The legs are those limbs that are constantly subjected to various loads. It is for this reason that they are often injured. A very common manifestation of discomfort in the legs is pain in the front above the knee. If the leg hurts in this area, what is the reason? Many believe that this symptom appears due to usual fatigue, but soreness can also be a signal of development or the presence of some serious disease. Let's dwell on this in more detail.
Possible reasons
If the leg hurts in the front above the knee, what can it talk about? Many people on the planet have faced a similar problem, and most of them attribute this to weather changes. Someone with such discomfort appears after physical exertion or severe stress. But what are the true reasons for having a sore leg in front of the knee? These include:
- Arthrosis The main manifestation of this disease is the appearance of severe pain, which is localized in the region from the hip to the knee. Joint mobility is limited, for example, a person can no longer press his knee to his chest. Any movement entails a dull crunch in the joints.
- Necrosis. Another possible cause of pain in the front of the leg is necrosis of the femoral head. Does the leg hurt in front of the knee, mainly at night? This is the main symptom.
- Pathology of the spine. Osteochondrosis or vertebral hernia manifests itself in the form of periodic soreness of a pulling nature. Sometimes there is a sensation of pain, which is localized in the shoulder joint.
- Polymyalgia is rheumatic. Most often, this pathology occurs after a viral illness. The temperature of the body increases, and painful sensations arise that are localized above the knee.
To find out the main reason why the legs are pulled, there is pain in them, you must immediately pay attention to the symptom. In this case, a specialist should conduct a diagnosis of the body. In most cases, such soreness is only a concomitant symptom. To get rid of the pain, it is necessary to identify the cause, and then eliminate it. Even if your feet just ache, but often, you need to see a doctor.
Other possible causes
Very often, the cause of soreness is a disturbed hormonal background. Speaking about why it stretches legs with hormonal imbalance, we can conclude that this occurs in chronic diseases, when the body lacks vitamins and minerals. With myositis, the muscles become inflamed, while not only pain above the knee is observed, but swelling also appears.
Kinds
We continue to consider why my legs hurt and ache. In general, the nature of the pain is divided into several varieties, and each of them will talk about a specific ailment or pathology. Consider them:
- Sudden pain that is localized above the knee. This is the first sign of injury.
- If the muscles of the legs above the knees in front are sore, while it is aching, then this indicates the development of the inflammatory process. It often occurs with arthrosis.
- Severe soreness indicates a pinched nerve, a possible fracture.
- If the leg always hurts in front of the anteriorly above the knee, the cause may lie in the spasm of the muscle that is nearby.
- Throbbing pain most often occurs in the case of vascular disorders.
- Pulling accompanies many pathologies.
Effects
If a leg in front of the knee hurts after physical exertion, especially for those people who have just started going to the gym, then this is the absolute norm. But if this happens all the time, then you need to see a doctor. Otherwise, ignoring this symptom can cause serious consequences, for example:
- In case of arthrosis, the joint can be completely immobilized, because as a result of inflammation, microcirculation is disturbed. Therefore, the main task of a specialist in such a situation will be to remove puffiness. If conservative methods of therapy do not help, then specialists correct this problem by the method of surgical intervention.
- As for necrosis: if a diagnosis is made while the disease is still at the initial stage of development, serious consequences can be avoided. Of great importance in this case will be the age of the patient, because the younger he is, the more chances he has of a successful recovery. But if the disease begins to progress, then the patient’s quality of life will deteriorate significantly, as a result of which he may even become disabled. That is why in no case should you ignore it if you have a sore leg in front of the knee. The treatment methods prescribed by your doctor will help to avoid serious consequences.
- As a rule, spinal pathologies never go away for the body without any complications. Due to the constant soreness, a person often drinks pain medications, and this negatively affects the condition of the stomach and liver. In most cases, such diseases require surgical intervention.
Leg hurts in front of above the knee - what should I do?
First of all, severe soreness, which is localized above the knee, is treated with a conservative method. To do this, doctors prescribe physical therapy, manual therapy, physical procedures, as well as other manipulations. In no case should you self-medicate, using different ointments for this, because far from every disease it is allowed to warm the skin. In some cases, this can cause serious health consequences for the patient.
Which doctor should I go to?
Many people ask: when a leg hurts in front of the knee, which doctor should I go to? It is best to contact a neurologist for help. But if you know for sure that the cause of the pain lies in the injury, you will have to go to the traumatologist. If there are no such specialists in your clinic, then go to an appointment with a therapist, who will then refer you to another doctor. As a rule, an osteopath or rheumatologist treats pain above the knee.
What tools to use?
As noted earlier, in no case should you self-medicate. The methods of therapy should be prescribed exclusively by a qualified specialist, after he will diagnose the body and also make a diagnosis. But if you want to ease the pain yourself at home before visiting the clinic, then you can use the following painkillers for this:
- Diclofenac. This tool has the ability to relieve the inflammatory process that occurs in the muscles.
- Ketonal. This ointment has a painkiller effect, it can block nerve receptors in the muscles, so relief comes.
- Finalgon. This external ointment removes the inflammatory process that is localized in the joints.
- Dolobene. This gel helps well in case of injury.
It should be noted that each of the above external funds has an excellent analgesic effect, but this is only a temporary measure. In order to completely get rid of soreness, as well as cure the disease that provoked these symptoms, it is necessary to undergo a diagnosis, visit a medical institution.
Diagnostic measures
In the event of pain that is localized in front of the knee, the specialist will prescribe the following diagnostic tests to the patient:
- Magnetic resonance imaging.
- Diagnostic laparoscopy.
- X-ray
When the doctor receives the results of the study, he will prescribe the appropriate treatment method, which will primarily be the use of painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. Such therapy must necessarily be supplemented by physical therapy, as well as physiotherapeutic procedures. If the disease is already at a more advanced stage, then the specialist can prescribe a surgical procedure for the patient.
Features of therapeutic massage
In order to improve blood circulation and to restore damaged muscles, a special therapeutic massage is prescribed. However, if the patient was diagnosed with a purulent disease, then such an event will have to be abandoned. It is certainly not worth it to carry out a massage yourself, of course, because it is necessary to massage certain areas, therefore it is better to entrust this matter to specialists.
Power Features
If soreness above the knee appears due to frequent cramps at night, then you should definitely review your own diet. High protein foods should dominate the menu. In addition, you will have to exclude salty foods from your daily diet. Specialists recommend falling asleep on the left side with a similar problem, so it will be possible to avoid circulatory disorders in the lower extremities.
Folk remedies
To eliminate the soreness, which is localized above the knee on the legs, you can apply the recipes of traditional medicine, because they are very effective. The best of them are:
- Ice pack. Using this common remedy, you can relieve soreness, as well as reduce the inflammatory process in the joint area. Take 3-5 ice cubes, wrap them in plastic wrap or a thick cloth, and then attach to the problem area for a quarter of an hour. Please note that in no case should the ice be on the leg for more than 15 minutes, as this can cause damage to the skin. This procedure must be repeated several times a day.
- Thermal therapy. Take a warm bath for a quarter of an hour, while keeping your feet under a stream of water. After a similar procedure, the pain goes away. Also, you can attach a hot heating pad to the sore spot. However, both options are recommended after an accurate diagnosis is made.
- Mix with milk. To strengthen your joints and immune system, you can add milk to the diet. To do this, chop the almonds, a little turmeric, walnuts, after which you need to mix the ingredients with two glasses of fat milk. Shuffle everything, set it on fire. Boil the drink until you see that the mixture has begun to decrease in volume. The finished drink is consumed three times a day. The duration of treatment is from 1 month.
Very rarely, soreness above the knee occurs for no reason. However, most often this is the result of physical activity. But in order to find out the main reason, it is recommended to undergo an examination in the clinic. Self-medication is allowed only after consultation with a qualified doctor.