletes get it, and so do young adults whose kneecap does not track well.
Iliotibial band syndrome
This band of tissue runs from the outer hip to the outer knee. In distance runners and cyclists it can tighten until it rubs on the thighbone.
Arthritis
Osteoarthritis wears down knee cartilage with use and age. Rheumatoid arthritis, gout and pseudogout can affect the knee too.
Broken bones
A fall or car accident can break the kneecap or the bones around it. With osteoporosis, one wrong step can be enough.
Mayo Clinic's guide to knee pain causes notes that septic arthritis, an infected joint, often comes with a fever and usually with no injury before the pain.
How We Treat Knee Pain in Towson
A torn ligament, a worn joint and an irritated tendon call for different care, so the cause comes first. After our comprehensive evaluation, a service like this may be recommended, depending on your condition.
Traction Therapy
Knee on Trac is one of the traction machines at this clinic, and it may be used for people with knee pain.
Class IV Laser Therapy
Class IV laser therapy is offered at this clinic. A noninvasive handheld device applies light to the area, and this may be used for knee pain.
Knee Pain Care Options Compared
This table covers common paths, not a full list. Your doctor or an orthopedic surgeon can tell you about others.
| Option | What it involves | Who provides it |
|---|---|---|
| Home care | For new, mild pain: rest, ice with a towel between, a raised leg and an elastic sleeve. | You, with advice from your doctor |
| Exercises | Stretching and strengthening for the muscles in the front and back of the thigh. | Ask your doctor about a program |
| A knee brace | Support for the joint, or a way to keep it from moving after an injury. | Your doctor |
| Shoe inserts | Arch supports for flat feet. | A podiatrist |
| Medicine | Ibuprofen or naproxen for pain and swelling. Check with your provider first if you have medical problems. | Your doctor or pharmacist |
| Knee on Trac | A traction machine for the knee. | This clinic, if recommended |
| Class IV laser therapy | Light from a handheld device. | This clinic, if recommended |
| Surgery | Mayo Clinic says that in some cases a knee may need surgical repair. | An orthopedic surgeon |
When an Orthopedic Surgeon Makes Sense
Many fractures and injuries around the knee need surgery to restore full use of the leg. A surgeon who treats bones and joints can tell you whether yours is one of them. Some injuries also raise the risk of arthritis later, so a knee that stays off after an injury is worth having checked.
Ask about an orthopedic surgeon for
- A broken bone in or around the knee
- A torn ACL or other ligament
- A torn meniscus
- A knee that still does not feel or work right after an injury
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' page on common knee injuries lists fractures and many injuries around the knee among those that need surgery.
If the team cannot help with your knee, you may be referred to another provider.
Knee Symptoms That Should Not Wait
See a doctor right away for a painful, red, swollen knee with a fever, even with no injury before it. A joint infection can damage cartilage quickly. If you hurt your knee and have severe pain, cannot move it, or felt it give out with a pop, seek treatment as soon as possible.
Pain, swelling, numbness, tingling or a bluish color in the calf below a sore knee also needs a call to your provider, since a blood clot in the leg can cause some of the same signs. Sudden shortness of breath or chest pain means emergency help, with or without those signs.
Call your doctor if
- You cannot bear weight on the knee
- The knee feels unstable or gives out
- The knee looks deformed or misshapen
- You cannot fully bend or straighten it
- It is badly swollen
- It hurts badly even when you are not standing on it
- You still have pain after 3 days of home care
The MedlinePlus article on knee pain tells readers to contact a provider about pain, swelling, numbness or tingling in the calf below a sore knee.
Knee Care on E Joppa Rd
Expect questions about how the knee was hurt and what makes it worse. The evaluation may include a physical assessment, and any plan may be fitted to you.
Campus Hills, Towson Town Center and Nearby Roads
Campus Hills is nearby, about 0.8 miles northwest, and Towson Town Center is about 1.2 miles northwest. Prince Rd meets E Joppa Rd about 0.15 miles west of the clinic, and Goucher Blvd meets it about 0.4 miles west.
Get Your Knee Looked At
Notes that help: how the knee was hurt, whether it swells or locks, and which activities bring the pain on. The phone is the easiest way to ask about insurance or cost.