It can result from any injury such as ligament injury or torn cartilage However, Swelling and inflammation are the common symptoms of pain behind the knee.
However, Among people aged 50 years and older, the most common cause of Pain Behind knee is osteoarthritis. The cause of knee pain determines what treatment plan is required. In some severe cases, you may require surgical repair to treat posterior knee pain.
What is Posterior Knee Pain?
Pain behind the knee is also called posterior knee pain. The word ‘posterior’ means behind. As well as pain, you may have some redness or swelling in the knee. This may be just at the back of your knee or can go up into your calf.
However, The swelling may be bad enough to stop you from bending your leg properly.
Types of Knee Pain:
It is divided into two categories based on the underlying causes:
- Acute injury: This includes a fractured bone, torn ligament, acute tendonitis, damaged cartilage, or the most serious condition of acute infection.
- Chronic causes of knee pain: This includes osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, patellar pain syndromes, chondromalacia, and IT band syndrome.
What Are the Common Symptoms of Pain Behind Knee?
Exact symptoms may vary depending on the cause of the, but generally patients experience:
- Limited mobility.
- Popping sounds.
Why Do My Knees Hurt?
Common Causes of Pain Behind the knee include:
When a bone is directly struck with significant force, it can cause one or more of the bones in the knee to break, causing a fracture. Fractures are a very common knee injury and are quite painful. They interfere with proper knee function and make it harder to lift the weight. Fractures require immediate medical attention.
The most frequently occurring ligament injury is the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. It typically affects athletes as it is caused by sudden stopping and rapid changes in direction, for example when playing football. The posterior cruciate ligament and lateral collateral ligament can also get injured, although not as frequently.
This injury is very serious and requires immediate medical care. The dislocated joint can restrict blood flow to the leg and cause further harm.
However, Pain behind Knee can also be caused by chronic overuse syndrome:
- Osteoarthritis: This is another chronic overuse condition where the cartilage of joints is worn down due to use over time and age.
- Patellar tendinitis: People who repeatedly perform the same movement over time can develop this. The condition is common among runners and cyclists.
- IT (iliotibial) band syndrome: The IT band is a tissue that connects the hip to the knee, and it can become inflamed due to overexertion. This condition causes pain in the outer part of the knee.
What are the Risk Factors for Pain Behind knee?
- Age: The single biggest risk factor is age.
- Wear and tear: Wear and tear of the knee joints can cause chronic pain.
- Being overweight: By reducing one’s weight, it can decrease the added stress on the knee.
- Previous injury: Previous injuries such as ruptured ligaments or damaged cartilage can cause knee pain in the future.
- Low flexibility: A lack of regular movement and flexibility can also shift the load off the muscles and onto the knee joint while performing tasks such as walking, running, lifting something, and bending down.
Major risk factor:
Suprapatellar bursitis is when your suprapatellar bursa becomes inflamed. As a result , it causes pain behind knee. However, The suprapatellar bursa helps to allow the quadriceps tendons to move more easily over your femur when you bend and straighten your knee.
Bursitis occurs when one of your bursa becomes inflamed or irritated. This can commonly occur at joints that receive a lot of use, such as the shoulder, elbow, and knee.
What Are the Home Remedies?
Over-the-counter pain relief drugs can be useful in the short term. In cases of an injury or a gout attack, it is helpful to remember RICE:
Take a rest from whatever you are doing and avoid exerting the knee joint. Ice the area frequently to relieve inflammation. Use a compression bandage to limit swelling and aid with knee alignment. Also, elevate the leg as you rest it.
Treatments for Pain Behind the Knee:
As mentioned earlier, the treatment for knee pain varies based on its underlying cause:
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs help with both discomfort and inflammation in the knee.
Knee supports are used to treat a painful or injured knee. Some people use them to prevent knee injuries during sports.
Which Brace to Choose?
The right knee brace for you depends on the level of support needed and what your doctor recommends. This decision is based on whether or not you’re recovering from surgery, the type of injury you have, and how much movement your knee should be getting.
Knee support for meniscus injury
The meniscus is a piece of cartilage that acts as a shock absorber between your shinbone (tibia) and thighbone (femur). A torn meniscus is a common injury.
Knee support for an ACL sprain or tear
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the most important parts of the knee joint because of its stabilizing job. When it gets sprained or torn, usually from athletic activity, it can result in serious pain and knee instability.
Physiotherapy can help prevent it and eliminate it when squatting. However, it also tightens loose knee muscles. Also, a physiotherapist prescribes you the right exercises for knee pain. These exercises will depend on the individual weaknesses and affected structures for each patient.
Arthroscopic surgery is a fairly common procedure through which the physician can diagnose the cause of this as well as repair minor injuries.
How to Prevent Pain behind the knee?
There are multiple ways to prevent knee pain, as well knee injuries, including:
- Maintaining your ideal weight to avoid increased stress on your knees.
- Wearing the right shoes to ensure correct leg alignment and balance.
- Warming up before beginning the physical activity, including stretching the front and back of your thighs to decrease tension on your tendons and relieve pressure on your knees.
- Doing exercises that have a low impact on your knees, like swimming or walking, as opposed to running.
- Using the elliptical or rowing machine instead of the treadmill to again, ensure low impact on your knees.
- Weight training to strengthen your leg muscles to better support your knees and avoid injuries.