How to Tell if Your Knee Pain is a Loose Body | Loose Body Treatment

Knee pain is common, and it arises from a myriad of reasons. One of those reasons is a loose body within the knee joint. The many causes of knee pain are why it is essential to get a differential diagnosis from an orthopedic specialist. Without determining the root cause of the problem, treatment will likely not be effective. Keep reading to learn how to identify a loose body in the knee and if it may be causing your pain.

What is a Loose Body?

A loose body in the knee is just what it sounds like. Something broke loose and is floating around in your knee. Usually, the loose body is a small fragment of bone or cartilage that has broken off.  This will undoubtedly cause pain. And not just mechanical pain from the broken fragment bumping into things, taking up space, and limiting range of motion. Your body will now recognize this loose piece of bone or cartilage as a foreign object and will release chemicals to fight off the ‘invader.’

When you visit an orthopedist for your knee pain, often an X-ray or MRI will be ordered to look inside the knee. This is the only way to definitively diagnose a loose body as the cause of your pain. You may experience other symptoms beforehand that may make you suspect a loose body is behind your pain. These are:

• Knee pain
• Sensation of something moving in the knee
• A feeling of catching or locking in the joint
• Grating sound with knee movement
• Limited range of motion

What Causes a Loose Body in Knee?

The most common cause of a loose body in the knee is trauma or injury. This is common among athletes and other individuals who participate in high-impact sports. Engaging in these activities makes you particularly susceptible to this injury.

But you don’t have to be an elite athlete to experience knee pain caused by a loose body. Degenerative joint diseases like osteoarthritis and ankylosing spondylitis can also lead to the formation of loose bodies. In these cases, gradual normal or abnormal wear and tear of the joint surface may cause small fragments of bone or cartilage to break off and float within the joint space. Overuse of the knee joint from work or exercise activities can also lead to loose body formation.

Lastly, infections of any kind that affect the knee joint can also lead to the development of loose bodies. An orthopedics specialist must be consulted to determine the root cause if you suspect a loose body in your knee.

Do Loose Bodies in the Knee Go Away?

Loose bodies in the knee do not go away on their own. Your body may adapt to it and the pain caused by it may lessen over time, but it will still be there. Conversely, and what is much more likely to happen if left untreated, is that the loose body will cause ongoing and persistent knee pain that worsens over time. These symptoms can significantly alter your quality of life.

Treatment options for loose bodies in the knee will be individual and depend on the size, number, and location of the fragments. The severity of your pain and other symptoms will also play a key role in determining treatment. Conservative treatments such as rest, physical therapy, and anti-inflammatory medications may relieve your pain.  However, if these interventions do not provide satisfactory relief, surgery may be necessary.