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Pain in and around the knee joint is a very common symptom and is often a consequence of minor sprains and injuries. Most of these recover spontaneously. Long standing knee pain may indicate a specific condition. Many disorders within the knee joint itself are also associated with swelling. Although knee pain as a symptom of arthritis is common it is much less frequently the case under middle age. On this and the following pages, we'll look at the most common causes for knee pain and the treatments available. First we'll look at Patellofemoral pain syndrome What is patellofemoral pain syndrome? Knee pain is very common in young adults, often affecting 1 in 3 young adults experiencing problems at some time or other. Often this is caused by the kneecap (patella) moving outside of its normal groove. What are the symptoms of patellofemoral pain syndrome? Common symptoms are pain and a grinding or clicking sensation (known as crepitus). The pain is felt in the front of the knee, around and behind the kneecap. The pain can be quite severe and everyday movements such as walking up and down stairs can make it worse. Sometimes it may be felt as a dull ache after sitting for any length of time. The pain often makes it difficult to kneel or squat. It’s often made worse by running, it has also been known as ‘Runners knee’ and often occurs during or after sport. What causes patellofemoral pain syndrome? The kneecap (patella) lies in a groove at the front of the lower end of the thigh bone (femur) and move effortlessly up and down in the groove as you bend or straighten your knee. If the kneecap moves out of its groove this can put rubs on the cartilage lining the side of the groove and a small area on the back of the kneecap. This can lead to irritation in the area of cartilage where the kneecap meets the thigh bone, which causes pain. It may be a combination of factors that causes the kneecap to move outside its groove but most important is the balance of the quadriceps muscles. Often the muscle on the inside of the knee is weaker than the muscle on the outside, which results in the kneecap moving outwards when the knee is bent. |
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What can be done about it?
Exercise and manual therapy from the Centre: such as an osteopath or physiotherapist:
It’s important to keep the quadriceps (thigh) muscles strong and balanced to keep the kneecap in the right position.
A therapist will assess your knee and decide why the kneecap is moving out of alignment and which exercises will best correct this abnormal tracking. This may also involve assessing the whole of your leg and foot mechanics.
There may be some manual work to the knee, hip and ankle / foot that might be needed. Poor foot mechanics can also cause knee pain. Orthoses/ supports in the shoes may be needed. Your foot mechanics can be assessed by our podiatrists / chiropodists at the Centre can help with this, by giving you a biomechanical foot assessment.
It may also involve using adhesive tape, applied to the kneecap, to control the tracking of the kneecap and provide pain relief, whilst an exercise and treatment regime is taking effect.
Medication: Simple painkillers such as paracetamol can help to reduce pain.
Surgery for this problem is very rare.
Also see our pages for arthritic knees and knee ligament injuries.
Please read our disclaimer.
Exercise and manual therapy from the Centre: such as an osteopath or physiotherapist:
It’s important to keep the quadriceps (thigh) muscles strong and balanced to keep the kneecap in the right position.
A therapist will assess your knee and decide why the kneecap is moving out of alignment and which exercises will best correct this abnormal tracking. This may also involve assessing the whole of your leg and foot mechanics.
There may be some manual work to the knee, hip and ankle / foot that might be needed. Poor foot mechanics can also cause knee pain. Orthoses/ supports in the shoes may be needed. Your foot mechanics can be assessed by our podiatrists / chiropodists at the Centre can help with this, by giving you a biomechanical foot assessment.
It may also involve using adhesive tape, applied to the kneecap, to control the tracking of the kneecap and provide pain relief, whilst an exercise and treatment regime is taking effect.
Medication: Simple painkillers such as paracetamol can help to reduce pain.
Surgery for this problem is very rare.
Also see our pages for arthritic knees and knee ligament injuries.
Please read our disclaimer.