Do you ever feel pain in your knees when you sit on the floor or put your knees down? If so, it could be a sign that you have chronic strain on your knees or that you have an injury.
The knee joint is composed of the femur (thigh bone), the tibia (shin bone), and the patella (kneecap).
Normally, cartilage is present between the joints, acting as a cushion, and ligaments are attached around them to ensure knee stability.
However, it is not uncommon for pain or difficulty bending the joints to occur due to wear and tear of this cartilage or damage to muscles and ligaments.
Let's examine the causes of kneeling pain and how to address each of them.
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What causes pain when kneeling?
The act of "kneeling" refers to a state where the knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle, or where the knees are bent and touching the floor.
Therefore, the cause is
- The knee is bent.
- The state of being kneeling on the floor and applying pressure.
Either one or both of these conditions could be causing the knee pain.
The following are some of the most common orthopedic conditions that can cause this condition:
Osteoarthritis of the knee
This condition involves deformation of the knee due to repeated pressure over many years, resulting in pain and cosmetic changes such as bowlegs or knock knees. The stress on the knee can also cause swelling and fluid accumulation (joint effusion).
Swelling is easily noticeable, and when fluid accumulates, the kneecap will feel soft and spongy when pressed, making it an easy symptom to self-check.
Furthermore, when the deformed knee joint was examined with an X-ray,
- Bone spurs: As the name suggests, these are bony protrusions that form around the knee.
- Narrowing of the joint space: As the cartilage in the knee wears down and loses its cushioning function, the space between the femur and tibia narrows (or the gap disappears, causing direct contact).
- Sclerosis of subchondral bone: The part that should normally be soft becomes hard as bone.
You can observe the following conditions.
When the knee joint deforms, it becomes difficult to bend the knee. However, kneeling requires bending the knee to some extent, and this movement can put a strain on the knee and cause pain. Even if inflammation has occurred due to chronic stress on the knee caused by the deformation, pain may still occur when bending the knee or when the knee is compressed against the floor.
meniscal injury
The meniscus is the name of the cartilage in the knee. Like articular cartilage, it provides cushioning on the inside and outside of the knee.
When the medial meniscus is damaged, it's called a medial meniscus injury, and when it's on the outside, it's called a lateral meniscus injury. When the meniscus is damaged, it can no longer perform its cushioning function, so the pressure on the knee can increase by two to three times.
Another characteristic of the meniscus is that it moves gently in accordance with the movement when bending or straightening the knee, supporting smooth movement.
So, when you damage your meniscus, it becomes difficult to bend or straighten your knee, right?
Bending the leg can sometimes cause severe pain.
Collateral ligament injuries can also occur, but when ligament injuries occur, the difficulty in walking, knee wobbling, and knee buckling are often more noticeable than the pain when kneeling.
Quadriceps tendinitis/Patellar tendinitis (jumper's knee)
This condition is commonly seen in young people in their teens and twenties, especially those who participate in sports that involve repeated jumping.
Pain appears in the front of the knee, particularly at the attachment site of the patellar tendon (the tendon between the kneecap and the tibia). Another characteristic is tenderness when pressure is applied to the floor or other surface, as the quadriceps femoris muscle runs along the front of the knee.
Even if the pain is only on one side, it's common to see inflammation in both patellar tendons, so both legs need to be checked.
Bursitis
Inflammation of the bursa (a sac-like tissue surrounding the knee that allows joints to move smoothly) can cause pain when kneeling due to pressure.
In some cases, a distinct bump may form, which may be red and swollen.
Treatment methods and home care
For each medical condition, we will introduce everything from treatment methods at medical institutions to coping strategies you can use at home.
Treatment at a medical institution
Regenerative medicine exists as a treatment that regenerates worn-down or damaged cartilage, such as in osteoarthritis of the knee or meniscus tears.
Regenerative Medicine
It is attracting attention as a method for preventing and improving the progression of osteoarthritis of the knee, as well as for approaching meniscal injuries and tears.
So, what is regenerative medicine? It's a treatment method that involves injecting (or administering intravenously) cells that promote the regeneration of cartilage and meniscus into the knee to reduce inflammation and alleviate pain.
●PRP (platelet rich plasma) therapy
The patient's own blood is collected, components involved in regeneration are extracted, and then administered to the inflamed area to suppress inflammation and pain.
● Stem cell therapy
This method involves collecting fat cells, extracting stem cells (which are often further cultured), and administering them to areas of cartilage wear or meniscus damage to promote meniscus regeneration.
It is said that undergoing meniscectomy, as described later, increases the risk of developing osteoarthritis of the knee. Stem cell therapy, in particular, can be performed while preserving the meniscus, making it a suitable treatment option for those who are hesitant about surgery or who find hospitalization difficult.
meniscal surgery
If you have injured your meniscus, it will generally not heal on its own. This is because the meniscus has poor blood flow, making healing difficult.
In cases where the injury is minor or the pain is not severe, conservative treatment (non-surgical methods) may be chosen, but surgery to remove the meniscus is often necessary.
meniscus suture
This is a method for stitching together the meniscus.
meniscectomy
This method involves removing the meniscus. It is a common choice for meniscus surgery, but as mentioned earlier, it also has disadvantages, such as an increased risk of osteoarthritis of the knee after surgery.
Pain relievers and compresses
Medical institutions will most commonly prescribe painkillers and topical patches.
There is also a type of patch called "Locoa Tape" that is specifically designed to relieve the pain of osteoarthritis.
Hyaluronic acid injection
If the pain is caused by excessive stress on the knee, this treatment may be chosen to alleviate pain and inflammation.
The effects last for about one to two weeks, but the effects tend to diminish with regular hyaluronic acid injections, and there is also a risk of infection, so it should only be considered a temporary solution.
Rehabilitation
Like painkillers, it is one of the treatments that is often prescribed by medical institutions.
We improve difficulty bending or straightening the knee through massage, stretching, and range of motion exercises, and alleviate pain through physical therapy using ultrasound, electricity, etc.
Home remedies
Here are some ways you can deal with this at home:
Review of daily living activities
- Don't carry heavy luggage.
- Don't walk for long periods of time.
- Avoid using the stairs as much as possible.
- Avoid tasks that require bending down as much as possible.
These are some examples.
Knee deformities and inflammation are caused by the accumulation of daily stress. The more stress the knees are subjected to, the more the deformation progresses, but in many cases, simply stopping stressful lifestyle habits can gradually reduce inflammation and alleviate pain.
Try to actively use any available alternatives, such as switching from rags to mops, or using a shopping cart whenever possible when shopping.
Some people may actively use the stairs "for the sake of their health," but climbing and descending stairs puts a load on the knees that is about seven times your body weight, so extra caution is needed.
Weight control
There is a strong correlation between knee deformity and body weight; the higher the BMI, the higher the risk of developing osteoarthritis of the knee, and it is also a risk factor for its progression. There are also reports that for every 1 kg of weight lost, the load on the knee when bearing weight is reduced by about 2-4 kg.
By focusing on gradual weight loss, you can reduce the load on your knees in a healthy way.
Strength training
By strengthening the muscles around the knee, the muscles will help to reduce the strain on the knee.
Try lying on your back and placing a rolled-up towel or plastic bottle under your knees, then pressing your knees against the floor to train the large muscles called the quadriceps. It's important to do this within a range that doesn't cause pain.
summary
There are many ways to manage pain at home, but if you have fluid buildup in your knee, you should have it drained as soon as possible. Also, if you want to build muscle strength to alleviate knee pain with the advice of a specialist, you should consider seeking help from a medical institution, such as using outpatient rehabilitation.
Of course, if the pain is very severe or your knee feels unstable, there may be an injury, so don't self-diagnose and consider consulting a medical institution. Even if you are told that surgery is the only way to treat it, if the medical institution offers regenerative medicine, it may be possible to treat it without surgery. It's best to gather various information and choose the treatment method that suits you.
Furthermore, regenerative medicine using stem cells and other similar technologies is a treatment method that has been proven effective in the field of knee joint treatment .
While research and clinical trials are still ongoing, regenerative medicine, including stem cell therapy, is already being used in actual treatments. It is expected to become an increasingly common treatment in the future. We hope this opportunity will spark your interest in regenerative medicine, allow you to gain knowledge about it, and encourage you to consider it as a treatment option.
If you're experiencing persistent knee pain or nerve pain, or have been struggling with illness or cosmetic issues for years, please feel free to contact us if you have any concerns about your daily life.
Omotesando Helene Clinic specializes in regenerative medicine that is gentle on the body, and offers pre-treatment consultations for those who are hesitant to start treatment immediately.
"I'm concerned, but I can't decide if prevention is really necessary right now." "I haven't decided whether to get treatment, but I'd like to hear more first." Even in such cases, there's absolutely no problem. Sometimes, you might be unknowingly facing a life-threatening risk, so...Please feel free to contact us anytime.
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