What can be done to prevent the condition?

Eating a healthy diet and avoiding alcohol can prevent some cases of knee pain due to gout. Avoiding overuse of the knees can help prevent cases from this cause. Some knee injuries can be prevented by following sports safety guidelines for children, adolescents, and adults. Many cases cannot be prevented.

What are the long-term effects of the condition?

Long-term effects are related to the amount and the cause of the knee pain. An injury may cause no long-term effects at all if minor, or may cause permanent deformity of the knee. Arthritis may slowly destroy the knee joint over time. Autoimmune disorders can affect many different organs of the body. Tumors or cancer may cause death if treatment doesn't work.

What are the risks to others?

Most cases of knee pain are not contagious and pose no risk to others. If the cause of knee pain is an infection, such as a sexually transmitted disease or the flu, the infection may be contagious.