What Causes Chronic Knee Pain?

Chronic knee pain means that a person has discomfort or pain in the knee that happens throughout the day with limited periods of relief, or that stays consistent even when not exercising or doing high-impact movements like running. Chronic knee pain can be characterized by not only pain but also swelling in the area with sensitivity. Chronic knee pain can be onset by situations such as sports injuries that damage ligaments in the knee, tendons of the knee that hold the muscles to the bone, or it can be caused by aging, osteoarthritis, tendonitis, gout, and/or degeneration of the muscles and ligaments that support the knee. Since ligaments support the structure and movement of the knee, damages to the ligaments most commonly occur from sports injuries that involve pivoting, quick stopping, or even lifting weights without proper stretching. 

Since the causes of chronic knee pain are unique to the individual, a pain management specialist will help you to determine what is causing your pain. Your pain management specialist may request you have some medical testing done such as an X-ray or MRI, after doing a physical exam to check the range of motion, and pain levels during movement. Chronic knee pain can be attributed to conditions like MCL (medial collateral ligament), ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), and LCL (lateral collateral ligament) tears, which are the ligaments that support the knee joint, damage to the meniscus which is the cartilage between the knee bones that works as a cushion, tendons that hold the muscles to the bones, bone fractures, or fractures of the knee cap.

Some medical conditions that do not involve injury, or are not caused by incorrect movement are tendonitis, bursitis, cellulitis, Baker’s cyst, chondromalacia patella, or osteosarcoma. Since chronic pain can also be delayed, those who have had knee replacements or ACL reconstructions may experience chronic pain after surgery and should speak to a pain specialist if this occurs as they may recommend prescription pain medications or changing your activity level to see if it improves.

Since knee pain can also be caused by diseases, patients that have a pre-existing condition such as those with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or gout can begin to experience after years of having their condition. Other diseases that can cause knee pain are osteosarcoma which is cancer of the bones, Baker’s cyst which is a cyst that develops inside the knee joint, infection, and chondromalacia patella which comes from the damage of the cartilage below the knee cap.

The seriousness of knee pain can be based on a few factors, such as if you cannot bear weight on it, you have noticed a clicking or “rice-krispy” like sound when moving, you cannot fully straighten the leg or have limited ability to bend the knee, you have severe pain even when not bearing weight, or it has appears deformed as these can indicate serious injuries or conditions. If you notice swelling in one or both knees and have an accompanying fever, with redness around the swelling you should immediately book an appointment to have it looked at. 

Since the knee is one of the strongest joints in the body, and supports our weight when doing daily activities, it is important to seek medical care when you experience knee pain as this can be an indication of weakness of the ligaments, or onset of other potential diseases and early diagnosis can lead to a better outcome and long-term improvement of quality of life.

The longer a patient waits to seek care, the worse the pain can become, and can further damage the knee joint which can not only make the pain worse but can lead to the need for surgical interventions rather than managing the pain through medications and physical therapy options. For more information, contact us today or book an appointment online. Our clinics are located in Frisco TX, Sunnyvale TX, and Mesquite TX. We serve patients from Dallas TX, Frisco TX, Mesquite TX, Sunnyvale TX, Plano TX, Garland TX, Forney TX, Cedar Hill TX, Denton TX, Balch Springs TX, and surrounding areas.