Acute knee pain can indicate a variety of knee problems, including ligament tears, cartilage tears, chondromalacia patella, patellar tendinitis, Baker’s cyst, bursitis, gout, and arthritis. Seeking medical attention is recommended. Runner’s knee is a common cause of sharp knee pain that comes and goes. Arthritis of the knee is a common cause of acute knee pain, especially for older adults.
Acute knee pain can be a symptom of something seriously wrong with one of the most important joints in the human body. Sharp pain could indicate any number of knee problems, including a torn ligament, arthritis, runner’s knee, or the development of a cyst within the joint. Whatever the cause of the pain, the affected person should generally seek immediate medical attention.
One of the most common causes of acute knee pain is an injury to one of the knee’s four ligaments, which can occur during sports, recreation, or other physical activities. Tears most often occur in the anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament, or medial collateral ligament. Symptoms of a torn ligament include sudden and severe onset of pain, inability to use the knee, and a sense of instability in the joint.
Other soft tissue injuries of the knee can cause severe pain. These can include tears in the knee cartilage, which can occur in people of all ages. For patients in their teens and young adults, the cartilage behind the kneecap can soften due to a condition called chondromalacia patella, which can also lead to knee pain. Resulting from patellar tendinitis, or patella tendon, patellar tendonitis can also cause pain around the knee. Other causes of pain related to knee injury are Baker’s cyst, which leads to swelling in the back of the knee, and bursitis, which often causes pain just above the kneecap.
Runner’s knee and gout are the two main causes of sharp knee pain that comes and goes. Gout is a form of arthritis caused by the buildup of uric acid crystals in the joints. Rarely, it affects the knee and leads to the onset of pain. A more common form of temporary knee pain is runner’s knee, which is a sharp pain caused by overtraining on hard surfaces that leads to irritation of the iliotibial band. Runners can relieve pain through rest and through treatment with cold and hot packs.
Perhaps the most common form of acute knee pain, especially for older adults, is arthritis of the knee. As an individual ages, the cartilage in the knee breaks down, dislodging the knee padding and leaving bone to rub against bone. The pain can be severe enough to slow a person down or even prevent them from walking or standing for long periods.
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