Living with a sore knee is just as difficult as living with a toothache or constant headache.
You feel like you can’t do anything right.
Cases of knee pain have increased rapidly in this decade, along with problems such as poor posture, jowl and obesity.
Why?
Due to lack of exercise, sitting in front of digital devices for too long, improper diet, and the list goes on.
So, if you’re one of the millions of people who experience this pain, it’s okay because you can get rid of it, just like obesity and jowl.
And that without spending thousands on surgeries and doctor’s appointments.
Let’s begin. (Pain Behind Knee)
Table of Contents
Pain behind knee symptoms – Symptoms List
Before looking for a solution, you need to determine the cause.
The knee is a complex joint made up of bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments.
Since there are different types of knee pain, determining the right type will make it easier for you to target and implement the relevant solution.
Before we move on to the discussion of the specific causes, here is a symptom checklist for you.
These will help you easily identify the causes. (Pain Behind Knee)
However, symptoms can vary from person to person, but overall the list below is pretty accurate.
1. Pain behind knee when bending
You may have the jumper’s directory. Twisting largely occurs when playing sports such as football, basketball, and badminton.
These repetitive movements put pressure and strain on the tendons at the back of the leg. (Pain Behind Knee)
2. Pain behind knee when cycling
This is usually caused by a strain on the hamstring muscles. Continuously slowing the pedal stroke while riding puts strain on the biceps femoris tendon.
You begin to feel pain when the load on this tendon exceeds the acceptable limit. (Pain Behind Knee)
3. Pain behind knee when straightening the knee
You may have Jumper’s knee where the patellar tendon is damaged. Since this tendon helps straighten the leg, any damage initiates pain.
Or Baker’s Cyst, because in this case there is a swelling behind the kneecap. When you straighten your leg, the swelling narrows and causes pain. (Pain Behind Knee)
4. Pain in calf behind the knee
It is usually caused by cramps in the back of the leg. The gastrocnemius muscle forms the calf and if you get cramps/stiffness in the calf you will definitely feel pain.
Even after you get rid of the cramps, the feeling of stiffness persists for a day or two, causing you to feel pain. (Pain Behind Knee)
5. Swelling in the back of the knee
This could be the result of a blood clot in the popliteal vein or a Baker’s Cyst. Swelling is different from firmness.
It is physical swelling of the skin, while stiffness is difficulty in movement and may occur with or without swelling. (Pain Behind Knee)
What causes pain behind the knee – 7 main reasons
And now for the reasons. This includes Baker’s Cyst, Hamstring, Cramps, Arthritis, Jumper’s knee, Blood clot and Meniscus Tear.
There are other causes as well, but these are the most common. (Pain Behind Knee)
1. Baker’s Cyst
It refers to the excessive accumulation of synovial fluid behind the knee in the area called the popliteal bursa. Although synovial fluid is essential for lubrication between the knee joints, its excess is bad.
It causes swelling at the back of your knee, usually caused by arthritis and cartilage tears, but it may or may not be painful. Common symptoms include:
- Swelling behind the kneecap
- Difficulty bending the knee (Pain Behind Knee)
2. Jumper’s knee
This is a medical condition in which the tendon that connects the kneecap (patella) to your shinbone (tibia) is weakened or torn.
If you use your knee joint excessively while playing sports and make sudden and continuous movements such as jumping, sliding, bending the legs, the tendon may be injured. (Pain Behind Knee)
And if you continue to do this, the weakened tendon can also break. It can also cause pain in the front of the knee. Other symptoms are:
- Stiffness in the knee area
- Wobbly knees
- Tenderness in the area just below the knee when you press it
3. Pain Behind The Knee Due to Meniscus Tear
The meniscus is the fibrous cushioning cartilage between the knee joint.
The posterior part of the meniscus is the most prone to tearing due to sports injuries, old age or trauma. This results in a shooting pain behind your knees. (Pain Behind Knee)
If the meniscus is damaged, the ligament that holds the two cartilages/bones together can also tear.
Have you felt a pop in your knee during a football game or especially when playing tennis when you needed to turn quickly to rebound the shot?
This sound is usually caused by a meniscus tear.
Two of the symptoms of this condition are:
- Indecisiveness after a burst of sensation
- Locking feeling when you try to bend and rotate your knee (Pain Behind Knee)
4. Arthritis & Gout
It includes almost all types of arthritis: inflammatory arthritis, osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Arthritis is a disease in which the cartilage of the knee (in this case) wears away.
Gout is also an extended version of arthritis characterized by severe and blinding pains and redness in the joints. (Pain Behind Knee)
General symptoms include:
- discomfort in the knee
- Difficulty bending the knee due to stiffness
- Skin appears warm to the touch
- Locking the joint
You can use gloves specially designed for swollen joints due to arthritis, but knee pain associated with it needs other solutions (discussed in the second part of the blog). (Pain Behind Knee)
5. Blood clot giving rise to the back of knee pain
At the back of the knee is a large blood vessel known as the popliteal vein. If a clot forms in this vein, blood flow to the lower leg is restricted and pain can occur. (Pain Behind Knee)
A clot can form for many reasons, including smoking, obesity, or a major injury.
The most common symptoms are:
- Swelling behind the knee
- calf cramps
A blood clot behind the knee is treated in the following ways:
- Anticoagulant medication: These blood thinners, such as warfarin and heparin, stop blood clots from growing.
- Thrombolytic therapy: It includes taking drugs that dissolve blood clots.
- Compression bandages and warm compresses: To regulate blood flow in the legs. (Pain Behind Knee)
6. Cramps in the legs
Cramps are tightening of muscles. (Pain Behind Knee)
Cricketers, Footballers, Tennis Players, Gymnasts – they have them every day.
Reasons?
- Excessive fluid loss from the body due to water and sodium. These fluid shifts cause cramps to occur.
- Or overused muscles due to electrical misfires.
Both theories have supporting evidence.
John H. Talbott, in his research on “Heat cramps”, explained that about 95% of cramping events occur during the hot months. (Pain Behind Knee)
A group of three researchers, Noakes, Derman, and Schwellnus, in their Paper provided evidence of how an increase in alpha motor neuron discharge to muscle fibers causes a local cramp.
Whatever the reason, if you experience regular cramps, you are just one step away from back knee pain.
We do not need to describe the symptoms of leg cramps in detail, as each of us has experienced it at least once in our life.
It is a stinging and burning pain in the leg, sometimes behind the knee. The best and quickest solution is to lengthen/stretch that muscle.
It would be painful, but it would make the pain go away in less time. (Pain Behind Knee)
7. Hamstring Pain behind knee
Hello to all sports people reading this.
Doesn’t seem rare, does it?
The hamstrings are the set of tendons located behind the thgs that connect the thigh muscles to the bone. It includes 3 muscles:
- semimembranosus muscle
- Biceps femoris muscle
- semitendinosus muscle
Now, if any of the above muscles are stretched beyond their optimal limits, you will experience hamstring strain. When running, jumping, rolling, bending the knee, etc. it could be.
If your biceps femoris muscle is injured, you will most likely experience pain behind the knee. (Pain Behind Knee)
Back of knee pain treatment at home – Tested Home Remedies
Enough about the reasons. Now let’s discuss the solutions to this unwanted pain. (Pain Behind Knee)
The solution lies in diagnosis.
What is the cause of the pain?
Arthritis, cramping or meniscus tear?
We’ve discussed the symptoms for each cause above, but if you’re still unsure, you should consult your doctor.
He or she will ask you about the history of the pain, what your routine is, and how often you complain of this pain. If the doctor deems it necessary, you may need to have an X-ray or ultrasound done.
We will not discuss surgical methods or treatments for each cause, as you have medical websites and platforms for this.
Instead, we suggest ways to get rid of them while staying at home. (Pain Behind Knee)
1. If you have Baker’s Cyst
You usually need a doctor to treat this ailment, but we promised to tell you about home treatment methods, so let’s keep it that way.
Icing the knee or wrapping a compression bandage will help with inflammation and swelling. Ice the back of the knee for at least 10-20 minutes until you see a significant reduction in swelling. (Pain Behind Knee)
Never apply ice directly to your skin, do not use a bag of frozen ice or peas on a towel.
Second, take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen to relieve stiffness and pain.
Other methods require a doctor, these include:
- Injecting corticosteroid medication into the knee
- Draining the fluid from the affected knee
- Worst cases surgery (I hope it doesn’t happen to you) (Pain Behind Knee)
2. If you have Jumper’s knee
Take an immediate rest from the activity that caused it: basketball, netball, or any other sport you play. The knee is a complex machine and needs rest if it causes complications. (Pain Behind Knee)
It is the first step in the common R.I.C.E process for treating a Jumper’s knee.
R= Rest
i = ice
C = Compression
E= Height
Apply a compressive ice pack to the knee area and then elevate your knee with the aid of a splint, stool, or wall.
This elevation increases blood flow to the knee to aid healing. When participating in light activity, be sure to wear a supportive knee brace to reduce the amount of weight placed on the knees.
As for the rehabilitation process, various exercises are recommended by doctors.
Sandra Curwin and William Stanish (experts in the subject) specifically recommended the drop squat, and years ago they devised a 6-week program that helped patients improve tendon strength. (Pain Behind Knee)
There are other exercises as well, such as:
- Short-leg raises:
Lie on the floor with your strong leg bent as shown above.
Tighten the affected knee muscles by straightening and lifting them 30 cm off the ground.
Hold your leg there for 6-10 seconds before lowering it and repeat 10-15 times.
- Step up and step down
Have a raised platform in front of you. Get on top of it and then get it. Repeat 10-15 times. (Pain Behind Knee)
- Side-lying leg raise:
Put your healthy leg on it and raise the other leg at least 3-4 feet above it.
- Prone hip extension
Lie on your back and lift the affected leg 2-3 feet off the ground. Repeat this exercise 15-20 times. (Pain Behind Knee)
3. If There Is A Tear In Your Meniscus
Some Meniscus Tears heal over time, but some cannot heal without treatment, so get a good diagnosis from your orthopedic first.
PRICE therapy is the first method of use. Meaning:
P=Protection: Means to protect your affected knee from any damage that could lead to complications in the future.
If the reason for your tears is sports, stop now.
Do not put any pressure or weight on it.
Keep away from heat such as hot baths or heat packs.
RICE is the same as discussed in point 3 above.
The second solution is to quickly obtain a stabilizer pad that prevents weight being applied to the knees. This ensures that the condition does not worsen and that appropriate recovery time is given to it.
The third method is the application of physical therapy exercises.
- Hamstring heel picks
Sit on your hips on the floor with both hands at your sides. Extend your good leg.
Bring the affected leg towards the body by slowly bending it and sinking the heel into the floor, so you feel your hamstring muscle contract.
Hold there for 6 seconds and then stretch. Repeat 8-15 times.
- hamstring curl
Lie on your stomach with a pillow underneath. Keep your healthy leg parallel to the floor and bend the affected leg to bring it above the hips.
Bend until you begin to feel stress on the thigh. Repeat 10-12 times.
Once you’re comfortable and stiff, begin adding resistance to this exercise by tying one end of a stretchable fitness band to your foot and the other end to a secure object or point.
- single leg balance
Position yourself in a “T” shape with arms extended. Next, raise your healthy leg to the floor 90 degrees so that your affected knee feels the pressure.
Balance yourself for at least 10 seconds. Once you’re comfortable with this, try balancing with your eyes closed and increase the time.
After that, take a pillow and try to balance yourself on it. Because the pillow isn’t very stable, your affected knee will have to do additional work to keep your body stable and thus become stronger.
But do this only after you’ve been perfectly balanced on the ground for about half a minute.
- leg lift
Lie on your back and bend your strong leg. Now straighten the affected leg and slowly raise it to a distance of at least 1 foot off the ground.
Hold it there for 3-5 seconds and then pull back. Repeat 10-15 times.
All these exercises will aid the recovery process only if you avoid strenuous activities.
4. If you have behind the knee pain due to Arthritis
A report from Artrit.org estimates that 22.7% of American adults have doctor-diagnosed arthritis (2017)
This is quite worrying. Since the number increased by 20% compared to 2002, it is expected to follow the same trend in the future.
Here’s how to treat it at home.
Always use good posture. As long as you adapt to natural joint movements without pressing the bones at “bad angles”, you will rarely encounter Arthritis.
Due to the overuse of digital devices, millions of people today have bad posture. You should either purchase a device that maintains the natural curve of the spine or consult a therapist who can teach you how to sit, run and move.
Rolling knee pads will also come in handy when you need to do different tasks without feeling pain or discomfort while bending over the floor.
Perform acupuncture on the back of the knee. This is a widely used Chinese technique that stimulates the nerves and improves blood flow.
While the traditional method requires needles and professional help, you can do it at home completely without needles.
The third option is to use Topical Gels. These activate sensory nerve endings at the back of the knee and reduce pain signals transmitted through the body’s nervous system.
The head of physical therapy at Seton Hall University is interested in capsaicin cream and NJ. Voltaren Gel to be the most productive.
Tai Chi is the fourth solution. This Chinese app is recommended by arthritis.org for relieving joint pain and improving movement. It includes deep breathing and fluid movements.
If you’re new to this type of yoga, here’s a video to get you started.
The fifth solution is to lose weight. According to Harvard Health, the force on your knee when you move is equal to 1.5 times your body weight.
So the more manageable the weight, the lower the knee strength will feel.
Maintain a healthy diet that includes fresh juices, chopped vegetable salads, low-fat dairy products, raw fruits and daily exercise.
5. If you have cramps
You need to rest from the activity that caused them. It’s not strange that football, soccer, and rugby players go to a match to treat cramps.
So why can’t you?
Massaging with essential oils can also be beneficial, especially if you have lymphatic ginger oil.
Ginger is a proven muscle relaxant, although lavender, peppermint, and rosemary oils also have therapeutic properties. It helps to soften sore muscles and helps relieve pain.
The third method is to take a warm bath as this helps relax and warm up stiff leg muscles needed.
You can always increase the effectiveness of this method by adding a few drops of essential oil to the tub and taking a warm bath in it for 15 minutes.
6. If you have Bicep Femoris Strain (Hamstring injury)
Again, the first step is to rest. Avoid keeping your leg in the stance/angle that causes throbbing pain.
The second step is to apply cold compress packs two to three times a day. It will reduce inflammation.
Once the injury begins to settle, do the exercise shown below.
You can also take medications such as ibuprofen and naproxen to relieve pain.
result rows
That’s it by us. We hope our blog has been useful to you – If you have any questions, feel free to comment.
We hope to end back knee pain in the world together and by staying at home.
Also, don’t forget to pin/bookmark and visit our blog for more interesting but original information. (Vodka And Grape Juice)