Why Does My Leg Hurt Behind My Knee

October 22, 2021

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I Only Have Pain Behind My Knee When Walking Up Or Down The Stairs What Should I Do

Why Does My Knee Hurt

The act of walking up and down stairs involves straightening the knee whilst it is bearing weight, and the the most common cause of pain in this case is chondromalacia patella. This condition is brought about by the cartilage on the underside of the kneecap deteriorating and softening. Some people can ignore the condition, but in the end it will probably need to be surgically addressed. It may be that a flap of cartilage has become unstable, in which case it can be treated by a chondroplasty, repairing the damaged cartilage using keyhole surgery.

Pain Behind The Knee: Causes And How To Treat Back Of Knee Pain

Pain behind the knee can have a serious impact on your daily activities. Sharp pain at the back of your knee can affect walking and cause discomfort when standing or walking up stairs. Pain and swelling behind the knee can also cause stiffness in your knee joint, inflammation, and possibly, a lump at the back of your knee.

There are many reasons for mild to severe pain behind the knee. For example, a ligament tear, a pulled muscle, fracture to a bone in your knee, or wear and tear can also cause varying degrees of pain behind the knee. The knee pain can cause you to limp, make it difficult to walk, or you may not be able to bend your knee at all.

Knowing how to treat pain behind the knee requires knowing what is causing it. However, usually, hot and cold treatments can help to restore mobility to your knee joint and ease the pain. In some cases, if the leg pain behind the knee is caused by blood clot or cyst, you need to get it checked out by a doctor.

In this article, you will learn about the various reasons why you could have pain at the back of your knee.

What’s 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 teen’s knee condition.

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Whilst Squatting With A Heavy Load I Heard A Pop And Experienced Sudden Pain Should I Go To My Gp

A popping or cracking sound on its own is not unusual and nothing to be worried about. However, if accompanied by sudden pain you may have damaged one of your knee ligaments , or torn a meniscus. You should consult your doctor. If the problem does not clear up I would be happy to see you and assess things further.

See The Doctor If You Have:

Knee Pain: Causes, Treatment, and When to See a Doctor

An inability to walk comfortably on the affected side
An injury that causes deformity around the joint
Knee pain that occurs at night or while resting
Knee pain that persists beyond a few days
Locking in the knee
Swelling of the joint or the calf area
Signs of an infection, including fever, redness, or warmth
Any other unusual symptoms

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If You Have Pain Behind Your Knee After Sitting:

It is likely you are experiencing a symptom of Chondromalacia Patellae. This is the most common cause of chronic knee pain. Chondromalacia Patellae is caused by your patella being pulled to the outer side of your femur, rather than in a straight line. This will cause discomfort when you stand up from sitting in a chair for a long period of time. In order to prevent this at work, taking microbreaks will help to keep your body loose. You may also feel discomfort after physical activity or a tightness or fullness in the knee area.

Why Do I Have Pain Behind My Knee

Pain behind the knee may be caused by several things, from age or the presence ofosteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, to a knee injury or an infection in the joint.

If youre under 50 and your pain is in the crease at the back of your leg behind theknee, it may be the result of an injury, such as a hamstring or other knee-relatedissue.

If youre over 50 and you have a creaking, squeaking pain behind the kneecap, or acyst on the crease at the back of your leg behind the knee, it may be arthritis. Again,your doctor can help identify arthritis by excluding other issues.

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What Can Help Back Of Knee Pain

So what’s the best back of knee pain treatment? The best treatment for pain behind the knee will depend on what’s causing the pain. Generally, the first step is to reduce any swelling, then work on knee exercises to improve the strength and stability of the knee to reduce the force that goes through the knee joint.

Just because there is back of knee pain, it doesnt necessarily mean the problem is there. Pain can refer to different places so a problem around the front of the knee can produce a feeling of posterior knee pain.

Remember, the best way to accurately diagnose the cause of your pain behind the knee is to see your doctor.

I Am Training For A Marathon And Have Started To Feel Pain Behind My Knee Whenever I Run Do I Need To Rest It Or Do I Need Treatment

Why does my knee hurt? Common causes & symptoms of knee pain | BMI Healthcare

If you experience pain behind the knee while running, it is better to rest and observe other symptoms that may develop. Because there are many reasons for knee pain, it is always best to seek the advice of a doctor or a physical therapist.

Resting the affected leg, taking pain medication, and refraining from high-impact activities can be enough to manage most conditions affecting the knee. However, if the pain and swelling do not resolve on the following day or worsen, or if you develop other symptoms such as redness and warmth in the affected area, you need to consult your doctor to obtain a proper diagnosis. Always remember that the earlier the injury gets treated, the better the healing and the faster you can return to your usual activities.

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How To Tell Possible Causes Of Pain Behind The Knee On Back Of Leg

Seeking the most probable cause of the pain is important, in that it gives clues about what to do as treatments and prevent it from causing worse complications. In order to determine the most probable cause of your pain behind the kneecap, you will need to think about how the pain started, the common resulted symptoms, and how the pain behaves. It is also important to think about how long has the pain reside on the area behind the kneecap. There are some ways with which people commonly describe the pain occurring behind their knee, such as discomfort, inflammation, burning, soreness, pain, and stiffness.

Why Does My Knee Hurt When I Bend Or Straighten My Leg

If your knee hurts when you get off the toilet or get out of a car, for example, you mayhave an inner knee injury. Your knee may feel as if its about to give way, or it maylock or catch when you bend your leg.

If youre under 50, your knee pain may be caused by a tear that has resulted in ajagged piece of tissue getting in between the joints.

If youre over 50, it may be caused by the onset of arthritis in the kneecap. Yourdoctor can help identify arthritis by excluding other issues that can send pain to theknee, such as back or hip problems.

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Direct Forces And Twisting

Direct impact injuries include being struck in the knee or leg by an object such as a rock, you and a soccer teammate colliding at the knees, or a football player tackling another sideways at knee-level. Impact forces bruise and crack tissue, even bone, on a continuum from the tiniest strain or hairline crack to a full tearing of tissue or breakage of bone. Soccer, football, tennis and skiing also incur twisting forces that injure knee and leg tissue directly.

If The Back Of Your Knee Feels Tight Or Stiff:

Inner Knee Pain: Why Does the Inside of My Knee Hurt?

You may have Osgood Schlatters Disease. This is an inflammation of the area just below your knee where the tendon of the kneecap attaches to the shinbone. It occurs during growth spurts or times when bones, muscles, and tendons are changing rapidly. Other symptoms include knee pain and tenderness or swelling.

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I Have A Pain Behind My Knee But I Also Feel Unstable On My Feet As If My Knee Is Looser What Should I Do Right Away

An unstable knee results from a problem with the tissues that keep the knee stable. This could be a ligament injury, a meniscal tear, a patella injury or an injury to the knee capsule itself, or to the muscles which provide secondary stability. You should consult your doctor to get a proper diagnosis as soon as possible. If the problem does not clear up I would be happy to see you and assess things further.

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What Are Some Common Knee Problems

Many knee problems are a result of the aging process and continual wear and stress on the knee joint . Other knee problems are a result of an injury or a sudden movement that strains the knee. Common knee problems include the following:

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Is A Feeling Of Numbness Behind The Knee Serious

Numbness in the knee usually signals a problem in the nervous system. A tingling sensation, pain and swelling commonly accompany the numbness. The femoral nerve carries the signals that allow one to feel sensations at the back of the knee. It allows us to feel touch, vibration, pain and temperature.

Damage to the femoral nerve and any of its branches can result in numbness in the knee. A direct injury at the back of the knee, a knee replacement surgery, diabetes, or tight clothing that compresses the nerve can all cause damage to the femoral nerve.

Numbness at the back of the knee can be a potentially serious condition depending on the cause of the numbness and the extent of the damage in the femoral nerve. If not properly diagnosed and treated, numbness and impaired sensation may become permanent.

Diagnosis Of Pain Behind The Knee

Why does my total knee replacement still hurt?

Your doctor will examine your knee and take a history, asking about:

the type of pain you have, when it started and whether it comes and goes
how active you are
any activity, accident or injury that could have caused it

If you have signs of a popliteal cyst, your doctor may suggest an ultrasound scan. If they suspect a posterior cruciate ligament injury, they may suggest an X-ray or a magnetic resonance imaging scan.

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Pain Behind The Knee When Walking Or Running

The cause of pain at the back of the leg behind the knee could be hamstring tendonitis. This is caused by the tendons of the hamstring becoming inflamed, often due to overuse of the hamstring muscles, but the pain will subside after rest and first aid centred on the RICE method .

If you notice a sudden sharp pain in the back of the thigh when undergoing vigorous exercise this may be due to a pull, partial tear or tear of the hamstring, and is due to overloading the muscle. This type of injury is most often treated by a doctor. A similar pain in the calf may be due to gastrocnemius tendonitis.

A tenderness behind the knee, felt when rotating the leg inwards in the act of walking could denote an injury to the popliteus muscle. A cold pack applied for 10 minutes every hour for the first day after injury can alleviate the symptoms.

All the muscles at the back of the leg can be subject to cramp. This is a common condition and occurs when a muscle goes into spasm. The symptoms are a tightening of the muscle accompanied by pain. Amongst other causes, it could be due to dehydration, muscle fatigue or a restriction of the blood supply to the affected muscles. Cramp is not serious and can be relieved by relaxing, massaging and stretching the affected muscle.

How To Prepare For Acl Reconstruction

You will have appointments with your doctor and surgeon prior to surgery. Youll discuss treatment options, undergo several knee examinations, and make a decision about which type of anesthesia to use during surgery. During these meetings, its important to ask questions.

Discuss with your doctor where the surgically-implanted tendon will come from. Typical sources for these tendons include:

patellar tendon: the tendon that attaches the bottom of your kneecap, or patella, to your tibia
hamstring: the tendon that connects the long muscles in the back of your leg to the back of your knee
quadriceps: a tendon from the front of the thigh. This type of graft is typically reserved for taller or heavier patients, or for people who have had previous unsuccessful grafts.
cadaver: tissue from a dead body, which is called an allograft

While all cadavers are carefully screened for disease prior to surgery, some people have concerns about using dead tissue. Discuss any concerns you have with your doctor.

Your doctor will give you complete instructions for the day of your surgery. Instructions may include fasting for 12 hours prior to surgery and refraining from taking aspirin or blood-thinning medications.

Make sure to arrange to have someone come with you for surgery. Its helpful to have another person listen to post-operative instructions and to drive you home.

Jenny Hills, Nutritionist and Medical Writer Health

What You Need To Know

The most common causes of knee pain are related to aging, injury or repeated stress on the knee.
Common knee problems include sprained or strained ligaments, cartilage tears, tendonitis and arthritis.
Diagnosing a knee injury or problem includes a medical examination and usually the use of a diagnostic procedure such as an x-ray, MRI, CT scan or arthroscopy.
Both non-operative and surgical treatment options are available to treat knee pain and problems depending on the type and severity of the condition.

Why Would A Teenager Have Knee Pain

Knee pain isnt a condition that only happens to older people. Despite being young, your teenager can develop knee pain too.

Knee pain in teens is a common result of overuse, but also results from specific knee injuries and medical conditions that affect the knee. Knee pain can also be temporary and not related to an injury, but rather a change in your teens level of activity or sport.

Because of the many different reasons for knee pain, if your teen complains of pain, its wise to get it checked. Never think that knee pain in your teen is simply growing pains. This is not a typical cause of knee pain in a teenager.

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What Causes Tightness Behind The Knee

Tightness behind the knee is often caused by tightness in the hamstring or calf muscles. The hamstring muscles run down the back of the thigh attaching behind the knee, and one of the calf muscles, gastrocnemius, starting from the back of the knee, travels down to the heel.

Tightness in these muscles is a common problem, particularly in men, and makes the back of the knee feel very tight. Simple knee stretches are the best way to treat the tightness and relieve back of knee pain.

What Is The Pain Behind The Knee

As the name indicates, the pain behind the knee is an ache behind your kneecap or in the joint. Pain can start after sudden, uncomfortable movement, overuse of the muscular tissue, injuries such as fractures or twists, and medical conditions like arthritis or infection. You can sense the pain as sharp and severe or mild and dull. In addition, you may feel inflammation or swelling, and you may be unable to extend your leg.

In the beginning, you may only experience mild symptoms, but if you ignore them and dont treat them properly, the pain will become worse, and you may develop chronic pain over time.

Some of the common symptomsto identify posterior knee pain may include aching knee, audible snap in the knee, rapid swelling, bruising, burning pain, impact to the knee, instability, knee joint pain, pain when kneeling, running or sitting, kneecap pain, swollen or twisted knee.