Painful Knee: Where Does It Hurt
The exact location of your knee pain is an indicator of the cause. Your doctor will ask you to describe in detail the exact location and type of pain you experience in the knee. This can help the doctor determine the type of condition or injury responsible for your symptoms. Below are some possible causes of knee pain.
Patellar Tendonitis Usually, pain in the front of the knee is caused by a problem with the patellar tendon. Patellar tendonitis is a type of overuse injury. Running, jumping, a sudden increase in the intensity of an activity, muscular tightness, and imbalance can contribute to this injury. With this condition, it can hurt to bend the knee, kneel, and squat.
Iliotibial Band Syndrome Pain on the outside or lateral side of the knee usually indicates a problem with the iliotibial band or the lateral meniscus . Iliotibial band syndrome is common in long-distance runners, as well as cyclists and rock climbers. The repetitive bending of the knee can lead to this condition. Meniscus tears, on the other hand, are caused by sudden twisting movements of the knee, which is common in basketball, football, soccer, and tennis players.
Other Causes Pain in the back of the knee could mean different things: a cartilage injury, a ligament injury, a hamstring injury, Bakerâs cyst , and arthritis. There are many possible causes of pain in the back of the knee, which is why it should be evaluated by an experienced medical professional.
Why Do My Knees Hurt When I Put Pressure On Them
When putting pressure on your knee hurts such as when putting weight, bending, or straightening the knee, this can indicate an injury of your ligaments, tendons, menisci, or muscles that support the knee joint.
If this happens, it means that the soft tissue structures that stabilize the knee joint are unable to fully support or hold the knee anymore.
Aside from pain, your knee may feel like it will give out and you will have difficulty walking, climbing up and downstairs, and bending or squatting.
Workspace Ergonomics: Best Practices
According to Mayo Clinic, if you work at a desk or counter, you can take these steps to ease knee and other joint pain:
- Select an ergonomic chair that properly supports your spinal curves.
- Set the height of your chair so when your feet are resting flat on the floor, your thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Consider a footrest if you cant adjust chair height properly, or if the height of your desk requires you to raise your chair beyond where you can rest your feet flat on the floor.
- Adjust the chairs armrests so your arms can comfortably rest on them with your shoulders relaxed.
- Your desk should allow clearance for your knees, thighs, and feet.
- If you work at a computer, put the monitor directly in front of you with the top of the screen at eye level . It should be about an arms length away when youre sitting up straight in your chair.
- Your keyboard should be directly in front of your monitor.
If you have knee pain while sitting, you might also consider a standing desk.
If you have knee pain when sitting, a number of reasons could cause it, including:
- sitting with your knees bent for too long
- poor furniture ergonomics
Recommended Reading: What Are The Best Knee Pads
What To Do If Your Knee Hurts When Bending
More than a quarter of adults suffer from regular bouts of knee pain. Its really no surprise as our knees handle a tremendous amount stress day-to-day.1-2 Scientists have found that for every pound of bodyweight, our knees are subjected to up to seven pounds of pressure when they are bent or in weight-bearing.3 If youre here, it is because youve noticed that your knee hurts when bending it, is painful walking down stairs and feels uncomfortable while squatting. The fix for this really depends on the diagnosis. Below are some common causes of knee pain.
Knee Exercises To Reduce Pain
Regularly exercising your knee helps control the pain and often helps your knee heal, relieving you of long-term, chronic pain.
In addition, exercising the muscles around the knee helps strengthen the muscles, taking the pressure off the knee joint ultimately relieving you of the sharp shooting pain you experience.
Some of the common knee exercises to help reduce knee pain include:
- Straight leg raises
- Hamstring stretch
- Toe raises
The American Association of Retired Persons suggests that, when working out your knee, only do what you are capable of doing without causing more injury or intensifying the pain in your knee.
If you are experiencing knee pain and are trying to find relief, it is best to seek a diagnosis from your doctor or an orthopedic surgeon.
Though it may feel like there is no possible chance for relief from your sharp knee pain, there are several over-the-counter options to help ease the pain. Your doctor can help determine the causes of the pain and treat the root cause of your chronic or acute knee pain.
Health Report Live provides helpful knee pain advice for seniors. Whether you are experiencing stabbing pain in the knee or difficulty climbing stairs, you can find the treatments and medical advice you need in our articles.
Don’t Miss: How Long Before I Can Drive After Knee Replacement
What To Do For Pain On Outside Of Knee
You can use ice, medications, or rest from running, walking, or other activities. These things might help you relieve pain on the outside of the knee for a brief period of time.
Ultimately though, to get long-term relief from pain on the outside of the knee, you have to find out whats causing the pain in the first place.
Dont Miss: How To Choose Knee Brace Size
Causes Of Knee Pain When Straightening Your Leg
Knee pain can come from a variety of direct causes, whether it’s sprinting downhill or even kicking a ball. However, the most common cause of knee pain is usually doing “too much too soon,” says Tyler Nightingale, DPT, a physical therapist with Bespoke Treatments in New York City. A rapid increase in activity or repetitive performance of a new movement can result in tissue overload, causing swelling or pain.
If you’re feeling pain while straightening the knee, it’s probably due to cartilage or joint surface damage between your larger leg bones , says Nightingale. When you extend your knee, contact between these bones increases, which can cause painful pressure. This damage is usually the result of an injury.
Here, we’ll break down the most common injuries that cause this type of knee pain, which can be categorized as either overuse injuries or traumatic injuries.
Also Check: Why Is My Knee Throbbing
There Is No Easy Surgical Solution For Anterior Knee Pain
The mere fact that there are likely to be ten or more described surgical techniques to try and treat pain in the front of your knee should give you pause. That usually means that none have been very successful, so we keep trying new ones. Surgery for anterior knee pain has not been proven to be more effective than a proper exercise program.
Drilling:
Some procedures have drilled holes into the patella, thinking that excess pressure may have been the cause of pain. Did it work for some people? Maybe but with that pesky placebo thing, we always hear about, we dont know because this procedure was never tested against control or sham. Besides having holes drilled through your patella might cause it to break if you fall on it or if you are hit in front of your knee.
Burning:
One prolific Spanish author wrote about burning the tissues around the patella. We call that a denervation procedure. Thats because when you heat the tissues, you will fry the nerves to that region. The thought behind this procedure was that the patella is fed by nerves that could easily be burned using an arthroscopic approach. This procedure was also never evaluated against a control group or a sham group- so we just dont know if it works.
Cutting:
Moving:
What Causes Knee Pain When Bending Legs
Being active is among the best things you can do for your body and its joints. But injuries can happen. And most of the time, they involve your knees. Lets face it, knee pain when bending your leg can be extremely bothersome since your knees move many times throughout the day. In fact, knees play an essential part in your daily activities, like sitting in a chair, climbing the stairs, and walking down the road.
In fact, everyday life wear and tear can take a toll on your knees, causing severe pain. Your knees have several muscles, ligaments, tendons, and bones. If theres a problem with any of these, you might experience knee pain when bending your leg.
Some causes of knee pain are minor. You can easily treat them with home remedies. But others require medical attention. Well, dont worry. If you experience severe pain, you can visit Genesis Pain Clinic. Were here to manage and treat your knee pain.
That said, lets discuss the potential causes of knee pain when bending and 5 simple ways to remedy it!
Recommended Reading: What Makes Your Knees Hurt
Diagnosis Of Pain At The Front Of The Knee
If you see a doctor because of your knee pain, theyll examine your knee and ask you some questions. These may include:
- when your pain started and if theres anything that makes it worse
- whether theres any activity, accident or injury that could have caused it
- whether you have any other symptoms such as your knee giving way or clicking, or pain in any of your other joints
They may suggest an X-ray or a magnetic resonance imaging scan, but this is often not necessary. Your doctor may be able to make a diagnosis based on an examination and your symptoms.
If you have cartilage or ligament damage, your doctor may suggest a procedure to look inside your knee. This is called an arthroscopy . It involves making a small cut in your knee and inserting a thin tube and camera. As well as diagnosing the problem, your doctor may sometimes be able to repair or remove any damaged tissues during the procedure.
Is The Sound That My Knee Makes Bad
As we reviewed in a popular post about the sounds that our knees make, we discussed that the majority of these sounds are not mechanical or dangerous! That means that you are probably not bone on bone or grinding away the insides of your knee when you bend it. Yes, these sounds can be annoying or even embarrassing, but they are rarely dangerous. The most common cause of this grinding sensation or sound is actually due to inflammation of the tissues inside the knee. You do not need cortisone or lubricating injections to treat these sounds or sensations.
Don’t Miss: Do I Have Arthritis In My Knee
What Is Pain Behind The Knee
Since the knee is the largest and most complex joint in the body, it makes sense that it might hurt sometimes. Although knee pain is a common complaint, it is less common behind the knee.
Pain in the back of the knee is called posterior knee pain, and it can have a variety of causes. Occasionally, posterior knee pain is “referred” from the front of the knee or the spine.
Cartilage Tears In The Knee
Knee discomfort can be caused by anything lodged in the joint. Each knee bone has a thick layer of cartilage covering it, which acts as a spacer between the joints, preventing friction while the knee flexes. This allows for pain-free movement.
During running and jumping, the knee cartilage acts as a shock absorber to lessen the impact on the knee joint itself. Small fragments of this knee cartilage can break off and become lodged in the joint.
Alternatively, this can occur in one of two ways:
- Cartilage Fragment: It is possible that a little fragment of cartilage has broken away from the central mass of the meniscus and is now floating in the knee joint.
- Bucket Handle Tear: A partial tear in the cartilage results in a loose flap that is partially linked to the meniscus, known as a “bucket handle tear.” Occasionally, this flap gets caught in the joint and can’t be moved.
Stabbing pain and locking of the knee joint can occur when loose cartilage gets lodged and cannot be removed. In most cases, the discomfort lessens after a few seconds of wriggling the knee about, but it can take a short while for this to happen.
Also Check: What Is Bursitis Of The Knee
Area : Anterior Knee Pain
Getty
Pain at the front of the knee on and around the knee-cap is the most common presentation of cycling overuse injuries, in part due to the anatomy of this area.
The large quadricep muscles attach to the shin bone via the patella, so the forces of pedalling are transmitted across the patello-femoral joint whenever we bend our knees, essentially squashing it back against the thigh bone.
Although more common in explosive sports, the part of the tendon attaching the patella to the bony prominence below the kneecap can become inamed . If this area is persistently sore to the touch its definitely worth seeking medical help. It should respond to ice, anti-inammatories and physiotherapy, with or without strapping.
However, if youre reading this and you have anterior knee pain from cycling, chances are youve got whats known as a patellar compression syndrome.
The scourge of cyclists and runners alike, it can completely oor you, causing pain when off the bike and ride-stopping agony when on it.
Felix Smith / Our Media
During the push phase of pedalling, we seldom complete the last 35 degrees of knee extension a movement which is largely under the control of the vastus medialis oblique muscle.
This means that over a long period of time, and often in spite of outward appearances, the muscles down the outside of the thigh become much stronger and tighter than these less-used medial muscles.
Four ways you can treat anterior knee pain when cycling
Symptoms Of Pain At The Front Of Your Knee
Pain at the front of your knee can feel different for different people and will depend on whats causing it. You may have pain below your kneecap, around it, on either side of it or behind it. You may have a dull ache or a sudden, sharp pain.
Youll often get pain in both knees at the same time, unless its due to a particular injury. Pain at the front of your knee is often made worse by:
- standing up after sitting for a long time
- squatting or kneeling
- using stairs
- running downhill
Jumpers knee may cause pain only when youre active, but if it gets worse, it may be painful all the time.
Pain from an anterior cruciate ligament injury is usually sudden and you may hear a pop. Your knee is likely to swell up quite quickly and may feel as if it is going to give way.
Osteoarthritis in your knee usually causes pain when you put weight on the affected leg and gets better when you rest it. You may have stiffness and loss of movement first thing in the morning or after sitting for a while.
OsgoodSchlatter disease and Sinding-LarsenJohansson disease cause pain, tenderness and swelling just below your kneecap, at the top of your shin bone. Symptoms are usually brought on by running or jumping.
Don’t Miss: How To Sleep After Knee Replacement
Recovery Time And Immediate Treatment Exercises
When injured tissues are forced into use too soon they often dont entirely recover. Weakened tendons are far more likely to become reinjured. The more times the same tissue is damaged, the greater the chances of developing long-term damage.
It generally takes people several days to start to feel major relief, and six weeks or more to feel entirely better.
Avoid anything that activates the tendon for the first 48 hours. After that, exercises should only be done if they dont cause additional pain.
In the first week after injury you can start reintroducing slow, steady movements that focus on maintaining general strength. A good starting exercise is isometric knee flexes, where the injured hamstring is placed over the opposite leg and contracted at 30, 60, and 90-degree angles, as comfortable.
Its usually safe to begin range of motion, lengthening, and strengthening exercises after a week or so. An easy starting point is a single leg windmill. To do this exercise:
You can add handheld weights to make the stretch more difficult.
The Nordic hamstring exercise is another useful stretch:
Why Do My Knees Hurt When Bending
Knee pain has many origins unrelated to an underlying disease. Injuries due to trauma, overuse or overexertion are common causes of knee pain. Many Americans experience knee pain when bending specifically, which can be troublesome when we dont know the exact reason behind it.
Experts estimate that for every pound we weigh, our knees can be subject to four to six times that pressure when we bend them and/or place them in a weight bearing position. Therefore, bending, climbing stairs and squatting can make certain areas of the knee ache with pain.
Don’t Miss: What To Take For Stiff Knees