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.
Common Causes Of Knee Pain
Your knee is a complex structure. It includes three bones:
- The lower part of the thighbone
- The upper part of the shinbone
- The kneecap
Strong ligaments and tendons hold these bones together. Cartilage under the kneecap cushions and stabilizes the bones.
Any damage or disease in these structures can cause knee pain.
Common causes of knee pain include:
- Arthritis
Potential Causes Of Knee Pain When Bending
Patients who cant bend their knee without experiencing pain are often diagnosed with one of these conditions:
For nearly any type of knee injury, physical therapy can be a highly effective form of treatment.
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Can Knee Pain In Teens Be Prevented
Most knee pain that is caused by injury or overuse can be prevented with some attention and work by your teen, including:
- Make sure your teen wears proper shoes for the activity/sport and wears knee pads and leg guards . Replace worn out footwear and gear.
- Engage in muscle strength training exercises. Check with a trainer to make sure proper form and body alignment are being followed. Always do warm up and cool down exercises before and after workouts.
- Keep your muscles flexible by proper stretching exercises or yoga.
- Dont engage in activities that cause or worsen knee pain.
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How The Location And Type Of Tear Affect Healing
Where a meniscus tear occurs is one of the most important things that affects healing. Tears at the outer edge tend to heal well because there is a good blood supply. The inner area lacks a good blood supply and therefore does not heal well.
The type of tear often determines whether a tear can be repaired. Longitudinal tears are often repairable. Radial tears may be repairable depending on where they are located. Oblique tears and another type called horizontal tears are generally not repairable.
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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.
How Does The Knee Bend
The knee is a hinge joint, which means its main movement is bending and straightening . As the knee moves, a number of things are happening:
Muscles: They work in pairs with one relaxing and the other contracting to allow the movement e.g. to bend your knee you 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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Pain In The Front Of The Knee: 6 Common Causes
Pain in the front of the knee or anterior knee pain is very common. Do any of these scenarios seem familiar to you? You come to a stairway and cringe at the thought of having to walk downstairs. You love to run, but the anterior knee pain you have when running downhill has taken the joy out of running. If youve been sitting for a while, the thought of having to get up is becoming too much to bear. While I could say youre not alone, thats not very comforting. You are here for answers. Lets see how we can help educate you on why the front of your knee hurts so much.
Understanding The Anatomy Of The Knee
To understand why the knee hurts when bent, we first must understand its anatomy and how it works. The bones of the lower and upper legs are connected by the knee joint. This joint consists of muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and bones that work together to allow us to move, give us flexibility, and support our body weight. Proper functioning of this joint also enables us to stand, walk, squat, jump, and turn. Lets examine the knee joint in detail.
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Knee Pain And Problems
Knee pain is a common complaint among adults and most often associated with general wear and tear from daily activities like walking, bending, standing and lifting. Athletes who run or play sports that involve jumping or quick pivoting are also more likely to experience knee pain and problems. But whether an individuals knee pain is caused by aging or injury, it can be a nuisance and even debilitating in some circumstances.
Exercises To Reduce Knee Pain When Bending
Isometric exercises are a type of exercise where you activate your muscles without moving your joints. Dr. Jennifer Reed wrote in The Principles of Sports Rehabilitation, that isometric exercises can help strengthen your knees without putting too much strain on the joint itself. The following are three isometric options to try at home:
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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.
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.
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Fluid In The Knee Joint
A knee injury often results in inflammation with fluid in the knee. When fluid is taking up space in the joint, you may feel stiffness or have difficulty with knee movements like bending. The increased pressure in the joint can also trigger pain receptors and cause discomfort. Knee bending usually becomes painless once the fluid goes away, if there is no permanent damage from the fall.
A direct blow to your kneecap from a fall can cause a fracture. This injury usually results in significant inflammation at the front of the knee and painful bending and straightening. A kneecap dislocation is dramatic and occurs when the kneecap is forced out of its groove. All knee movement is difficult when this occurs. A cartilage injury is usually less obvious than a fracture or dislocation. Cartilage — the smooth tissue that lines your joints — can get torn or scraped as a result of trauma. Pieces of cartilage may break off and move around your knee joint, causing pain with bending.
Each knee has a pair of menisci that are located between the bones of the knee joint. Menisci provide joint stability and absorb shock with impact activities. An injury causing the knee to bend and twist at the same time can lead to meniscal tears. This often results in pain with knee bending and joint clicking or locking. Bending and straightening the knee compresses different areas of the joint, which can pinch the menisci and cause pain.
Treatment For Knee Problems
If initial treatment methods do not provide relief, and X-rays show destruction of the joint, the orthopaedist may recommend total joint replacement for the knee, also referred to as knee replacement.
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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.
Very Sharp Pain In Knee When Bending
Conditions that may cause sharp pain while bending include:
- Torn ligament or meniscus, especially after a fall or traumatic injury
- Knee or patellar fracture
- Osteoarthritis, especially in the morning
- Patellar tendonitis
If you have sharp pain when bending your knee check out this article for ways to help your pain.
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Whats The Outlook For Teenagers With Pain In Their Knees
Most knee pain in teenagers can be managed with simple treatments. However, many soft-tissue tears and bone breaks require surgery. Most teenagers recover without long-term problems if they follow the recover plan provided by their healthcare providers. Because there are many causes of knee pain, be sure to ask your healthcare provider for specific information on long-term prognosis for your teens knee condition.
Knee Pain When Bending
Reviewed by: KPE Medical Review Board
Knee pain when bending is a common problem. Forces up to seven times body weight can go through the knee as it bends, so it comes as no surprise that it is such a widespread problem.
Bending knee pain may start suddenly after an injury, or gradually come on over time depending on the cause.
There are a number of different causes of knee pain when bending, but they generally all result from a problem with one of the structures in or around the knee, affecting how it moves.
This changes how the forces travel through the different parts of the knee and can result in too much pressure going through certain parts, which leads to knee pain bending.
Here we will look at the different types of bending knee pain, the most common causes of knee pain when bending, treatment options and what is actually going on in the knee as it bends.
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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.
Where Does Your Knee Hurt
- Knee pain on the front of the jointcould be patellar arthritis or patellar tendonitis. These conditions tend to hurt when bending the knee, kneeling and/or squatting. Typically the deeper the knee bend the worse it will hurt.
- Pain on the lateral or outside of the knee is common in runners.Iliotibial band syndromeis one of the most common knee ailments affecting the lateral aspect of the knee.
- The discomfort localized to the medial or inside of the knee could indicate tibiofemoral arthritis or meniscal irritation.
- Nagging pain or pressure that is localized to the back of the knee could be a sign that youve damaged your meniscus. It is also possible that you irritated the popliteal muscleand surrounding area.
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Preventing Pain Above Your Knee
Many causes of pain above your knee can be prevented by proper stretching before exercise and preventing overexertion or poor form during physical activity.
Other causes like arthritis or knee bursitis are not as easily preventable. However, your doctor or other healthcare provider may have recommendations for relieving symptoms and preventing further injury.
How Did You Hurt Your Knee
Traumatic injuriesare noticeable right away and worsen dramatically the next day as pain and inflammation set in. traumatic injuries typically occur playing sports, during slips, falls, and other work-related accidents. The trauma is caused by the injury exceeding the tolerance of knee structures leading to breaks, ruptures or tears.
Knee ligaments, bones, and menisci are the most commonly damaged structures in the knee joint. Injuries to bone and connective tissue result in long term pain and will impede normal knee function for some time after the initial injury. Less serious traumatic injuries may result in only painful, superficial contusions which heal relatively quickly. If you believe you have incurred serious knee trauma you should visit a doctor as soon as possible. If bone or connective tissue within your joint is damaged a surgical assessment could be required.
Overuse injuriestypically cause knee pain that comes and goes and varies in intensity. Sometimes our favorite activities subject our knees to stressful movement patterns repetitively. Think jumping, squatting, kneeling, running, lunging type movements. Moving in this way over and over again can irritate knee structures such as bursae, tendons, and articular cartilage.
Degenerative Joint Disease is the number one cause of long term disability relating to knee pain. Pain often comes on slowly and over time those affected by arthritis will experience constant pain while performing weight-bearing activities.
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