Why does my knees hurt

A CT scan shows detailed images of any part of the body, including the bones, muscles, fat, and organs. CT scans are more detailed than general X-rays. A minimally-invasive diagnostic and treatment procedure used for conditions of a joint.

This procedure uses a small, lighted, optic tube arthroscope , which is inserted into the joint through a small incision in the joint. Images of the inside of the joint are projected onto a screen; used to evaluate any degenerative or arthritic changes in the joint; to detect bone diseases and tumors; to determine the cause of bone pain and inflammation. Radionuclide bone scan. A nuclear imaging technique that uses a very small amount of radioactive material, which is injected into the patient's bloodstream to be detected by a scanner.

This test shows blood flow to the bone and cell activity within the bone. If initial treatment methods do not provide relief, and X-rays show destruction of the joint, the orthopaedist may recommend total joint replacement for the knee, also referred to as knee replacement. Sports injury prevention isn't a one-stop shop, especially for injuries like ACL tears, which are four to eight times more common among women than men.

Discover ways for women to help prevent this common injury. Health Home Conditions and Diseases. What You Need to Know The most common causes of knee pain are related to aging, injury or repeated stress on the knee. Brief anatomy of the knee The knee is a vulnerable joint that bears a great deal of stress from everyday activities, such as lifting and kneeling, and from high-impact activities, such as jogging and aerobics.

The knee is formed by the following parts: Tibia. If you have weak bones due to osteoporosis or low calcium levels, simply getting out of the bathtub could cause the patella to fracture.

If the bones in your knee are fractured, you will experience a grating feeling when you move your leg or when the bones grind against each other.

Depending on the type of fracture you have, the treatment will be varied. If the fracture is severe, causes you to howl in pain or is more than just a crack, surgery might be your best bet. The ACL is the anterior cruciate ligament. It is one of a major pair of ligaments that anchors the knee joint and prevents excessive motion.

The ACL is also the most commonly injured ligament of the knee joint. Sports, vehicular accidents, lateral blows to the knee can all cause the ACL to tear. They feel that the joint is unstable or gives way rather easily when they stand. Additionally, their range of motion is limited and, if the tear is severe, they may even experience joint swelling and pain. If the tear is minor, you might be able to make do with anti-inflammatory drugs and crutches to keep the weight off the knee.

Knee muscle strengthening exercises can also help. Severe tears, as seen in athletes, may require surgery. The menisci are rubbery cartilages between your shinbone tibia and thighbone femur.

They act as shock absorbers for your knee joint every time your foot comes in contact with the ground and sends the propulsive energy upwards. The menisci can tear due to many reasons. Repeated hard movements can wear down the menisci and make them fragile. Alternatively, they can tear if your knee suddenly twists or rotates while the foot remains planted.

You may also have difficulty bending and straightening the leg. With time though, your movement will be affected. The knee-cap or patella can get dislocated, that is, completely shifted outside of its groove. This can cause you considerable knee pain, as the patella comes to rest outside of the knee joint.

There may be visible swelling and an inability to straighten the leg. A dislocated knee-cap is very different from a dislocated knee joint. When your knee joint is dislocated, the tibia and femur lose complete contact from one another. Knee-cap dislocations can be treated very quickly by repositioning the patella back into place.

You may find that after the first patella dislocation, the knee-cap tends to slip or subluxate more easily.

As a result, repeated knee-cap dislocations occur. Knee joint dislocations have to be surgically corrected and cause more severe knee pain. Injuries or pain in the foot or hip might be referred to the knee joint causing what is called as referred or radiating pain. However, sometimes injuries in the hip or ankle can cause you to alter your gait.

As the gait changes, your knee tends to bear a lot more weight and this stresses the joint. With the added stress, over and above the usual wear and tear that it experiences, you might feel knee pain.

Referred pain may be throbbing, dull and pulsing. It may get exacerbated only on movement. To deal with referred knee pain you need to strengthen the muscles of the other joints through physical therapy like ankle stretches or hamstring exercises. Or you can treat the other joint disorders - before they permanently damage your knee. This is when a piece of cartilage, collagen or bone floats into the joint space and causes knee pain.

This usually occurs with age, as your cartilage and bones undergo wear and tear. The floating piece may prevent full extension or flexion of your knee joint. And the interference of the floating piece may cause you bursts of knee pain. Most people can continue to function with the floating loose body. Often these floating bodies can vary in size from a few millimeters to a few centimeters.

You can continue to withstand occasional pain and function, but the floating bodies can nick your cartilage and damage blood vessels. The real trouble occurs when the loose body gets trapped and then inflames the joint. As long as they float, they will mildly irritate the joint surfaces.

However, when they get trapped between the cartilaginous surfaces of two bones, for example, your tibia and femur, they will produce inflammation.

The inflammatory processes, in turn, yields to symptoms of knee pain, swelling, and joint locking. Then, you may require arthroscopic removal of the loose piece. There are many possible causes, which can range from a simple muscle strain or tendonitis, to some kind of arthritis. As you age, getting knee pain may become more common. Knee pain may sometimes be the result of a sports or other injury. These join bones to other bones. There are four main ligaments in your knee. They act like strong ropes to hold your bones together and keep your knee in place.

This covers the ends of your thighbone and shinbone, and the back of the kneecap. This is a slippery substance that helps your knee bones glide smoothly across each other as you bend or straighten your leg.

These are two wedge-shaped pieces that act as shock absorbers between your shinbone and thighbone. The meniscus helps to cushion and stabilise the joint, which is why they are tough and rubbery. When people say they have torn cartilage in the knee, they are usually talking about torn meniscus.

Arthritis can damage joints and cause them to change shape. Find out about joint protection and how you can reduce the strain on your joints. Sprains, strains and tears are all types of knee injury. This is when a tendon swells up and becomes painful - for example, after an injury.

Visit the NHS website for more information on tendonitis. This is a condition that can affect children and young people. This is a common knee problem, that particularly affects children and young adults. People with patellofemoral pain syndrome usually have pain behind or around the kneecap. Pain is usually felt when going up stairs, running, squatting, cycling, or sitting with flexed knees. Knee pain can develop gradually over time, might come on suddenly, or might repeatedly come and go.

Whatever pattern the pain has, it is most often not due to arthritis, but might be in some people. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. It can affect anyone at any age, but it is most common in people over If you have osteoarthritis of the knee , you might feel that your knee is painful and stiff at times.

It might affect one knee or both. The pain might feel worse at the end of the day, or when you move your knee, and it might improve when you rest. Pain from osteoarthritis might be felt all around your knee, or just in a certain place, such as the front or side. It might feel worse after moving your knee in a particular way, such as going up or down stairs. According to the Mayo Clinic , a torn meniscus is one of the most common knee injuries in adults.

Any activity that causes you to twist or rotate your knee can lead to a torn meniscus. Menisci are thin layers of cartilage that act like a cushion between your shinbone and thigh bone. If too much stress is placed on the knees, the meniscus may tear, which can cause pain and interfere with the knees proper functioning. A torn meniscus causes pain, swelling and stiffness.

You might also feel a block to knee motion and have trouble extending your knee fully. How your orthopedic surgeon treats your tear will depend on the type of tear you have, its size and its location. An artificial meniscus may soon be available.