Dian Ge once introduced you to the emergency knowledge of a sports sprain
Collection! Ultra-complete sprain treatment method, which can be used at critical moments
, found that everyone is most concerned about: knees!
The knee joint, composed of 1 synovium, 2 meniscus, 3 bones, and 4 ligaments, is almost recognized as the most complex and vulnerable "part" of the human body.
Does running hurt my knee? Does climbing hurt your knee? ...... Don't worry, here it comes!
In today's issue, I will explain the 9 most common knee problems in life at once.
01
Knee pain, what should I do when I go to the hospital?
Generally, knee pain is presented with an initial screening with X-rays.
If the cause is not found, CT can be used to check for microscopic bone disease, or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to check the soft tissues around the joint.
The specific functions and prices of X-ray, CT and MRI are as follows: (*The specific charges are subject to the actual charges of the hospital):
02
Accidentally twisted to the knee, why is it now often bouncing and sometimes even stuck?
This may be due to a sprained knee, resulting in a meniscal tear.
The meniscus, inside the knee joint, is a cushion-like structure, divided into two parts: medial and lateral (as shown by the arrows in the figure)
The meniscus slides slightly with joint movement in the knee joint, which plays the role of buffering, decompression, and lubrication, making joint movement more flexible.
If the meniscus is damaged, the torn meniscus will half-float in the knee joint, "pinning" to other tissues, causing the knee joint to make a clicking and clicking sound when moving; Or, directly stuck between the femur and tibia, the knee joint becomes unstraight...
Therefore, when the knee has symptoms such as popping and movement disorders, it is likely that our meniscus is injured, and we will go to the hospital, and the doctor will choose an MRI examination for us to evaluate the knee injury.
Generally, meniscal injuries can be treated conservatively with medications to moderate cases, while severe injuries require arthroscopic repair or partial removal of the broken meniscus to restore knee function [2].
03
Sudden sprain of the knee, should I apply a warm or cold compress?
Apply cold compresses first to reduce swelling; After applying a warm compress, accelerate the swelling to subside.
When the joint is just sprained, the local soft tissue capillaries in the joint will continue to expand and increase their permeability, and plasma proteins and blood cells will leak out and penetrate into the surrounding tissues.
When it comes to the joints, it is swelling and bruising.
Cold compresses can effectively constrict small capillaries, reduce exudation, and reduce pain.
In the recovery period after sprain injury (usually 1~2 days after sprain), hot compresses can be used to accelerate the absorption of penetrating blood and surrounding inflammatory factors, and accelerate the swelling to subside [3].
04
Why is it easy to hurt my knees when I exercise, and even twist when I walk on flat ground?
Habitual knee sprains are associated with inadequate treatment after the first sprain or poor recovery after treatment.
After a knee sprain, the ligaments and tendons that stabilize the joint are torn or even ruptured, and if they are not recovered in time, the ligaments and tendons will become loose, reducing the stability of the bone and joint, and even if the swelling is reduced after the injury, it is easy to sprain again in the next exercise.
Therefore, if this happens, be sure to go to the hospital in time for an MRI examination to evaluate the ligaments and tendons around the joints.
If the condition is mild, the drug can be taken internally or externally, and the joint can be fixed with a "brace" for conservative treatment.
However, if the condition is serious, it needs to be tightened and repaired by surgery [4].
05
Some middle-aged and elderly people, why do knee pains when it rains or cold weather?
It is likely that osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis is at work!
The two types of arthritis mentioned above are the most common joint problems in the elderly, which will reduce the ability of the knee joint to resist changes in the external environment.
When it rains, the weather is cold, the subcutaneous tissue and capillaries in the knee joint will contract to varying degrees, and the blood supply will decrease, especially in the elderly, the inflammatory factors and joint fluid absorption circulation inside the knee are aggravated, and the result is knee stiffness and pain.
However, these are not incurable diseases, and after distinguishing between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis through medical examination, there is every hope of recovery by prescribing the right medicine and treating the cause [5].
06
I love beer and seafood supper, but my joints are often swollen and painful, what should I do?
Most likely: gouty arthritis attack!
Beer, seafood, barbecue contains a lot of "purine", if you eat and drink uncontrolled, the amount of purine in the body will soar, and a large amount of purine metabolism will produce too much uric acid.
Too much uric acid, will slowly accumulate in the body, especially deposited in joints, synovium and other parts, activate the immune system to cause severe redness, swelling, pain and other inflammation in these parts, which is gouty arthritis.
Generally, gouty arthritis can be recovered by swelling and analgesia, anti-inflammatory, and uric acid-lowering therapy, but if after long-term conservative treatment, swelling, pain, or even severe joint deformity has occurred, surgery is required to correct it [6].
07
Climbing, running, horse strides, frog jumps can hurt your knees, really?
It's true. But if you wear protective gear in advance, etc., you can avoid it.
When doing these knee flexion movements above, the load on the knee joint is several times that of normal.
If under this high-intensity load, the knee joint is still in the process of continuous flexion and extension, the friction between the cartilage of the joint contact surface is intensified, and it is easier to wear and tear.
The meniscus, cruciate ligament, cartilage and other "parts" in the knee joint cannot be repaired after wear, and excessive use will slowly age, resulting in joint degeneration, causing joint pain, swelling and even deformity.
Therefore, when doing these exercises, you can choose suitable knee braces and other protective measures to avoid excessive joint loading.
08
What should people do when they reach middle age often have knee pain, or even can't walk every day?
This is due to osteoarthritis.
When people reach middle age, the knee joint is also used for most of their lives, and the articular cartilage and other tissues are seriously damaged, so it is inevitable to age and degenerate, resulting in osteoarthritis, swelling and pain in the joints.
When this happens, x-rays of the positive and lateral knee joints are required, and if confirmed, symptoms can be improved with treatments such as reduced exercise, weight loss, anti-inflammatory, and bone strengthening.
If the pain and mobility disorder are severe and cannot be effectively relieved by simple conservative treatment, artificial joint replacement surgery may be required.
09
The doctor said that my knee needs to be replaced with an artificial joint, is it reliable?
Artificial joint replacement is to implant titanium alloy and stainless steel metal joints into the body to replace damaged human tissues and help restore knee joint mobility.
At present, this operation is very mature, postoperative joint function recovery is also considerable, theoretically, patients can go to the ground on the same day after surgery, but considering pain and other factors, generally 3~7 days can walk [7].
epilogue
The human body is like a big car running at high speed, and the knees are our wheels.
Daily driving, everyone should take care of their wheels, avoid excessive wear and tear of wheels, and take more maintenance so that the car can run farther and longer.
Finally, I would like to send you four tips for knee pads:
(1) Warm up before exercise
(2) Moderate amount of exercise
(3) Wear protective gear
(4) Keep warm when it's cold
Finally, I wish everyone a healthy knee joint and a happy life.
Special author: Liu Pengran
Ph.D. in Orthopedics, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Reviewer: Yang Bin
Deputy Chief Physician of Department of Orthopedics, Peking University International Hospital
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*Produced by Tencent Medical Codex Content Team