What is the Cause of Patella Pain?

Almost any level of stress on the knee joint will affect the function of the kneecap (also known as the patella). Some tendons are more vulnerable than others to inflammation. The tendon that attaches to the kneecap often becomes inflamed as a result of repeated jumping in sports and related activities causing patella pain.

You may feel patella pain even while resting your knee. There may also be mild swelling in the affected area as well as stiffness and limitation of movement. Aerobic exercises will help you maintain a healthy weight taking pressure off your knee joints. The quadriceps is an important group of muscles that stretch along the front of your thigh and are connected to the kneecap through the patellar tendon.

When the kneecap slips slightly out of position you will probably feel pain or swelling and have difficulty in straightening your knee due to patella pain. This is a sharp sensation of pain which some describe as 'stabbing pain'.

The tendons frequently become inflamed as a result of being put under repeated or excessive strain and you will experience pain around the kneecap particularly while exercising. When there is stress on the joint between the kneecap and thigh bone the cartilage between the bones softens. This is another cause of patella pain and stiffness. Sometimes this is accompanied by a clicking sensation when you bend or straighten your knee. Very often the pain resolves with rest.

If you experience patella pain while performing physical actions as a part of your work, an occupational therapist will work closely with you to evaluate your personal needs. The length of treatment varies but the course will begin with a thorough assessment of your movements at work. The therapist will try to find out the particular sets of movements that could cause pain and devise an alternate sequence of motions so that future issues could be avoided.

Rest and anti inflammatory drugs are generally recommended by medical practitioners to reduce patella pain. Physiotherapists also may recommend exercises to build up the strength of the quadriceps muscles so that recurrences of this kind of pain can be avoided. This should improve the balance and functioning of your kneecap.

Surgery may be recommended by the medical practitioner if other medical interventions fail to provide long term relief. The surgery will focus on repairing the tissues and providing support to the muscle groups so that the patient is free from patella pain.