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Listen to your knees

The marvel of this weight-bearing joint is best realised when one is in pain.
DR. YOGISH VIJAYA KUMAR

he knee is the largest and the most complex joint in the human body. Being a weightbearing joint it participates in almost all movements of daily activities. This increased motion puts your knee at risk of overuse and injury frequently. While walking upstairs the pressure on ones knee is up to four times their body weight, and while running upstairs it can be up to eight times. A decade ago knee pain was a problem of the old but recently due to changes in lifestyle it has started to surface among the younger age group as well. Causes of knee pain in the young include injury, degeneration, arthritis, infrequently infection, and rarely bone tumors. The common causes of knee pain in the young are: Chondromalacia patellae refers to the softening of the cartilage under the kneecap. It is a common cause of deep knee pain and stiffness in young men and women and can be associated with pain and stiffness after prolonged sitting and climbing of stairs. Bursitis is caused by inammation of various bursa around the knee joint. Sometimes these can be related to posture and overuse. Early osteoarthritis is a common cause of knee pain. Historically osteoarthritis was a disease of the elderly. Obesity, sedentary lifestyle and lack of awareness among other risk factors have resulted in early onset of osteoarthritis lately. The risk, though, steadily increases with age. Osteoarthritis is a form of arthritis involving degeneration of the cartilage. Ligament and meniscal injuries are often caused by twisting the knee or falling. Sports that involve running and jumping and sudden stopping and turning, such as soccer, basketball, volleyball, tennis, and baseball, as well as contact sports such as football, wrestling, and hockey increase the risk of an acute knee injury. Tears of cruciate ligaments, collateral ligaments and menisci are common either in isolation or in combination. Timely attention is vital in the care of knee pain. A visit to an orthopaedician combined with radiological modalities like X-ray and MRI will aid in prompt diagnosis. Most knee pains are treated conservatively and respond well to temporary restrained activities, medication, physical therapy and strengthening exercises. However, there are situations in which surgery may be re-

RUNNING HELPS: But choose soft surfaces. PHOTO: K.R. DEEPAK

quired and in most such occasions the treatment it, thereby reducing the stress on the knee and is accomplished arthroscopically (key hole sur- prevents overuse and injury. 6. Practise yoga regularly. gery) which can be performed as a day-care 7. Avoid squatting or sitting on the oor on a procedure. regular basis especially if you are at risk of develPreventing knee pain oping osteoarthritis. Under such circumstances 1. Keep your weight under control. Reducing yoga can be practiced on the bed or a platform. weight reduces the stress on your knees. Most causes of knee pain are treatable and 2. Avoid running on hard or uneven surfaces. result in quick recovery if diagnosed and treated 3. Warm-up before and graduate on to stren- early. Do not neglect pain for more than three uous activities. weeks. Practise wellness at work and home. 4. Use proper foot wear. The writer is a Consultant Orthopaedic and 5. Quadriceps and hamstrings muscle strengthening keeps the muscles exible and strengthens Joint replacement Surgeon based in Bengaluru.