Posterior Knee Pain

Pain in the knee is quite common and is suffered by almost 45% of the human population at any stage of their lives. The chances of experiencing knee pain relatively increases as you enter middle age. Pain can occur at any part of the knee. It is more common in the anterior part. Posterior knee pain is a bit uncommon and affects only a small number of knee pain patients.

Posterior Knee Pain Causes
Out of numerous causes of pain in the posterior part of the knee, the most common is injured soft tissues. Physical trauma to hamstring muscles, tendon of the gastrocnemius or popliteus muscle results in mild to severe pain in the posterior knee. Other examples of soft tissues whose injury can lead to posterior knee pain are ligaments in the area or to the meniscus of the knee. Secondly, entrapped blood vessels can result in the posterior knee pain and swelling. It particularly occurs when the popliteal artery gets entrapped in the back of the knee. Sometimes other abnormal conditions of the leg or knee give rise to abnormality in the knee. For example, some complicated condition of the knee can lead to swelling of the tissues present at the back of the knee. This condition is medically termed as Baker's cyst.

Cancerous or non-cancerous growth of tissues located at the back of the knee often causes posterior knee pain when walking. Entrapment of nerves at the back of the knee can result in pain in the knee. The nerves that are commonly found entrapped and causing knee pain after sitting or while walking are the peroneal nerve and tibial nerve. Other common causes of posterior knee pain are osteoarthritis, formation of abnormal scar tissue post surgery, etc.

Posterior Knee Pain Treatment
The treatment for posterior knee pain begins with taking rest and restricting your legs from getting strained physically. During the resting period, it is very important for you to apply a hot or cold compress on the aching knee. The choice of hot or cold compress depends upon your suitability and comfort. The use of a compress will reduce swelling, pain and prevent accumulation of fluid in the tissues of your knee. You may take non-prescription, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. This will relieve you from the pain and other discomfort of posterior knee pain. If after following these home remedies, you notice no or negligible improvement in the condition of your knee pain, it's time for you to see an orthopedic.

The medical treatment first involves the use of medication. The medicines that are most likely to be prescribed to you are stronger dosages of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The orthopedic can prescribe pain killers to you. The prescription of analgesics actually depend upon the intensity of the knee pain. In case you are obese or over weight, your orthopedic may ask you to lose weight and come to a weight that is ideal according to your height, sex and age. This is necessary as obesity puts extra strain on the knee, and thus aggravates posterior knee pain. The ideal way to lose weight is to follow a balanced diet and a moderate exercise regimen. Exercising moderately on a regular basis will also benefit you by reducing pain caused by injury to the knee tissues.

Many-a-times, orthopedics make a patient suffering from posterior knee pain to wear knee braces. This speeds up the process of recovery by keeping the knee joint in a somewhat steady state. In some severe cases, the patients are even asked to use crutches while walking. Crutches provide support to the affected knee, and thereby give it an ideal condition for fast healing. If knee braces or crutches are recommended to you, then you should use them ideally and strictly follow all the instructions given by your orthopedic. When all these treatment measures fail to deliver the desired results, the orthopedic can consider surgery as the option for cure of posterior knee pain.

Apart from the medical treatments given by your orthopedic, you should try to improve the healing capacity of your body. This will ensure a fast recovery from posterior knee pain. The best that you can do to strengthen your body's natural ability to restore the normal state is to follow a healthy diet. The diet should be rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals. At last, you should eat healthy to stay healthy for long.