Is this your symptom?
- Pain in the knee
- Includes minor muscle strain from overuse
- If pain is caused by an injury, see Knee Injury care guide
Causes of Knee Pain
- Muscle Overuse(strained muscles). Knee pains are often from hard muscle work or sports. Examples are too much walking or running. This type of pain can last from hours up to 7 days.
- Muscle Cramps. Brief pains that last 1 to 15 minutes are often due to muscle cramps. These often occur in the hamstrings at the back of the knee and thigh.
- Trapped Nerves. The nerves in the lower leg can become trapped or squeezed where they pass through narrow spaces as they leave the spine. Sciatica is from pressure on a nerve in the back. It causes tingling, weakness or pain in the leg which may go right down to the toes. You may feel pain from a trapped nerve in your knee. If symptoms do not go away with rest or treatment, surgery may be needed to release the nerve.
- Viral Illness. Mild muscle aches in both legs or in the joints also occur with many viral illnesses, such as flu.
- Septic Arthritis (serious) is a bacterial infection of a joint space. Main symptoms are fever and severe pain when you move the joint. You may not be able to move the knee at all. This needs care right away.
- Joint Inflammation. Examples are rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and gout. Some, like gout, may affect just one joint. Others affect many joints at the same time. Early treatment may help prevent long-term damage to the joints involved.
- Bursitis. Many joints, like the knee, are covered by fluid-filled sacs called bursae. They help the joint move smoothly. These bursae can get inflamed or infected, causing pain and swelling. The bursa at the front of the knee, over the knee-cap, can become inflamed from too much kneeling and knee bending. The area may look red and feel warm to touch.
- Referred pain. Pain is sometimes felt in the knee when there is not actually a problem with the knee itself. This is called referred pain. Problems like arthritis in the hip can lead to pain being felt in the knee.
- More Serious Causes of Knee Pain:
- Bone Cancer or Bone Infection (osteomyelitis).
- Clots in the Veins of the leg can cause pain and itching if they occur in veins near the surface of the skin. If clots occur in the deeper, bigger veins in the legs, it can be life-threatening. Pain may be felt behind the knee. Pieces of the clot can break off and travel to the heart and lungs. If this happens, it can cause breathlessness or chest pain.
- Blocked Artery. Arteries carry oxygen from your heart to the leg tissues. Symptoms of blockage are cold, pale and numb and/or painful leg. The blockage will need to be cleared as an emergency when this happens. Partial blockage can cause pain, often in the calf or behind the knee, when walking. The pain will usually go away when at rest but may need treatment before the artery becomes blocked all the way.
Pain Scale
- Mild: you feel some pain, but it does not keep you from any normal activities. Work, activities and sleep are not changed.
- Moderate: the pain keeps you from doing some normal activities. It may wake you up from sleep.
- Severe: the pain is very bad. It keeps you from doing all normal activities.
When to Call for Knee Pain
Go to ER Now
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
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Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
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Self Care at Home
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Go to ER Now
- Knee is red, swollen and warm to touch
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
- Pain at the back of the knee and you are being treated for cancer or have recently been in hospital
- Severe pain
- Fever or chills; feeling hot or shivery
- Bright red area on skin with lines tracking out from the area
- You feel weak or very sick
- You think you need to be seen, and the problem is urgent
Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
- Pain at the back of the knee and you have any of the following:
- history of blood clots
- history of cancer
- You have pain at the back of the knee any of the following:
- you are pregnant
- gave birth in the past 6 weeks or
- take hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- Pain gets worse over several days
- You think you need to be seen, but the problem is not urgent
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
- Can't walk normally (limping)
- Knee gives way when walking
- Knee pain lasts more than 7 days
- Knee pain keeps you from work or other activities
- Knee pain happens often
- Swollen knee
- Knee often locks, gets stuck, or catches
- You have other questions or concerns
Self Care at Home
- Caused by overuse
- Mild knee pain
Care Advice for Stomach Pain
What You Should Know About Stomach Pain:
- Mild stomach pain can be caused by something simple. It could be from gas pains or eating too much.
- Sometimes, stomach pain signals the start of a viral infection. This will lead to vomiting or loose stools.
- Watching your child for 2 hours will help tell you the cause.
- Here is some care advice that should help.
Lie Down:
- Have your child lie down and rest until feeling better.
Clear Fluids:
- Offer clear fluids only (such as water, flat soft drinks or half-strength Gatorade).
- For mild pain, offer a regular diet.
Prepare for Vomiting:
- Keep a vomiting pan handy.
- Younger children often talk about stomach pain when they have nausea. Nausea is the sick stomach feeling that comes before they throw up.
Pass a Stool:
- Have your child sit on the toilet and try to pass a stool.
- This may help if the pain is from constipation or diarrhea.
- Note: for constipation, moving a warm wet cotton ball on the anus may help.
Do Not Give Medicines:
- Any drug (like ibuprofen) could upset the stomach and make the pain worse.
- Do not give any pain medicines or laxatives for stomach cramps.
- For fever higher than 102° F (39° C), acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) can be given.
What to Expect:
- With harmless causes, the pain is most often better or gone in 2 hours.
- With stomach flu, belly cramps may happen before each bout of vomiting or diarrhea. These cramps may come and go for a few days.
- With serious causes (such as appendicitis), the pain worsens and becomes constant.
Call Your Doctor If:
- Pain becomes severe
- Constant pain lasts more than 2 hours
- Mild pain that comes and goes lasts more than 24 hours
- You think your child needs to be seen
- Your child becomes worse
Extra Help - Worried Stomach:
- Help your child talk about events that trigger the stomach pain. Talk to your child about how to cope with these the next time around.
- Help your child worry less about things she can't control.
- To treat the pain, help your child get very relaxed. Lying down in a quiet place and taking slow deep breaths may help. Make the belly go up and down with each breath. Then try to relax all the muscles in the body. Think about something pleasant. Listening to audios that teach how to relax might also help.
- Make sure your child gets enough sleep.
- Make sure that your child doesn't miss any school because of stomach pains. Stressed children tend to want to stay home when the going gets rough.
- Caution: your child should see her doctor for an exam. Do this before concluding frequent stomach pains are from worrying too much.
