Pain behind the knee is a common problem and often gets unnoticed by patients. It is important to take note of this problem by identifying the cause to treat it. Do not ignore the pain occurring behind the knee, otherwise, it may result in surgery however mild pain can be cured with therapy and medicines.
WHY DOES PAIN OCCUR IN THE BACK OF THE KNEE?
The muscles present at the back of the knee are called hamstrings. This muscle extends from the knee to the hip.
There can be many reasons behind the pain behind the knee, such as exercising more or walking a lot. People who are physically more active often feel pain in the back part of the knee. To find out the reason for the pain behind the knee, you must definitely get a checkup done by the doctor. If the cause of the pain is not very serious then it can be cured with therapy. In this article, we will discuss the causes, and treatment of pain behind the knee.
CAUSES OF PAIN BEHIND THE KNEE
The problem of pain behind the knee can occur at any age. This problem appears with increasing age when the muscles start weakening. When there is pain behind the knee, there is a feeling of sharp pain in the back of the thigh. You will feel a tingling behind the knee or there may be swelling behind the knee. If there is an injury, the color of the injured area behind the knee will change. The reasons for the pain behind the knee can be as follows-
SPORTS ACTIVITIES
If you’re a sportsman, you can have pain in the back of the knee.
For people who play football, basketball, or tennis, there is a problem with pain behind the knee. By doing more of these activities at a time, there is pressure in the muscles which causes pain. If you are involved in such activities, then keep getting check ups done from time to time.
PAIN DUE TO EXCESSIVE PHYSICAL WORK
If you are having pain in the back part of the knee, then one of the reasons could be that you have been running for many hours or you are busy with physical work. This problem can also happen due to continuous work.
Even if you are feeling tired, you can suffer from pain behind the knee. To relieve the pain, you should take enough rest and massage the back of the knees with light hand pressure.
PAIN BEHIND KNEE DUE TO WEAK MUSCLES
If your muscles are weak, then you may have pain in the back part of the knee. Due to the weakening of muscles, the risk of injury increases. If you have weakness in the muscles, then you must contact the doctor.
INJURY CAN CAUSE PAIN BEHIND THE KNEE
If you have an injury to the back of the knee, it is called hamstring injury and how long it will take to heal depends on the severity of the injury. In general, it can take four to eight weeks for a hamstring injury to heal.
TREATMENT OF PAIN BEHIND THE KNEE
- If the pain behind the knee is due to stretching, then the doctor will advise you to rest and may give painkillers.
- Do not ignore the pain behind the knee, treat it immediately so that the cause of the pain can be detected and treated early.
- To find out the reason for the pain behind the knee, doctors do X-rays and MRI tests.
- X-rays are used to find out whether there are any fractures, while MRI examines tendons and muscles.
- If you have pain behind the knee, you should take the help of physiotherapy. Physiotherapy relieves pain and repairs muscles.
- If there is pain due to light stretching, then the doctor treats the pain by giving therapy such as ice therapy or heat therapy, etc.
- In some cases, you may also have to undergo surgery to relieve pain at the back of the knee, but surgery is not done in every case. Surgery is
- done only if the hip bone is pulled towards the muscle.
- If there is severe pain behind the knee, then you can take the help of yoga to reduce it.
This can help reduce the pain behind the knee. If pain behind the knee is continuous and lasts for more than 3 days, it is important to consult the doctor immediately.
The best way to treat the pain behind the knee is to visit a specialist and identify the reason to eliminate the cause and treat it.
For any information related to the pain, visit our Specialty Care Clinics -if you have any type of knee-related pain
Our team of experienced doctors will advise you on the best option for a healthy future.