Joint pains are hard to deal with whenever they arise but knee pain at night is a particular problem for many people.
Night time joint pain leads to sleep loss and indirectly to worse
function and other problems when walking during the day.
The commonest cause of night time pain in the knee
joint is osteoarthritis - but other conditions can also be involved.
It's important to see an expert so that the proper diagnosis can be made and a course of treatment planned out for your needs.
Knee pain at night time is a common
symptom associated with fairly advanced osteoarthritis in the knee. It
can also be caused by other problems including hip arthritis or referred
pain from the lumbar spine.
It's important to seek medical advice so
that a diagnosis can be made of your knee symptoms. This might need
simple x-rays or a scan might be required to get a complete and clear
picture of what's happening inside your knee joint.
MRI scans, x-rays and ultrasound scans in Edinburgh are available at
the Edinburgh Clinic where Doctor Cameron consults.
The treatment of knee pain at night will vary depending on the condition that is causing it - but common options include medication, physical therapy, careful x-ray guided injection or an individual rest and rehabilitation program. Surgery is not often needed if the condition is recongised early and treated by an orthopaedic specialist doctor but sometimes nocturnal symptoms are a marker for significant arthritis in the knee joint.