[Joint Pain] › [Knee Joint Pain]
Knee joint pain can show up in a wide variety of circumstances…
To best understand knee injury, it is best to read and research a few pages because the knee is a complex joint to understand. Here are the links to this section:
If you are having knee pain and can tick all of the boxes in one or more of these situations listed below…!
Knee Joint Pain May Be From Rheumatic Fever If
If you have traveled in or live in a developing nation, Rheumatic fever is a diagnostic consideration. If your knee is red, swollen, tender and you are running a fever, get checked out…If you have a knee that is:
- Red…
- Swollen…
- Tender to the touch…
- And you are running an acute (sudden onset high) fever…
If these symptoms are present with knee joint pain, they indicate a fever that is caused by infection…
The infection itself is usually a Streptococcal type of bacteria and can involve the joints, heart, skin and the brain…
At the onset:
- It typically occurs two to four weeks after having a throat infection…
- Multiple joints may be involved…
- A non – itchy rash may occur…
It may be hard to believe that a swollen red knee could be from an infection in the throat, but the body’s circulatory system is vast and provides loads of little super highways for infections such as streptococcus to travel…
- About fifty percent of rheumatic fever attacks involve the heart valves…
- It is usually after several bouts of Rheumatic Fever that permanent damage of the valves can occur that can lead to heart failure…
Rheumatic Fever is an emergency situation and you will need to be seen right away…!
Rheumatoid Arthritis In The Knee Joint
A knee joint pain condition involving rheumatoid arthritis will involve, fever and a swollen knee joint, accompanied by redness around the joint…Rheumatoid Arthritis is an auto-immune disease where the body is attacking its own synovial linings (smooth linings for bones to move without tearing other tissues and keeps the bony prominence smooth) and cartilage via an error in messaging and interaction between the endocrine system, immune system and nervous system…
Rheumatoid Arthritis can appear to be Rheumatic fever and vice versa, so it is necessary to go to the doctor and get a definitive diagnosis followed by treatment right away…
Have no doubt this is a situation where you need medical attention as soon as possible…!
Arthritis in the knee can also be attributed to overuse, or, an injury failing to heal; leaving the tissues to wear away (assuming Rheumatoid has been ruled out) as in the case of Osteoarthritis…
Knee replacement, where debilitating loss of movement is involved has become an option for many people. Apparently, however, it is not for everyone…
* Please, for your own sake, do not go looking at surgical images of knee replacement on the internet. Anything out of context can look far worse than it is…*
Natural Pain Relief
Over the counter as well as prescribed pain relief medications are fast acting and potent, but what happens if you need to take them to manage your pain over a period of years, or for the rest of your life…?
You may wish to do some research and look into some natural pain relief remedies that will not have the toxic effects on your internal organs that most pain medications do after a lengthy period of time…
I have provided some basic information regarding supplementation that provides natural pain relief to help get you started – just click on the link below…
Is Your Knee Deformed After A Fall Or Getting Hit?
If your knee is deformed:
- Has the knee cap (patella) moved off to the side, or higher or lower than it should be…?
- Is your knee in pain, swollen and locked into position, due to the knee cap being dislocated…?
This type if injury can occur if you have been hit or have fallen or twisted suddenly…
It can also occur by just stepping down off of a curb or pavement…
Again this is another situation where you will want to get medical attention right away…
Please do not try to reset the knee on your own as this could cause more damage to the ligaments that are already seriously damaged…
The Lethal Weapon movies have really given the wrong impression regarding the setting of dislocations… Do not attempt this kind of thing unless there is no other option…
And by that I mean no medical help including air lifts for hundreds of miles and setting the knee is the only choice for survival…
I say this because the knee joint is complex and incorrect movement by attempting to set it could permanently cost you normal use of that knee…
Have You Fallen On Your Knee?
If you have fallen on your knee and it remains swollen.
If you have fallen hard onto your knee cap and are experiencing pain upon movement and there is swelling and heat in the surrounding tissues that refuses to resolve…
- You may have fractured the knee cap…
The bony tissue may have a crack or even a hairline fracture and this can cause pain…
- Or you could have Pre-Patellar Bursitis…
If the source of pain is under the knee cap it may be that the bursa (fluid filled sac) that sits underneath it has been injured or irritated…
The bursa sac lubricates the knee so that it bends smoothly without pain…
This injury may involve water on the knee…
- Water on the knee is your knee trying to protect itself from further injury, but it can also be due to infection…
- You will need to see your doctor for this so they can take a sample of the fluid to make sure it is free of infection…
This is important to know because the lymph system, which is part of the circulatory system, travels up behind the knee and can provide a super highway for infection to spread to other parts of your body…
So Please do not leave this to see if the swelling goes down…
- Getting the fluid drained will also relieve some of the pain and stiffness…
Summarizing…
These are the situations with knee joint pain that can become critical if they are left for too long…
I have tried to make this as easy as possible to pin point to relieve any doubt of whether you need a doctor or not, as most of us notice a bit of knee pain here and there and dismiss it…
A deformity in the knee is a very obvious emergency, but sometimes fever and assorted joint pain can be mistaken for flu or one of the modern day super bugs…
A sore throat such as Strept throat may not be immediately associated with knee joint pain or the possibility of Rheumatic Fever…
Today, Rheumatic Fever is usually found more often in developing countries; but with so many of us traveling far and wide, it is a good idea to consider every angle and be able to rule out as many possibilities as you can…
So really think these things through, and go through the check-lists before dismissing any kind of knee joint pain…
If it is clearly not any of the above listed scenarios, you can go to my knee pain relief page to see what you can do at home for your injured knee…
You can also go to the knee injury page to read about acute knee injuries…
Or if you are simply experiencing a sore knee that has come on slowly over time, please go to my knee pain page…
Most of these are not emergencies with the exception of the ‘athletes triad’ (blown knee) and its well worth a read because acute knee joint pain needs special attention…
[Joint Pain] › [Knee Joint Pain]
Disclaimer – This is information on joint pain. I teach, but I do not diagnose, prescibe or treat people who contact me. You are responsible for your condition using your own best judgement combined with what you have learned. Just a heads up – bodies carry unusual differences from time to time, in saying that, you could be one of those rare and unusual beings; if you are in doubt, please contact a physician in your area, so you can rule it out.
Move Freely and Knowledgeably and Be Well!
Dr. Jo
P.S… “Greater certainty of your condition alone can be a powerful form of pain relief.”