4 Things Your Knees Say About Your Health

No matter how old you are, you shouldn’t overlook knee pain. It may be a problem with the quadriceps tendon and patellar ligament, or perhaps an injury to the joint and periarticular structures in the area.

In any case, your body is sending you a message:  something is wrong with your health, and it is reflected in that particular part of the body. If you have any discomfort, don’t wait any longer and make an appointment with the specialist. If you want to know what your knees say about their condition, be sure to read this article.

4 messages from your knees about your health

The knees are very vulnerable to injury. Certain exercises, sudden movements or, simply, the passage of time, deteriorate the joints and bring with them a series of discomforts that, in some cases, are disabling for those who suffer from them.

Sometimes pain relief pills, rest, skipping the gym, and avoiding stairs can help relieve pain. However, in more serious situations, surgery is necessary. If you want to know more about this topic, know what the knees would say if they could speak.

1. Don’t go up the stairs!

When the pain in your knees is so severe that it prevents you from climbing stairs normally, this can be a sign that they are worn down from use. Other possible causes of such pain are: t raumatisms, congenital defects or metabolic disorders.

Knee pain when climbing stairs can be an early sign of osteochondritis, which, according to experts at the Mayo Clinic, is a joint disease in which the bone under the cartilage of a joint dies due to lack of flow. blood.

Although not as common as osteochondritis, osteoarthritis can also be behind your knee pain. While the first disease is more common in children and adolescents, the second is usually more common in adults.

Among the main risk factors associated with osteoarthritis, the following can be mentioned:

• Age: Osteoarthritis occurs frequently in middle-aged people and can affect older people.
• Heredity: Among the hereditary characteristics, are bowed legs and knees together.
• Weight: obesity will make your knee joints have to bear more weight and suffer.
• Injuries: A sports injury, for example, is a possible causative factor for osteoarthritis in the future.
• Overuse: Kneeling or bending over, lifting heavy objects, and walking as part of your daily work all wear out the knee joints over time.

Taking into account all the above, it is important that you get a medical check-up to find out the cause of the pain and other discomfort that you may be experiencing and that prevent you from leading a normal life. Meanwhile, avoid making excessive or repetitive movements to prevent this osteoarthritis from becoming progressive.

2. Did you feel that click?

Sometimes when the kneecap does a slight ‘crack’ a meniscus tear may have occurred after an injury. The menisci are two cartilaginous discs that are C-shaped and are located between the femur (the thigh bone), the tibia (calf), and the patella (the rounded central bone of the knee).

These fibrocartilages help keep the knee stable and serve to cushion the impacts that the bones receive. According to a publication by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons , tears in this area are very common, especially in those who play contact sports.

After an acute injury, the area may need to be immobilized during transportation to the hospital. In case the professional indicates to limit the movement of the joint, there are devices designed to keep the knee stable.

3. Pay attention to that tingling

Sciatica causes numbness or tingling behind the knees. Although it is not a disease as such, it is damage to the sciatic nerve, which begins in the lumbar region and runs down the back of each leg. When this happens, the pain is so bad that it can make movement impossible.

When you go to the doctor, he may recommend applying heat or cold to the area that has pain, to reduce inflammation. According to a Spine-Health article , the ice or heat is typically applied for about 20 minutes and the process is repeated every two hours. 

It is important that you put ice in for the first 48 to 72 hours and then use heat. Y  do not panic! This problem ceases to be annoying as long as proper physical therapy care is followed.  

4. Move your legs

Like sciatica, blood clots cause pain behind the knee and generate heat in the area. These clots can occur from:

• Obesity.
• Pregnancy.
• Menopause.
• Sedentary lifestyle.
• Fracture of a bone.
• Natality control.
• An accident, a fall, etc.

In these cases it is important to go to the emergency department for an evaluation and treatment as soon as possible. Predisposed patients who will be traveling for several hours by plane or car should try to keep their legs and calf muscles moving.

If this is the case for you and you feel heat and pain directly in the back of your knees, that is a warning that a clot is forming. These can be life threatening at times. When the person is in danger, by necessity, he must take anticoagulants. Remember that the medication should always be taken after consultation with the doctor.

Do you feel discomfort in your knees?

If your knees spoke now, would they indicate any of these questions that we have discussed? If so, you already know what disease or health problem you could be presenting. Therefore, do not let the inconvenience pass under the table and get a check-up as soon as possible. The sooner you receive a diagnosis and treatment, the sooner you can experience relief.