Chronic knee pain is knee pain over a long period of time, pain in one or both knees and sometimes accompanied by swelling and stiffness. The causes of the knee pain you experience can vary. Many conditions can cause or contribute to chronic knee pain, and treatments for chronic knee pain also vary. Starting from medication, physiotherapy, joint injections to surgery. Everyone's experience with chronic knee pain will be different.
Causes of Chronic Knee Pain
Acute (sudden) knee pain is different from chronic (long-term) knee pain. Many people experience acute knee pain due to injury or accident. Chronic knee pain is often a problem because it is difficult to recover without treatment.
Conditions or diseases that can cause chronic knee pain include:
- Osteoarthritis: pain, inflammation, and joint damage caused by joint degeneration and damage
- Tendinitis: pain in the tendons in the knee that gets worse when climbing, climbing stairs, or walking uphill
- Bursitis: inflammation of the bursa or cushion in the knee caused by overuse or knee injury
- Chondromalacia patella: damage to the cartilage under the kneecap
- Gout: inflammation of the joints caused by a buildup of uric acid
- Baker's cyst: accumulation of synovial fluid (fluid that lubricates joints). Usually it looks like a lump behind the knee joint
- Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): an autoimmune inflammatory disorder that causes swelling and pain in several joints in the body (fingers, toes, shoulders, knees and other joints which can ultimately cause joint deformities and joint damage
- Dislocation: dislocation of the kneecap is most often due to trauma (accident)
- Meniscus tear: tear in the knee pad, usually resulting from a sports accident
- Torn Ligaments: tears in one of the four ligaments in the knee, the ligaments that are often injured are the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), (PCL), (MCL), (LCL)
Knee Pain Symptoms
Knee pain can appear immediately when an injury occurs or appear gradually and get worse over time. The severity of pain can also vary, depending on the cause. Some symptoms that can accompany knee pain are:
- Knees feel stiff
- The knee looks red, swollen and feels warm
- The knee feels weak, unstable, and difficult to straighten
- Knees make a rattling sound ('kretek-kretek' sound)
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This article was written by dr. Handriadi Winaga, M.Kes, SpOT., AIFO-K (Specialist in Orthopedics and Traumatology at Grha Kedoya Hospital).