What’s That Vague, Ill-defined Knee Pain?
This past weekend, I was at a business/marketing meeting in Tampa. One of the attendees was a fellow I had advised in the past, and one who had used the recommended exercises in my PAIN-FREE PROGRAM http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html/. He’s a few years older than me, but in otherwise good shape.
Up to now, he had done pretty well. So well in fact, that he has written a testimonial for me, which I will post, once he sends me a photo of himself to run with it. But, like many of us (me too) he got a little bit complacent and slacked off the exercises.
Sure enough, he started to develop recurrent symptoms. ”Hey, what’s that vague ill-defined knee pain?” he wanted to know. I shouldn’t wonder.
Knee pain, especially low grade, achey pain, is often diffuse and ill-defined. That is, unless there’s a specific injury that causes a sharp, acute pain, associated with damage to specific structures. These would be things like a fall, twist or sprain of ligaments, or strain of muscles, a tear of the meniscal cartilage, a rupture of the ACL, degenerative diseases (like chondromalacia or it’s cousin, osteoarthritis), or inflammatory conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis (and its relatives, psoriatic arthritis, lupus, spondylitis, etc.)infectious arthritis (Lyme Disease, staph or strep infection).
Why do these conditions cause this low grade ache? In a word, SYNOVITIS. This is an inflammation of the lining membrane of the joint. Now, synovitis is a very non-specific response to ANY stimulation, regardless of what it is–IT HURTS. The membrane also becomes thicker and more swollen, actually grows in volume, becomes red (from dilated blood vessels) and produces an excessive amount of joint fluid (which it normally makes in very small amounts, to lubricate the articular cartilage and nourish the cartilage surfaces). Lay people call this “water on the knee.”
Since I was there with him, I examined my friend’s knee, right there in the conference room. Very few findings, though. Some loss of the last few degrees of motion at the extremes of flexion and extension, maybe five degrees at each end, consistent with the thickening of the synovial membrane. And he had a little bit of pain under the kneecap, when pressure was applied. Pretty much, that was it. Of course, I had no x-rays or MRI images to examine.
My impression was that he had developed a recurrent case of chondromalacia patellae–softening of the cartilage of the patella. Either that,or it’s first cousin, osteoarthritis. So, what to do?
First, he needs to resume the exercises I teach at http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html Exercise is the overall best method for long term pain relief of the knee.
Next, he needs to get on the anti-inflammatory regimen I present in detail in my newest healing program, HOW TO AVOID KNEE SURGERY, at http://drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html
With luck and some work, he should get fast pain relief in as little as one week. If he does the work…
Til next time, my friend, be well.
Yours for a pain-free tomorrow,
Dr. Bill
P.S. For DR. BILL’S LITTLE GREEN BOOK ON ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN, a concise, but complete handbook on the root causes and the various options for treating knee pain, go to http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html
P.P.S. For DR. BILL’S PAIN-FREE PROGRAM: EXERCISES TO PREVENT OR ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN, please go to
http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html
P.P.P.S. For the giant, comprehensive ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE: HOW TO ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN–ONCE & FOR ALL!, everything you need to know on causes and solutions for knee pain and the complete exercise program, too, go to
http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html
FREE BONUS CD with any order: THE HEALING POWER OF POSITIVE PAIN PERCEPTION
Copyright, 2008 by William Thomas Stillwell, MD
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Tags: chondromalacia, chondromalacia patellae, degenerative diseases, fast pain relief, infectious arthritis, lupus, Lyme disease, osteoarthritis, pain under the kneecap, psoriatic arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, rupture ACL, spondylitis, staph or strep infection, synovitis, tera of meniscal cartilage, water on the knee