Introduction
The knee joint is generally very susceptible to injuries and complaints. Due to the high weight load caused by the body weight alone, as well as by stress in many sports, knee problems and acute knee pain are not uncommon. Acute pain often occurs suddenly and is usually triggered by overloading or an accident.
Non-accidental causes
Among the non-accidental causes of acute knee pain are In the following you will find a short informative description of the respective clinical picture. – Rheumatic diseases
- Activated arthrosis
- Attack of gout
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Patellar tip syndrome
- Plicasyndrome
- Lyme disease
The term “rheumatic forms” covers a wide range of different diseases that cause pain and restrictions in the human locomotor system. Rheumatic diseases can be caused by autoimmune, wear and tear, metabolism or numerous other factors.
Inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis, are just as much a part of rheumatic diseases as chronic damage caused by arthrosis. The knee is particularly often affected by arthrosis, joint inflammation, gout, tendonitis or connective tissue diseases. The therapies are as varied as the diseases themselves.
While some diseases can be treated adequately with physical therapy, autoimmune diseases often require the prescription of immunosuppressive drugs. – Pulling in the hollow of the knee – is that dangerous? Arthrosis is a chronic and irreversible disease of a joint.
The knee joint is often affected by arthrosis. The main factors involved in the development of arthrosis are overweight, strenuous sports, previous damage from injuries, operations and old age. The joint cartilage can wear out and become narrower as a result of years of strain.
It cannot recover, which is why arthrosis can only be stopped by therapy. In an advanced stage of the disease, the joint surfaces are subjected to such high loads that signs of inflammation with redness, swelling, restricted mobility and pain can occur. This is called activated arthrosis.
Typical is the so-called “starting pain” at the beginning of a movement. After a short time, the pain can even occur at rest. Activated arthrosis often alternates with dormant arthrosis, which is characterised by a subsiding of the inflammation and a decrease in symptoms.
A sudden attack of gout can be a frequent cause of acute and highly painful knee pain. Gout attacks are widespread in the population and can cause pain in various joints. Behind this is an elevated uric acid level, which can occur due to metabolic processes or due to unbalanced and incorrect nutrition.
Uric acid can be compensated and dissolved in the blood up to a certain amount. However, when the amount is increased, the body forms uric acid crystals from the excess acid, which circulate in the body and can settle in joints. In most cases, the metatarsophalangeal joint of the big toe is affected, but the knee is not an uncommon location either.
In addition to intense acute pain, swelling, knotting, fever, nausea and itching can occur. In an acute attack, the uric acid levels can be lowered with medication, but in the long term the diet should be changed to a low-purine diet. Psoriasis is a chronic disease of the skin.
It is also known as psoriasis. Psoriasis primarily manifests itself through inflammatory, red, itchy scaling of the skin. However, a complication of this skin disease can be arthritis (inflammation of the joints).
This so-called “psoriatic arthritis” is noticeable as a painful and progressive joint inflammation that can affect all small and large joints of the body. In addition to the knee, the spine is often also affected. If left untreated, the joint inflammation can result in protracted pain, restricted movement, stiffening of the joints and thus a massive impairment of quality of life.
As a cause of acute knee pain, psoriatic arthritis is a rather rare clinical picture, but it should be considered in the long term for diagnosis. In common parlance, the patella is often only used to refer to the kneecap, but the tendon of the quadriceps muscle, which runs across the kneecap and is involved in stretching the knee, is also called the patella tendon. The patella tendon is located at the upper part of the tibia and therefore just below the knee.
Certain movements, sports or overloading in the knee joint can lead to chronic irritation of the tendon in its attachment to the tibia. As a result, the tendon can become inflamed and cause swelling, redness, pain and restricted movement. In particular, sports involving rapid acceleration, deceleration and jumps are predestined for patellar tip syndrome.
The most important therapeutic measure is to protect the knee joint and to reduce movements that are very stressful in the long term. The so-called “plica” is a small part of the inner joint capsule, which is created during embryonic development of the human being and divides the knee joint into two areas. Normally, the plica recedes during childhood, but often parts can remain behind that are located below the knee capsule in the middle of the joint.
Often these plica residues do not cause discomfort, but discomfort can occur during particularly strenuous sports activities. The plica can even rub so hard against the cartilage that early wear and tear of the joint occurs in the long term. Although the current inflammation can subside with a period of rest, in the long term only a short operation as part of a arthroscopy can often help.
Lyme disease is a bacterial disease which, if left untreated, can be accompanied by various different clinical pictures. The Borrelia bacteria that cause it are mainly transmitted by tick bites. Initially, a very typical so-called “wandering blush” appears around the bite.
A red circle forms around the bite, which slowly moves outwards and becomes larger. Typical illnesses that can be triggered by Lyme disease are skin nodes, inflammation of the heart muscle, an attack of the meninges and cranial nerves, skin diseases and joint inflammation. With the so-called “Lyme arthritis”, which occurs at the earliest after several weeks or months, several joints or only one joint can be affected by the inflammation.
The knee is very often affected. This leads to an inflammation of the joint fluid and swelling of the knee joint. The acute pain can vary and fluctuate.
