Knee pain is something that can easily ruin your night. Knee pain can immobilize you, preventing you from doing the things you need to do during the day. At night, it can make sleep difficult and cause you to writhe around in pain for hours.
The knees are a complex and essential part of our bodies, bearing a majority of the weight of our bodies while maintaining mobility, four bones are connected at the knees, the calves’ tibia and fibula, the femur, or thighbone, and the patella or kneecap. They also connect two major muscle groups involved in movement: the quadriceps in front, and the hamstrings in the back.
All these are connected by tendons, such as the ever-famed ACL or anterior cruciate ligament, and the PCL or the posterior cruciate ligament. The ACL is on the front of the knee and prevents the femur from moving backwards onto the tibia, and the PCL is located on the back and keeps the femur nestled in its proper place.
There are also medial ligaments which stabilize the inside of the knee, and the lateral ligaments that stabilize the outside.
More articular cartilage connects the system together, allowing for safe movement as the joints and muscles glide together. Inside the joint or the place where bone meets bone in the knees are bursa, which are fluid-filled sacs that act as cushions to prevent bone from rubbing against bone, which can be painful.
If any single one of these is worn down or injured, it can cause a cascade of injuries, and result in different kinds of pain, depending on the severity of the wear and tear or injury.
Knee pain at night can be a regular occurrence for some people, especially people of a certain age. It might mean nothing but exhaustion, or it might mean something a little more serious.
There are different types of pain for different types of issues, and the area around the knees may exhibit other symptoms. After an injury or surgery, it is normal to feel a little pain in the evening, but should other symptoms occur, it might be time to schedule an appointment with your doctor.
Here are some of the minor symptoms:
Severe symptoms prompting emergency care include:
In chronic cases, it is best to consult your doctor about your knee pains.
The underlying problems that cause knee pain can be small issues accruing their toll over a long period of time. As such, it might be good to do some of these home remedies to ease your knee pain at night:
There are many possible reasons why you are experiencing knee pain at night. While they could be solved by a few solutions at home, at the end of the day, it is still better advised to consult your doctor about any underlying conditions that may be causing it.
A trip to your local physical therapist about your condition could also be in order. Anytime Physio is based in Brisbane, and we have expert physical therapists that can deal with your nightly knee pain. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help!