Why do my knees burn? Probably everyone asked such a question. This condition is not a separate pathology, most often it manifests itself against the background of a disease, regardless of age and lifestyle. If there is such a problem, it is difficult to establish the correct diagnosis.
Most common causes
First of all, before visiting a doctor, you need to remember what preceded the onset of burning in the knees, there may have been an injury or hypothermia. Also, knees often burn on the background of vascular diseases or due to a lack of minerals and vitamins, due to infection or injury to the spinal column.
Injuries
Injuries to the extremities are very common, you can just stumble, bump or strain during a sports training. Then swelling appears and the inflammatory process begins, often accompanied by a sensation that the knees are burning, possibly the appearance of pain and discomfort.
Damage to the knee can be a dislocation, a rupture of the meniscus or ligamentous apparatus, sprain, or even a crack.
In such cases, it is recommended to immediately apply ice to the site of injury, provide rest and make a light massage. Do not forget that before you put ice, you need to wrap a towel around your knee so that there is no frostbite. The procedure should not last more than 20 minutes, and it should be repeated no more than 3-4 times a day. Significant injuries are an occasion to see a doctor.
Spinal column problems
This specific sensation cannot be confused with anything, a person is always clearly aware when his knees burn. Pain in the knees, which are accompanied by burning, can be a confirmation of the presence of dysfunction of the spinal column. This can be a pinched nerve endings or problems in the vascular plexus.
In the presence of prolonged discomfort, you can not do without a serious examination. First of all, it is necessary to undergo magnetic resonance imaging. An X-ray is also required to determine the severity of the disease.
The knees need to ensure peace, not to allow physical overload and hypothermia.
In addition to pain and burning sensation, other symptoms may be observed:
- numbness in the limbs;
- weakness;
- sensation of "goosebumps" in a sick limb;
- irradiation of pain in the thigh or, conversely, in the lower leg;
- decreased sensitivity.
At the same time, changes occur in the spine, its bend can be smoothed out and mobility limited. This condition requires medical attention.
Other spinal injuries, which can also cause a burning sensation in the knees, can also be attributed to this category.
Lack of minerals and vitamins
Are your knees burning? Most likely you should reconsider the diet? Vitamin deficiency, bad habits, inactive lifestyle and constant stressful situations - all this can cause discomfort in the knees.
Deficiency of minerals and vitamins in the body negatively affects the ligamentous apparatus and sometimes there is a burning sensation, especially in the morning, and in the evening it is felt heavy. Discomfort may be accompanied by redness in the joint.
Such symptoms are quite easily eliminated. It is necessary to intensify physical activity, do morning exercises. The diet should be completely reviewed and include the maximum amount of fresh fruits and vegetables. In winter, synthesized supplements can be used to replenish the mineral and vitamin reserves of the body.
Bacteria and viruses
If your knees burn, it’s possible that bacteria that have already entered the bloodstream and, without proper treatment, spread quickly throughout the body. It is likely that infectious agents can settle in the knee joints and multiply actively there. It is in such situations that a burning sensation is felt. To avoid such a situation, it is very important to treat any, even the most mild, catarrhal disease in a timely manner.
Cold exposure
When frostbite, burning sensation in the knee. Discomfort can be felt even if you just come from the street, and in the process of warming, your knees begin to burn. In this situation, in no case should you rub your knees and legs in the cold. Upon arrival home or in a warm room, it is best to wrap your feet in a warm blanket and drink hot tea.
Vascular pathology
Varicose disease, thrombophlebitis, atherosclerosis, and a number of other vascular pathologies can cause many unpleasant symptoms in the limbs, including burning in the knees.
As home help, you can use venotonics and take strengthening drugs and phlebotonics. Orthopedic insoles and shoes are also recommended. You can do gymnastics and undergo a massage course. And of course, you should contact a phlebologist so as not to start the pathology before surgery.
Diseases of the skin
If the skin burns above the knee , then a bacterial infection and fungal diseases of the epidermis cannot be ruled out. However, along with discomfort, peeling may appear on the skin, a crust, itching will most likely be felt. In such cases, only one way out is to consult a dermatologist, who will diagnose and prescribe local treatment.
Other reasons
Are your knees burning? There are situations when the cause of burning and burning is a rare symptom or specific disease:
- Allergic reactions. Most often, this occurs against the background of the use of certain foods and medicines. With allergies, the knees turn red and severe itching appears.
- Polyneuropathy. The cause of the appearance of such a disease can be renal failure, intoxication of the whole organism, diabetes mellitus. As a rule, against the background of a failure of the vegetative, sensory or motor function, sensitivity in the knee disappears and pain in the entire limb can be felt.
- Joint diseases often cause the knee to burn and hurt. It can be bursitis, osteoarthritis, arthrosis, synovitis.
Diagnostics
Discomfort in the knees should be the reason for going to the doctor. To date, a number of manipulations are aimed at identifying the cause of the disease:
- MRI, CT;
- allergy tests;
- general examination of urine and blood;
- X-ray examinations;
- Ultrasound
- biochemistry of blood fluid.
After the diagnosis, the doctor prescribes a treatment, which, as a rule, consists of drug therapy, physiotherapeutic procedures. In some cases, you can get rid of pain with the help of traditional medicine recipes.
Traditional therapy
The main treatment is aimed at eliminating the causes of burning. In parallel, pain medications and drugs are prescribed to restore the normal functioning of the joint. Most often, chondroprotectors and anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed. Along with this, massage or manual therapy courses, therapeutic exercises and physical education are prescribed.
If the patient has a lot of weight, then he will definitely be recommended to reduce it, as people with obesity have a large load on the joints, including the knee.
It should also be understood that the treatment of pathologies associated with the burning of legs above the knees, burning sensation in the knees themselves and below, takes a long time. Even if a remission has occurred at some point, the course of treatment should still not be interrupted.
As an additional treatment, a visit to the pool, mud or radon baths may be recommended.
Alternative methods of treatment
The main treatment methods "from grandmothers" are aimed at removing salts and warming. To remove salts, you can use soda lotions on your knees, but they will have to be done daily and for quite some time. First, soda is diluted in 1 liter of water, in this composition gauze or tissue is moistened and applied to the sore knee. The procedure should last 15 minutes. After that, it is recommended to rub a nourishing cream into the skin. A woolen bandage should be applied at night.
In parallel with local treatment, black radish juice should be consumed . By the way, it helps even from a crunch in the knees. Radish is grated until juice is obtained, which they drink several tablespoons, 2-3 times a day.
In some recipes you can see the mention of honey and medical bile, which cope well with knee pain. You can rub the beef fat. You can also make baths from medicinal herbs: chamomile, mountain ash, straw or hops.
The main thing to remember, the sooner the patient seeks help, the more likely he is to achieve a good effect from the treatment and not start a severe course of the pathology.