Knee Hurts When I Bend It And Straighten It
Do you have daily knee pain despite having no major trauma or precipitating event? Has physical therapy, rest and NSAIDs failed to provide relief? It is very frustrating and can keep you on the sidelines. To learn more please read below to answer the following questions: What are the different types of knee pain that are associated with bending and straightening? What are the eight most common causes of knee pain? What common conditions cause your knee to hurt when you bend it or straighten it? What treatment options are available? Lets dig in.
When To See Your Doctor
Its important that you see a doctor when seeking treatment. A doctor can determine the cause of your knee tightness, and together you can develop a treatment plan to resolve your condition. You may have a physical exam, imaging tests, or lab tests.
You may be referred to a doctor specializing in physical therapy or musculoskeletal and joint problems, or a rheumatologist. If you need surgery, youll be referred to an orthopedic surgeon.
The Healthline FindCare tool can provide options in your area if you dont already have a doctor.
When youre doing knee stretches and exercises its important that you follow a few guidelines in order to get the maximum benefits. Here are a few tips:
Why Does My Knee Feel Weird But No Pain
Crepitus in your knee is often harmless, but it can sometimes indicate another health condition is present or developing. If you sometimes feel a strange sensation in your knee joint as if its inflated with air or locked into place it may be accompanied by a strong desire to pop the knee back into place.
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How To Treat Knee Tightness And Pain When Bending
Exercise Exercise can help a great deal with knee tightness and pain when bending. By doing regular exercise, you loosen all the pent up tension in your knee muscles that causing it to be rigid. Once all your muscles are relaxed they can finally function properly, allowing you to bend and stretch your knee without going through any restrictive painful process. You have to note however to exercise carefully and gradually so you dont cause more knee problem. If your knee pain worsens, call your doctor.
PRICE PRICE is one of the immediate responses that you can apply when you experience knee tightness and pain when bending. PRICE stands for protecting, rest, ice compression and elevation. Protect means wearing a knee brace or support to avoid causing damage to your knee joint. Rest is for you to slow down and take it easy, but of course you must still do some light movement or exercises. Once compression is an effective way to relieve swelling or inflammation. Elevation is how you must position your leg while resting, the elevation helps rid of any fluid build up in your knee.
Stay in Motion When you have knee tightness and pain when bending you must keep moving your affected knee. Never hold the same position for long or you might risk build up of fluid in the affected area. The more fluid you accumulate in your knee more tightness youll experience which make knee movement more painful.
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Who Gets Pfp Syndrome
Patellofemoral pain syndrome usually happens in people who do sports that involve a lot of knee bending and straightening, such as running, biking, and skiing. It also can happen to people, particularly young women, who do not do a lot of sports.
PFP syndrome is more common in women and happens most often to teens and young adults.
Tight or weak leg muscles or flat feet can make someone more likely to get PFP syndrome.
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Exercises To Help Relieve Knee Arthritis Pain
The most common cause of knee arthritis is osteoarthritis, which becomes more common with increasing age. Over time, the cartilage in your knee joint wears away causing pain and tenderness while using your knee.
“The stronger your leg muscles are, the more they can help cushion your knee joint during impact and during exercise,” explains Dr. Brooks.
But, you’ve likely already noticed that some common leg-strengthening workouts, such as running or jumping, actually worsen your knee pain.
“High-impact weight-bearing exercises aren’t recommended for people whose knee pain is due to arthritis,” says Dr. Brooks.
Instead, Dr. Brooks recommends improving your knee mobility by stretching regularly especially your quadriceps, hamstring, and calf muscles and increasing your knee stability by performing low-impact leg strengthening exercises, such as:
- Riding an exercise bike
- Using an elliptical
- Water-based workouts, such as walking, high-stepping, kickboarding or other exercises you can perform while holding on to the ledge of the pool
“Performing water-based exercise is a really good way for a person with arthritis in the knee to maintain his or her overall fitness,” explains Dr. Brooks. “The buoyancy effect of water can relieve the pressure on the joints, making conditioning and strengthening exercises much more comfortable.”
Common Treatments For Knee Pain When Bending And Straightening
Specific treatment will depend upon the specific type of knee injury and its severity. Not all knee injuries are treated the same. Establishing a proper diagnosis is essential so that treatment and rehabilitation are tailored for your specific condition. When appropriate conservative care should be the first line of treatment. Common treatment options include:
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Why Your Knee Feels Tight When Bending
A common complaint about the knees is tightness and stiffness. Injury, mechanical difficulties, or physical pressures on your knees, such as extra weight, can all create tightness in your knee. In addition, a lack of strength or flexibility may be partly responsible when your knee feels tight when bending.
If youve had a knee injury or have a medical condition like gout, arthritis, or an infection, youre more prone to have knee tightness. Physical therapy is a crucial part of the recovery process for any musculoskeletal injury or discomfort. At SPORT Orthopedics + Physical Therapy, our physical therapists and determine the best course to treat knee stiffness, which may include surgery or therapeutic exercises. A qualified sports medicine doctor Dallas will ensure that you receive the treatment you need to get back in the game.
What Is A Meniscus Tear
A meniscus tear is a common knee injury. The meniscus is a rubbery, C-shaped disc that cushions your knee. Each knee has two menisci one at the outer edge of the knee and one at the inner edge. They keep your knee steady by balancing your weight across the knee. A torn meniscus can prevent your knee from working right.
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Common Causes Of Knee Pain
Your knee is a complex joint, and pain can occur as a result of problems in the knee itself, as well as tightness or weakness in the muscles or inflammation in the tendons surrounding it.
Common causes of knee pain include:
- Knee arthritis pain while bearing weight or in motion, as well as stiffness and pain you feel while moving your knee out of a position it’s been in for an extended period of time
- Tendonitis of the quadricep or patella tendon tenderness or tightness either above the kneecap or below it , which may worsen after prolonged sitting, bending, jumping, or squatting
- Anterior knee pain pain around or under your knee cap that can cause stiffness in the knee when sitting, discomfort after prolonged running or hiking, and sensations of popping, grinding or crunching
- Knee injury sudden onset of pain accompanied by some level of damage to the meniscus or ligaments that cushion and stabilize the knee joint, respectively
“Most types of knee pain can typically be self-managed at home through over-the-counter pain relievers and stretching and strengthening exercises that help improve knee mobility and stability,” says Dr. Brooks.
Improving joint mobility involves daily stretching and flexibility-improving exercises. Improving stability entails strengthening the muscles that help support your knee, including your core muscles, gluteal/hip muscles, quadriceps muscles, hamstring muscles, and calf muscles.
Simple Home Exercises And Stretches Can Help Ease Some Common Types Of Knee Pain
If youve got sore knees, exercise might seem like the hardest thing you can do but its also one of the best.
“Exercise is one of the most important things you can do for knee pain,” says Dr. Lauren Elson, an instructor in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School.
The right combination of strengthening and stretching exercises can relieve pain by helping to improve the way the joint moves and functions.
“The knee is often an innocent bystander between the hip and the foot. Knee pain is often caused by problems occurring above or below,” says Dr. Elson.
For example, weak hip muscles may cause more strain on the knee, intensifying your pain. Strengthening the muscles around the hip joint can help relieve it, says Dr. Elson.
In addition, knee pain is sometimes caused or aggravated by tight muscles around the knee, a problem that is often successfully addressed by stretching. If the muscles arent flexible, the knee joint sometimes wont move properly, says Dr. Elson.
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Knee Pain Treatment In Boynton Beach Fl
If you are experiencing knee pain, the orthopedic specialists at Personalized Orthopedics of the Palm Beaches can examine your knee and quickly diagnose the condition or injury responsible for it. Part of the customized treatment plans we offer our patients is top-notch physical therapy to restore knee strength, flexibility, range of motion, and function.
To diagnose and treat your knee pain, make an appointment with one of our orthopedic doctors today. Call 733-5888 or use our online request form. We look forward to serving you in our state-of-the-art facility.
What Are The Signs & Symptoms Of Pfp Syndrome
Patellofemoral pain syndrome causes pain under and around the knee. The pain often gets worse with walking, kneeling, squatting, going up or down stairs, or running. It may also hurt after sitting with a bent knee for a long time, such as in a long car ride or in a movie theater.
Some people with PFP syndrome feel a “popping” or creaking after getting up from sitting or when going up or down stairs.
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It Is Painful When I Bend My Knee What Does This Mean
If you are experiencing knee pain, especially when you bend it to walk, kneel, sit, squat, and more, it is likely that you have a condition or injury that needs treatment. There are many causes of knee pain, and it is incredibly difficult to self-diagnose yourself correctly. This is why it is critical to see an orthopedic specialist with a wealth of experience diagnosing and treating knee conditions and injuries.
Why Does Bending Cause Knee Pain
Knee pain when bending can be split into two types:
Weight-Bearing:when there is weight going through the knee as you bend it such as when you squat down, go up and down stairs and as you sit down in a chair
Non Weight-Bearing:when there is no weight going through the knee when you bend it e.g. when sitting in a chair and moving the knee or standing but with the leg lifted off the floor as you bend it
Knee pain when bending tends to be worse when there is weight going through the knee as you bend it due to the compression and pressure on the different structures in the knee.
This should come as no surprise when we realise how large the forces going through different parts of the knee.
For example, when bending the knee to climb stairs, a force approximately three times body weight goes through the knee.
When squatting down the force is even greater at seven times body weight and when jumping, a huge force ten times body weight goes through part of the knee.
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How To Ease Pain And Stiffness
Identify the underlying cause of the symptoms first.
If youre healthy, it could be a lack of movement. So, try adding more physical activity to your day.
But if you do physical activity, are injured, or have a health condition, visit a physical therapist. Theyll identify the root cause to ease the knee joint stiffness and pain.
How Does The Knee Bend
The knee is a hinge joint, which means its main movement is bending andstraightening . As the knee moves, a numberof things are happening:
Muscles: They work in pairs with one relaxing and the othercontracting to allow the movement e.g. to bend your kneeyou hamstrings contract and you quads relax
Bones: The femur and tibia have to roll, glide and spin to move smoothly. The patella shifts, tilts and rotates as it glides up and down through a groove on the thigh bone the position and movement of the patella is controlled by the surrounding muscle.
Cartilage: The special shock-absorbing cartilage that lines the knee moves and changes shape slightly to prevent it from getting trapped
Ligaments: These help control the movement and maintain stability by preventing excessive movement of the bones. There are two pairs of ligaments, the cruciate ligaments in the middle of the joint, and the collateral ligaments on either side
These structures all need to work together properly to allow for smooth, pain-free knee bending and straightening. Problems in any of these areas can lead to knee pain when bending. For example, if there is muscle weakness or ligament instability, the bones may move slightly out of position causing them to catch or grind on other structures in the knee.
Page Last Updated: 10/06/21
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Stiffness And Pain When Bending The Knee Can Be Treated At Advent Physical Therapy
Pain and stiffness when bending your knees dont have to be long-term issues if you get the right help. Advent Physical Therapy has many clinics in West Michigan that can help you treat these symptoms. At our clinics, we offer free screenings that are designed to reveal the cause of your symptoms. Our team can then build you a personalized treatment plan thats intended to target both the root cause and symptoms, and this plan can contain beneficial therapy methods such as:
Can Someone With Pfp Syndrome Play Sports
Most people with PFP syndrome need to cut back or stop sports for some time. Follow the health care provider’s instructions on when it’s safe for you to go back to sports. This usually is when:
- Hip, leg, and core strength is near normal.
- Flexibility, especially in the hamstring muscle, has improved.
- There’s no pain with everyday activities, such as walking and going up/down stairs.
- Any pain with activity is very mild and goes away within a few minutes of starting the activity.
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How To Perform The Figure Four Stretch
- Lie down on your back on the floor or on a bed. Your legs should be straight out in front of you with your toes pointed toward the ceiling.
- Slide the unaffected leg backward so that the foot is flat on the floor and the knee is slightly bent.
- Lift the affected leg, and place your ankle on the unaffected knee.
- Slowly lift the unaffected leg toward your chest until you feel a stretch in the hip and butt on the affected side. You can wrap your hands around the back of the leg to help pull it up.
- Hold the stretch for 10 to 15 seconds, and repeat the steps until youve done the stretch three to five times.
2. Standing calf stretch
Tight calf muscles could be another reason youre feeling stiffness and pain in your knees when bending them. The calf muscles are connected to the back of the knee by tendons, and tightness in them can pull the knee to the side. This misalignment can easily lead to stiffness and pain, which can be countered with the standing calf stretch.
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!
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What Causes Knee Pain
The most common causes of knee pain include:
- Meniscus tears tears to the C-shaped pieces of cartilage in your knee, which are called menisci
- Runner’s knee dull pain at the front of your knee also known as patellofemoral pain syndrome
- Sprained ligaments
- Tendonitis inflammation of your tendons
Old knee injuries that werent treated correctly can also cause chronic knee pain or knee pain that flares up occasionally.