Is your inner knee ok?
Have you ever felt a sharp or persistent pain on the inside of your knee? If this is the case, you need to know that you are not alone. There are many people suffering from inner knee pain, and it is triggered by various causes. Everyday wear and tear or acute injuries: it is important to know what is causing you pain.
Maybe you feel a dull ache or a sudden sharp discomfort; the truth is that this inner knee pain can significantly impact your mobility and overall quality of life. This is why you should take action as fast as possible.
Your knee is a complex joint made of four bones, four ligaments, multiple tendons, two menisci, and protective cartilage. This is the structure of your knee, and this complexity explains why there are so many problems you might struggle with.
Generally, knee pain appears when you get older because it is more prone to degenerative conditions. For example, cartilage deterioration, which often results from aging, is one of the most common reasons.
So, understanding the cause of your knee pain can help you to manage it better or even avoid it altogether. Let’s find out all the things you should know about this!
Rheumatoid arthritis
This is a chronic autoimmune disease, and it affects the joints, which leads to pain, swelling, and stiffness. What makes this condition different from regular injuries is that this is not only affecting areas of your knee, but it is a widespread joint discomfort that also includes the inner knee.
When you have rheumatoid arthritis, you will most probably feel significant knee pain, and this especially happens in the morning or after long periods of inactivity. During the day, the stiffness and pain might improve, but the inflammation doesn’t disappear.
Over time, this inflammation leads to long-term joint deterioration, and you will no longer be able to use your knee as you used to. Rheumatoid arthritis can affect any joint in the body, but it generally affects the knee.
One specific thing about inner knee pain caused by RA is its symmetrical nature. This means both of your knees tend to be affected, not just one. Early diagnosis and treatment of RA are essential because this is how you make sure you get the best results.
Medial meniscus injury
This is probably the most common cause of inner knee injury, and this tends to be more prevalent in people who are active. Your meniscus is a C-shaped piece of cartilage that can be found around the space between the thighbone (femur) and shinbone (tibia).
Its role is to absorb the shock and maintain the stability of your knee. Each one of your knees has two menisci, the medial (inner) and the lateral (outer). The medial meniscus is generally the one that is affected the most because its mobility is limited, and it also has a stronger attachment to surrounding structures.
Most of the time, the inner knee pain appears when a medial meniscus tear occurs. When your knee is forcefully twisted or has to resist excessive pressure, things that usually happen during sports involve sudden pivots, such as basketball, soccer, or tennis; your knees are not able to keep up, and the tear appears.
The main symptoms you can notice with a medial meniscus injury are stiffness, swelling, sharp pain when twisting the knee, difficulty fully extending or bending the leg, and a sensation of the knee locking or giving out.
Osteoarthritis
This is a very common cause of knee pain, and it appears when the protective cartilage of your knee slowly breaks down. As time goes by, this protective cushion slowly deteriorates, causing pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility.
Osteoarthritis is very common in seniors and individuals with a history of joint overuse or injury. The main sign that indicates that you might have this condition is inner knee pain, which becomes worse as you do more and more activity. You might notice these symptoms when you are walking up or down stairs or standing up from a seated position.
What makes this condition different from rheumatoid arthritis is that the pain is not present just in the morning, and then it gets better. No, the pain is present all the time, and it eventually becomes worse as the day passes by. The more joint stress, the worse the pain.
In order to manage osteoarthritis, you will need to change your lifestyle accordingly, and medication is also involved. Low-impact exercises like swimming or cycling can help strengthen the muscles around the knee without putting excessive strain on the joint. So you can try doing this. In severe cases, treatments such as corticosteroid injections, hyaluronic acid injections, or even knee replacement surgery may be necessary.
Medial plica irritation
This is also known as plica syndrome, and it is a lesser-known condition, but it still causes inner knee pain, so you should know about it. Maybe this is what bothers you, but if you are not informed, you can’t easily recognize what might be bothering you.
But let’s start with the basics. What is plica? There are some really small folds that are found in the synovial lining of the knee joint. They help your knee with movement and flexibility. Most of the time, it is the medial plica that gets irritated and inflamed due to repetitive knee movements or overuse. The medial plica is located right on the inner side of the knee.
If you are a fan of cycling or stair climbing, there is a higher chance of developing this condition. The medial plica becomes inflamed, and it thickens. This makes it more prone to getting caught between the bones of the knee joint, and this causes persistent dull pain, stiffness, and a sensation of the knee locking or catching.
At first, the treatment for plica irritation is simple: rest, ice, anti-inflammatory medications, and physical therapy. This should improve the function of your knee and also reduce the irritation.
If there is a severe case, arthroscopic surgery may be necessary. This surgery is supposed to remove the thickened plica and restore normal knee movement.
Medial collateral ligament injury
Your medial collateral ligament is a slim band of tissue that runs along the inside of your knee, and its role is to connect the thighbone (femur) to the shinbone (tibia). The knee joint needs this ligament in order to get the best stability because it prevents excessive side-to-side movement.
Unfortunately, when too much force is applied to this ligament, it can easily overstretch or tear, leading to inner knee pain and instability. This type of injury is most common in contact sports such as football, soccer, and basketball because the sudden blows to the knee or abrupt changes in direction may put a strain on the ligament.
The main symptoms of this condition are swelling, inner knee pain, difficulty bearing weight, instability while walking, and a locking sensation in the knee. If you have a mild sprain, the treatment will consist of rest, ice, compression, and elevation combined with physical therapy. In severe cases, surgery may be needed.
If your knee hurts, you can try these to ease your pain: Knee Brace for Pain Relief – 2 Pack Knee Compression Sleeves
You should also read: 8 Reasons Why Sitting Too Much Is BAD for Your Health
