Knee Pain

Why does your knee hurt?
What Are Your Treatment Options for Knee Pain?
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What your knee looks like

The picture in this page displays the structure of a healthy knee. Your knee is the largest joint in your body. When your knees are healthy, simple activities like walking, turning, and bending are easy and effortless. When they are not, those simple movements may become extremely painful. A complex network of bones, cartilage, ligaments, muscles, and tendons work together to keep your knees flexible and pain-free. If there is a problem with any of these parts, knee pain is typically the very first symptom.

Anatomy of a healthy knee

Anatomy of a healthy knee

Why does your knee hurt?

Injury, infection, or arthritis can damage and wear away the cartilage in your knee -as shown in the picture-, causing joint stiffness or inflammation. Bones grind together and, not surprisingly, a great deal of pain can occur. The knee pain can be temporary, or chronic and debilitating. Affecting over 22 million Europeans, arthritis refers to more than 100 different diseases that cause pain, stiffness, and swelling from of a joint or the area around joints. There are two basic types of arthritis that may cause knee pain: osteoarthritis and inflammatory (rheumatoid) arthritis.		Diseased knee joint with damaged cartilage
	Osteoarthritis		Rheumatoid arthritis
Definition	Joint disease that gets worse over time but does not cause swelling in the joints (not inflammatory)		Inflammatory condition (causes joint swelling) in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the tissue that lines and cushions the joints
Symptoms	Knee pain and stiffness		Knee pain and swelling
Who is affected?	Usually middle-aged and older people		61% are women; most often begins between age 30 and 60, but can develop at any age
Why does it cause knee pain?	Cartilage that cushions the bones of the knee starts to erode, eventually to the point where the bones of the joint grind or rub together		Cartilage wears away and the cushioning fluid in the joint becomes inflamed. Inflammation causes chemicals to be released that damage the cartilage and bone of the affected joint

Some other possible causes for knee pain include ligament injuries, tears to cartilage, dislocation, tendonitis, bursitis, and growth of the bone around the joint. It is important to seek the advice of a medical professional for a proper diagnosis if you have knee pain.

What Are Your Treatment Options for Knee Pain?

There are many causes of knee pain: injury, disease, and arthritis are the main offenders. Not surprisingly, each cause has different symptoms and treatments. The good news is that there are lots of ways to help relieve the knee pain caused by these conditions.

Care for your knee pain often involves more than one type of treatment. Treatment may vary over time and may differ depending on the type of injury or arthritis you have. We encourage you to discuss the following options with your doctor to determine the best course of treatment for you.

Lifestyle changes

While it’s hard to make changes in your everyday life, your knee pain is probably already forcing you to do so. The challenge is making those changes beneficial. By altering some small daily habits, you can positively affect the way you feel every day. Think about:

Exercising. Developing a daily fitness routine is important to keep the body moving and the knee flexible. It may lessen pain, increase movement, reduce fatigue, and help you look and feel better.

Controlling your weight. Simply reducing the stress on your joints may help ease pain in your knees.

Using heat or cold. The use of hot or cold compresses on joints may provide short-term relief from pain and stiffness.

Pacing yourself. Alternating periods of activity with periods of rest may help protect your knees from the stress of repeated tasks and reduce fatigue.

Protecting your joints. Learning to use your body in ways that avoid excess stress, such as walking with a cane or not lifting heavy items, may guard against joint degeneration.

Building self-help skills. Educating yourself on ways to better manage the emotional effects of arthritis (e.g., talking about your feelings with family members and friends, doing mental exercises, joining a local arthritis support group) may make coping with the physical effects easier.

Medications

Many medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, can be used to treat knee pain. Some may help ease pain and help you sleep. Others can even change the way arthritis affects your body. Possible medications include aspirin-free pain relievers, anti-inflammatory drugs, and sleep medications.

Knee replacement surgery – is it time?

If you are still experiencing knee pain even after you have made lifestyle changes and taken medications, knee replacement surgery may be an option for you. It can help relieve your pain and get you back to living an active life. However, not all knee replacements are alike – especially for women. The Zimmer® Gender Solutions™ Knee is the first knee designed specifically for a woman – for a better fit, higher flexion, and more natural movement. And when used with a Zimmer Minimally Invasive Solutions™ Procedure, most people have a smaller scar, a shorter hospital stay, and quicker recovery time.

Zimmer® Minimally Invasive Solutions™ (MIS) Procedure

The Zimmer MIS Procedure is a technique orthopaedic surgeons can use during replacement surgery. Using modified techniques and instruments developed with Zimmer, surgeons can place the same implants used in traditional surgery, but usually through a much smaller incision and without cutting through key tendons and muscles.

An alternative to traditional surgery, the Zimmer Minimally Invasive Solutions Procedure has many benefits: most people have a smaller scar, a shorter hospital stay, and faster recovery.

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Alternatively if you would like a brochure or written information on Gender, please call the Gender Knee Helpline on 01793 58 4545, and leave a clear message about what you would like and how to send it to you.