Wouldn’t it be great if when there was something wrong with you, your body would just say in plain English (or whatever your native tongue is), “hey, I’m not feeling well, and this is why.”

Well, in reality your body is actually speaking to you all the time, the problem is you just don’t understand. What follows below will teach you how translate your knee into terms you can actually understand.

Torn Meniscus

Let’s face it; tearing anything in the body is bad news. It hurts like no tomorrow and takes forever to heal, but, other than some pain, how are you supposed to know that you have torn something important, like your meniscus?

Well, if you have experienced clicking or catching in your knees while walking or running, you might want to consider getting your knee checked.  If you have ever experienced a torn meniscus you know it can be pretty easy to miss. For one thing, the pain, while intense, is not as excruciating as tearing your ACL or MCL.

However, if your knee locks abruptly while walking, your body is more than likely telling you that you have torn your meniscus.

Early Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a type of arthritis that occurs in the body when cartilage in a joint begins to deteriorate. The deterioration of cartilage usually occurs over time and results in the painful, bone on bone, friction that is known as osteoarthritis.

As cartilage erodes over time, the bones that make up your joints will begin to swell. This swelling is due to the buildup of scar tissue, which can further aggravate and inflame already damaged joints.

A study conducted by researchers from the University of Leeds found that knee pain while climbing up stairs could be an early indicator of osteoarthritis. The study, which asked participants to answer a few questionnaires about knee pain, found that climbing stairs was the first sign of osteoarthritis in the knee, even for relatively healthy individuals.

Sciatica

Unlike some of the previous issues that your knee pain could be alluding to, sciatica is not an issue related to the muscles and bones of the body. Sciatica is instead caused by injury to the sciatic nerve located in the lower spine extending through the pelvis, and down each leg.

Much like the other issues mentioned, your knee pain can help you to identify sciatica quite easily. The indicators to watch for include tingling and numbness in the back of the knee. The pain from sciatica can also spread from the lower back to the toes.

Blood Clotting

Blood clotting is a pretty common problem for individuals who are traveling for long periods of time with limited legroom, for example on an airplane.  Blood clotting is dangerous and potentially life threatening.  Your knees will try to tell you if there is blood clotting occurring in the back of the leg by giving off a warm sensation or pain in the back of the knee.

Once you have been afflicted with a blood clot there is only one way to get rid of it, and that is with an anti-coagulant. If you believe you are suffering from a blood clot make sure to speak with a medical professional as soon as possible.

It’s understandable to want to believe that you can just walk off any pain you are feeling in your leg, but, by following these indicators you might be able to save yourself a lot of trouble.

For more information on understanding your knee pain visit Prevention