Why Does My Right Knee Hurt

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.

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.

Hip Pain After Knee Replacement

Hip pain after knee replacement is quite common. I discovered this during my own recovery experience.

If you have been walking incorrectly or limping for several years prior to your TKR surgery, you might be susceptible to hip pain after knee surgery.

Its often the case that after TKR surgery, your physical therapist will help you relearn the proper walking technique. After all, old habits take time to change and if youre like me, youll need to concentrate to walk properly on your new knee.

My experience with hip pain originated because I had been walking incorrectly for decades and I put unnecessary stress on the good leg. In other words, I favored one leg over the other.

Your good leg may have developed bigger muscles and your joints may have gradually adjusted to a modified way of walking. After surgery, your repaired leg will be realigned and this could impact your posture and walking technique.

After knee surgery, you may experience pain in other parts of your body. This can be alarming for many people because the pain could occur in places that felt great before surgery.

A new knee will require bones, joints, muscles and ligaments to adjust. Remember, the recovery process after knee replacement will take months .

Below, Ill share details about hip pain after knee replacement surgery and more about my experience.

Also Check: Cellulite Above Knees

What Questions Might A Healthcare Provider Ask To Diagnose Arthritis Of The Knee

Your healthcare provider will interview you when you report your symptoms. Some questions might include:

• Does anyone in your family have arthritis of the knee?
• Does your knee swell up?
• Is your skin often red?
• Is your skin often warm?
• Do you have symptoms in one knee or both?
• How long have you had these symptoms?
• What medications do you take?
• How severe is your pain?
• Do you struggle to walk?
• Do the symptoms interfere with your daily activities?

Coping Strategies For Runners With Anterior Knee Pain:

• A shorter stride: a shorter stride allows you to control your pelvic drop better.
• A higher cadence : This also minimizes your pelvic drop and other gait abnormalities.
• Avoiding hilly terrain until the pain has lessened.
• Progressive, intelligent training. Consider using apps such as HRV4Training, Training Peaks or TrainAsOne.
• Patella taping: See the video at the end of this post.
• Orthotics or shoe inserts: These have been shown to work in some of you.
• Prevention: Keep your glutes/ hip abductors / core strong. See the exercise videos at the end of this post.

Recommended Reading: Best Knee Walker 2016

What Causes Pain In Your Right Leg While Driving

Leg pain occurs when the nerves in your back and legs are pinched or compressed for long periods of time. Sitting wrong in a chair, or something pressing against those nerves for a prolonged period can cause numbness and pain.

Your right leg can especially get painful since it is doing all of the work controlling the breaks and accelerator while you drive around, and especially if you dont have cruise control.

If you dont have cruise control for those long trips, the muscles in your legs will cramp up and get stiff from being in specific positions, especially your right leg. Your whole leg can cramp up and ache from being stuck in one position.

Your right leg will take the brunt of the pain caused by driving for long distances. Your knee is held at a specific angle for long periods of time, causing tension in the muscles around the knee and pinching the nerves they surround. The nerve that suffers the most in these cases is your sciatic nerve.

The most common cause of leg pain in healthy people is putting pressure on the sciatic nerve by sitting still for long periods of time without additional movement like driving.

The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in your body. It starts in your lower back, splits in two at the hips and runs down both your legs to your feet. Prolong pressure on the sciatic nerve is the number one cause of right leg pain while driving.

When To See Your Doctor

Don’t wait if your knee pain is sudden and intense. Pick up the phone if it won’t go away or gets worse.

To make a diagnosis, your doctor might take X-rays or other images of your knee. Blood or knee fluid samples can help confirm or rule out certain conditions. Treatment may include medication, special exercises, braces, or in some cases surgery. Losing weight could help lessen pressure and strain on your knees.

1

Don’t Miss: Where To Get Knee High Converse

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.

Preventions For Knee Pain In Left Or Right Side

There are a few ways you can make sure that you do not encounter knee pain or minimize any pain you are certainly suffering from.

Don’t Miss: Inversion Table For Knee Pain

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.

What Causes Arthritis Of The Knee

Experts have identified some genes that might cause arthritis, including arthritis of the knee. They predict that there are more genes not yet discovered. You could have a gene linked to arthritis without knowing it and a virus or injury could trigger arthritis of the knee.

Though the cause is unknown, some risk factors increase the possibility of arthritis of the knee. Risk factors of osteoarthritis, specifically, include:

• Age. Osteoarthritis happens to older adults more often than younger adults and children.
• Bone anomalies. Youre at a higher risk for osteoarthritis if your bones or joints are naturally crooked.
• Gout. Gout, also a type of inflammatory arthritis, might lead to osteoarthritis.
• Injuries. Knee injuries can cause arthritis of the knee.
• Stress. A lot of stress on your knees from jogging, playing sports or working an active job can lead to osteoarthritis of the knee.
• Weight. Extra weight puts more pressure on your knees.

You May Like: Knees Crack When Doing Squats

When Will My Knee Feel Better

The recovery time depends on your injury. Also, some people naturally heal faster than others.

While you get better, ask your doctor if you can do an activity that won’t aggravate your knee pain. For instance, runners could try swimming or other types of lower-impact cardio.

Whatever you do, don’t rush things. Donât try to return to your regular level of physical activity until you notice these signs:

• You feel no pain in your knee when you bend or straighten it.
• You feel no pain in your knee when you walk, jog, sprint, or jump.
• Your injured knee feels as strong as the other knee.

When To Contact A Medical Professional

• You cannot bear weight on your knee.
• You have severe pain, even when not bearing weight.
• Your knee buckles, clicks, or locks.
• Your knee is deformed or misshapen.
• You cannot flex your knee or have trouble straightening it all the way out.
• You have a fever, redness or warmth around the knee, or a lot of swelling.
• You have pain, swelling, numbness, tingling, or bluish discoloration in the calf below the sore knee.
• You still have pain after 3 days of home treatment.

Read Also: Inversion Table After Hip Replacement

Why Does Your Knee Hurt When You Climb The Stairs

To answer that question, lets review the mechanics of knee movement.

Your knee joins three major bones: your thigh bone , your shin bone , and your kneecap . All three bones along with their associated ligaments and muscles must work in unison to support your weight and allow fluid leg movement.

With each bend, the patella, a free-floating bone, slides over the femur in the trochlear groove. The articular cartilage keeps your kneecap in position as it cushions and lubricates the joint, so the bones glide against one another.

Damaged cartilage may not cause pain when you walk. But as running, deep knee bends, squats or climbing stairs subjects the knee to additional stress, the pain increases. These types of motions force the kneecap to slide up and down. Worn cartilage cannot keep the kneecap in the groove when the knee is under pressure. As the kneecap slips out of position, it causes pain.

Also Check: How Long After Knee Replacement Can You Fly

Pain Behind Knee: What Should You Do

In general, pain behind the knee is one of the more challenging musculoskeletal problems. There are so many possible causes muscle tear, tendon, nerve damage, and blood clots. Like most other problems, the key to managing it correctly is an early and accurate diagnosis. So, what are the causes of pain behind the knee, and how do sort out what is causing the problem?

Recommended Reading: Nano Knee Surgery Cost

Patellar Tendonitis And Tear

Patellar tendonitis is inflammation of the patellar tendon. That’s a large tendon connecting your kneecap to the top of your tibia.

Patellar tendonitis is most common in athletes who do a lot of running and jumping. It’s often described as a constant dull pain that becomes sharp when you’re active.

In some cases, a weak patellar tendon can tear. A patellar tendon tear causes:

• Severe pain
• Swelling over the knee
• A tearing or popping sensation

If it’s a bad tear, you might notice an indentation at the bottom of your kneecap. The knee may give out when you walk.

Pain At The Back Of The Knee

• A sharp stabbing pain at the back of the knee can commonly be due to hamstring tendonitis, caused by inflammation of the tendons connecting the hamstring to the knee. A common cause is overuse, and the pain becomes more apparent with continued use.
• A swelling and tightness behind the knee might be due to inflammation of the popliteal bursa . This is often due to there being another mechanical abnormality within the knee producing excess fluid.
• Pain at the back of the knee may also be due to a tear in the posterior part of the meniscus.

Also Check: How Much Does Aflac Pay For Outpatient Surgery

First Aid For Knee Injuries In The First 48 To 72 Hours

• Stop your activity immediately. Dont work through the pain.
• Rest the joint at first.
• Reduce pain, swelling and internal bleeding with icepacks, applied for 15 minutes every couple of hours.
• Bandage the knee firmly and extend the wrapping down the lower leg.
• Elevate the injured leg.
• Dont apply heat to the joint.
• Avoid alcohol, as this encourages bleeding and swelling.
• Dont massage the joint, as this encourages bleeding and swelling.

Lateral And Medial Knee Pain

Lateral and Medial knee pains are gotten from biking. Lateral pain is pain on the outer side of the knee, while medial pain is anterior knee pain. It is felt inside the knee. Cleat positioning is a very common cause of lateral knee pain and medial knee pain. Outside-the-knee pain is prevalent, and the culprits are often the feet or improperly adjusted pedal cleats. As a result, such pain is felt during or after the first ride with cleats and new shoes or replacement cleats.

The collateral ligaments, which sit on the outsides of the knee joint and prevent it from bending in the wrong direction, are the structures generating the pain, and they hurt because your cleats have been positioned wrongly.

Also Check: How To Whiten Knees Fast

Treatment And Prevention Tips For Pain Behind The Knee

When you experience knee pain that doesnt go away within a day or two, you should seriously consider health care. Here are a few tips on protecting your knee in situations where you might have a minor knee injury or experience reoccurring knee problems.

• Avoid activities that cause pain
• Apply ice
• Keep knee raised to bring down any swelling
• Sleep with a pillow underneath or between your knees
• Avoid running up and down stairs walk carefully
• Dont forget to warm up before exercising or engaging in sports
• When you run, do it on smooth, soft surfaces instead of rough pavement
• Swim instead of running
• If you are overweight, consider ways to lose a few pounds
• Make sure you wear well-made running shoes
• Consider shoe inserts for better arch support

What Are The Types Of Arthritis Of The Knee

There are around 100 types of arthritis. The most common types that might affect your knees include:

• Osteoarthritis is the most common of the types on this list. Osteoarthritis wears away your cartilage the cushioning between the three bones of your knee joint. Without that protection, your bones rub against each other. This can cause pain, stiffness and limited movement. It can also lead to the development of bone spurs. Osteoarthritis gets worse as time passes.
• Post-traumatic arthritis is a type of osteoarthritis. The cartilage starts thinning after trauma to your knee . Your bones rub together, and that causes the same symptoms as osteoarthritis: pain, stiffness and limited movement. Your knee arthritis symptoms might not start until years after the trauma.
• Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. A healthy immune system causes inflammation when it’s trying to protect you from an infection, injury, toxin or another foreign invader. The inflammatory response is one way your body protects itself. If you have rheumatoid arthritis, you have an unhealthy immune system that triggers inflammation in your joints even though theres no foreign invader. The inflammation causes pain, stiffness and swelling of the synovial membrane, which can also wear away your cartilage.

You May Like: Does Tommie Copper Knee Sleeve Work

How Is Arthritis Of The Knee Treated

Healthcare providers can’t cure knee arthritis. But they have some tips that might reduce the severity of your symptoms and possibly stop the arthritis from getting worse, including:

• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Exercise using low-impact activities instead of high-impact activities . Aim for about 150 minutes of exercise per week.
• Wear shock-absorbing inserts in your shoes.
• Apply heat or ice to the area.
• Wear a knee sleeve or brace.
• Physical therapy exercises that help with flexibility, strength and motion.
• Use a cane.

Most people have stage 4 arthritis when they get surgery.

Treating Knee Pain When Bending

Conditions that result in knee pain when bending may be initially treated at home with rest/ice/compression/elevation and self-care. However, more severe injuries or arthritis will require a comprehensive evaluation with one of The Orthopaedic Institutes specialty physicians. Request your appointment online today or call 309-1437 to begin your comprehensive diagnosis and treatment plan. We are here to help get rid of your knee pain, and get you back to having fun and enjoying your activities again!

Dr. Duke is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who specializes in adult reconstructive surgery, total and partial knee resurfacing, anterior lateral approach total hip replacement, knee arthroscopy and sports medicine.

Dr. Duke became an orthopedic surgeon because he was mentored by a wonderful hometown orthopedic surgeon who allowed him to observe surgery. As he went through his medical school rotations, Dr. Duke was drawn to orthopedics and felt that it was the best specialty for him to utilize his talents in caring for patients.

What sets Dr. Duke apart is how he listens and communicates. He treats all of his patients like family. Dr. Duke has practiced medicine in the same location for 28 years and has performed over 10,000 total joint replacements. He and his caring staff want the absolute best for their patients.

You May Like: Bioknee Cost