Knee pain in your 20s is often associated with overuse injuries. When the muscles, ligaments, or tendons are “overworked,” pain, stiffness, and other symptoms can develop pretty quickly. Tendonitis and bursitis are a couple of overuse injuries that are most commonly associated with strenuous activity.
Knee pain may be the result of an injury, such as a ruptured ligament or torn cartilage. Medical conditions — including arthritis, gout and infections — also can cause knee pain. Many types of minor knee pain respond well to self-care measures. Physical therapy and knee braces also can help relieve pain.
Diagnosing a knee injury or problem includes a medical examination and usually the use of a diagnostic procedure(s) such as an x-ray, MRI, CT scan or arthroscopy. Both non-operative and surgical treatment options are available to treat knee pain and problems depending on the type and severity of the condition.
Treating the pain when it happens can help manage it. Follow the “RICE” procedure — rest, ice, compression, elevation — to calm your knee pain. If your knee hurts, stop what you’re doing and rest. Apply ice to reduce inflammation, consider wearing a compression bandage, and elevate your knee when resting.
So, which one should you use? Haley Morrissey, a clinical pharmacist for OSF HealthCare, has a general rule of thumb. “If you have muscle or skeletal pain or inflammation, go with ibuprofen,” Haley said. “If it’s just a regular headache, acetaminophen is good.”
Adjuvant treatment after total knee arthroplasty using lidocaine patches was effective in reducing pain and decreasing the use of opioids in the period analyzed, and represents a good addition to multimodal analgesic therapy.
Over-the-counter medications — such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) and naproxen sodium (Aleve) — may help ease knee pain. Some people find relief by rubbing the affected knee with creams containing a numbing agent, such as lidocaine, or capsaicin, the substance that makes chili peppers hot.
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