When bending, the knees crunch: what to do?

Each of us tries to lead an active lifestyle and move more, regardless of age, the availability of free time and health. We are not looking for excuses, we are looking for opportunities. But what if the joints hurt when moving, do not give normal bend and unbend legs in the knees? This is often observed in older people. What to do? Is it really necessary to abandon all the charms of life, citing old age? Do you really have to spend time only on the couch in front of the TV? No matter how! Crunching in the knees can be dealt with and done really effectively. Today we’ll talk about pain and crunching in the knees, the causes of this phenomenon, as well as the main medical and home methods of solving this problem.

Why do your knees crunch

The knee is the largest joint in the human body. With it, we can walk, bend the leg, move around and stand. Inside the joint is a synovial fluid that protects the joint itself from wear and reduces friction of the bones and cartilage of each other's forehead. If a person feels a crunch in his knees during movement, flexion and extension, this indicates the destruction of the joint. Crunch in the knees can occur against the background of external minor factors or may be associated with internal diseases of the musculoskeletal system of the patient. So, let's try to figure out what may cause a crunch in the knees.

1. Crunching in the knee can be caused by excessive stress on the joint. This happens if a person lifts weights. Very often a similar problem occurs in weightlifters.
2. Uncomfortable shoes can lead to pain and crunching in the knees. This is especially true for women who wear high heels. The arch of the foot when wearing such shoes changes, the center of gravity moves, the knee joint is forced to work in an unnatural position.
3. In many cases, the overload creates an overweight patient. With obesity, the pressure on the joint increases several times, it gradually collapses.
4. A crunch in the knees can accompany sedentary people with sedentary work.
5. In some cases, the cause of a crunch in the knees can be poor nutrition, namely, consumption of sweet, salty and spicy foods.
6. Cartilage may be weak due to insufficient production of hormones.
7. Crunching in the knees during flexion is one of the main signs of a lack of calcium in the body.
8. But most often, a crunch in the knees occurs against a background of diseases. Crunch can occur with diagnoses such as arthritis, arthrosis, meniscus damage, gonarthrosis, bursitis, damage to the ligaments and tendons of the knee joint.
9. Knees may crunch due to dislocations and bone fractures that form the knee joint.
10. At risk, older people, as the amount of synovial fluid decreases with age, the cartilage joint wears out, additional chronic diseases make themselves felt.
11. Often, a crunch in the knees occurs in professional athletes, since the load on the knee joints in many sports is tremendous, moreover, intense training and gradual wear of the body affect it.
12. Crunching in the knees can be a consequence of osteoporosis, when the bones become porous and brittle. This is often observed in women of advanced age.
13. Knees can crunch due to congenital abnormalities of the knee joint, different limb lengths, and even flat feet.

To determine the nature of the symptom, you must definitely consult a doctor.As a rule, a traumatologist deals with such problems, you may need the help of a rheumatologist and even a nutritionist to reduce excess body weight. Making the right diagnosis depends on many factors. First of all, the doctor conducts an examination and collects an anamnesis. It is very important to tell a specialist about the conditions of their work, about physical activity and existing sports injuries. You also need to identify the hereditary factor and analyze the concomitant diseases. For a more accurate diagnosis, an x-ray and ultrasound examination of the knee joints, CT and MRI may be necessary. In some cases, even synovial fluid can be taken for analysis.

Drug treatment of knee crunch

The treatment of crunch in the knees is very peculiar and differs significantly depending on the initial diagnosis. Here are some general guidelines to help you relieve pain and improve your knee joint.

1. Anti-inflammatory drugs. This group of drugs is effective for arthritis and arthrosis. They can be in the form of tablets, but it is much more effective to take drugs by injection. Among them, Diclofenac, Ibuprofen, Nimesulide, Indomethacin, etc.
2. For cartilage. These are drugs of external and internal action that restore the integrity of cartilage tissue, contributing to the production of collagen. This is Chondroxide, Chondroitin, Rumalon.
3. Warming ointments. To relieve pain and be able to actively move, you can use warming and analgesic ointments. This is Finalgon, Capsicam, Voltaren.
4. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory ointments. In addition to drugs that need to be taken orally, non-steroidal ointments can be applied to the knee. They relieve inflammation and swelling, relieve pain. Among these drugs, Nise, Ortofen, Ketoprofen can be distinguished.
5. Corticosteroids. This is a fairly serious group of hormonal drugs, which is prescribed if non-steroidal drugs no longer help. The most effective drugs in this group are Prednisolone, Hydrocartisone.
6. Vitamins The intake of a multivitamin complex is required. The complex should include calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D3 - they restore the structure of cartilage and bone tissue.

Remember, only a doctor can prescribe a medicine, you should not prescribe these or those drugs yourself. However, any doctor will tell you with confidence that in the fight against crunching in the knees, drug therapy is not in the first place.

Healthy knee exercises

Problems with knees in most cases arise precisely from low motor activity. Therefore, it is necessary to do physiotherapy exercises in order to develop knee joints and strengthen the muscles that support bones and cartilage.

1. Lying on your back, bend and unbend your knees, smoothly moving your feet on the floor. Do this exercise in the morning and evening of every day, for this you can not even get out of bed.
2. This exercise is also performed while lying on your back. Make rotational movements with your legs, bending and unbending them at the knees, like a bicycle. All movements should be smooth, slow, measured.
3. Very useful and effective swimming. In water, the load on the knees decreases, the weight is not felt so acutely. Do not just swim, but aqua aerobics.
4. Simple squats for the sick knees are contraindicated, as this is a serious burden, due to which the pain can intensify. But to squat, holding on to the back of the chair, you can. You can train not only effectively, but also safely.
5. It is useful to ride a bicycle - in this case, the load on the joint is minimal, since most of the weight falls on the bicycle itself, and not on the knees.

When doing exercise, you need to listen to your body. The movements should be smooth, should not bring you discomfort or pain.Excessive and intense stress is now useless for you, it will only aggravate your condition.

In addition to physiotherapy exercises, you must definitely go to physiotherapeutic procedures. In the fight against "crispy" knees, it is useful to do electrophoresis. During the procedure, the medicine is injected into the deeper layers of the cartilage joint using electric current. In addition, they use magnetic and laser therapy, warming procedures - paraffin, dirt, etc.

Massage

To overcome knee pain, treatment should be multifaceted and comprehensive. One of the conditions for a quick recovery is massage. It is best to perform a massage with warming ointments and creams. It is very good to use medicinal formulations based on snake and bee venom for massage, one of the effective ointments is Viprosal. Massage should be done carefully, applying moderate effort. Squeeze a small amount of ointment on the knee, distribute it over the skin and begin to perform circular movements. The ointment should be rubbed into the skin and cartilage. Apply the product from the front and back of the knees, and then wrap an elastic bandage on the affected area. Do massage before going to bed so that after the procedure your leg warms up at rest.

Diet

Often the destruction of cartilage tissue occurs due to the lack of certain vitamins that reproduce cartilage tissue. A large amount of collagen for joints is found in jelly. Strong rich broth in a cooled form must be consumed every day. It is much better if it is cooked from beef bones. In addition, you need to eat balanced. Eat more vegetables and fruits, lean on dairy products - they have a lot of calcium. Nuts and fresh herbs favorably affect the condition of bones and cartilage. The diet should be meat, sea fish. It is good to eat canned fish, because together with meat we also use soft fish bones. They are also useful for the restoration of cartilage. In addition, nutrition plays a critical role in the fight against obesity. Eat often and in small portions, refuse flour and sweets, do not overdo it at night - this will help you reduce weight and strain on the knee joints.

Folk remedies against a crunch in the knees

In the piggy bank of folk wisdom, there are many useful recipes that will help you organize the production of collagen and cartilage, relieve pain and swelling in the knees.

1. Dairy bran. A glass of bran should be poured with boiling milk and allowed to swell. When the mass has cooled slightly, it should be transferred to a bag and a compress made on the sore knees. Dairy bran holds heat for a long time, relieve inflammation and pain.
2. Oil and orange. You can make a lotion of orange juice and olive oil. Mix the ingredients in equal proportions, soak a piece of gauze in the composition and attach to the sore knees.
3. Decoction of fir cones. This tool will help you restore cartilage. 10-15 fir cones need to be chopped and pour a glass of boiling water. Insist a decoction in a thermos for at least a day. Drink half a glass every morning on an empty stomach.
4. Chalk and yogurt. Ordinary chalk needs to be crushed to a powder, mixed with kefir or yogurt. It will turn out a white mixture, which must be applied to the knee as a compress and fix it with cling film. If you do lotions daily, your knees will stop sore after two weeks.
5. Honey, glycerin and alcohol. Mix these ingredients in equal proportions and get an effective medicinal ointment. Smear her knees only when crunching and pain occurs. Keep the composition in the refrigerator, heat it in a water bath before use. Honey treats diseased joints, restores cartilage tissue. Alcohol gently warms and relieves inflammation and pain. Glycerin is needed to soften the skin, so that other medicinal components penetrate deeper, and the ointment is more effective.

Remember, to achieve a real result, you need to combine medical treatment with massage, exercises, physiotherapy and folk recipes. Only in this case you can get rid of pain and crunch in the knees once and for all.

Knees often hurt in older people, but do not take this for granted. It is quite possible to protect yourself from knee pain. Firstly, you need to monitor your weight, because it is overweight that creates a serious load on the joints. Secondly, move more, walk, exercise, train and develop joints. Third, keep an eye on nutrition. The diet should be rich and varied, in the spring and winter, drink multivitamin complexes. Eliminate or limit salt intake. Drink a lot of water - because its lack can lead to cellular dehydration and tissue depletion. Refuse high heels - no more than 4 centimeters. If you work actively, look for time to relax. If your profession forces you to constantly sit, you need to take breaks for exercises and warm-ups. If you rest on your knees while working or playing sports, use knee pads - they will protect you from excessive stress.

To prevent your knees from crunching, you need to protect them from hypothermia. Treat concomitant diseases in a timely manner. If you notice that your knees began to ache, immediately apply therapeutic measures - exercise therapy, massage, compresses. Do not wait for the pain to become more pronounced. Watch your health and take treatment in a timely manner. And then the body will answer you with strength and well-being!

Video: how to alkalize the body and remove crunch in the knees