Common Causes of Knee Pain - Arthritis, Injuries & More

Every day, millions of people all over the world suffer from knee pain, which for many can be debilitating. Knee pain occurs for a number of reasons, from injuries to strains to just moving the wrong way. Often, doctors can immediately diagnose the cause of knee pain, but other times, it requires many tests, including x-rays, to figure out why the pain is occurring. Some of the most common causes of knee pain include arthritis, injuries to cartilage, injuries to ligaments, and chondromalacia patella.

Arthritis

Arthritis is probably one, if not the most common, cause of knee pain, and the arthritis itself can be caused by a number of things, including trauma, hereditary, aging and even being overweight, as this puts added stress on the joints. The most common form of knee arthritis is osteoarthritis, which is also referred to as degenerative joint disease. Basically, osteoarthritis is the degeneration, or wearing away, of the cartilage that protects the knee joint. Some of the symptoms patients complain of include pain, stiffness, tenderness to the touch and less range of movement.

Injuries to Cartilage

It is extremely easy to cause damage to cartilage with the simplest of injuries. In the knee, the cartilage is known as the menisci, and its job is to keep the body weight even across the knee joints. There are two main causes of meniscus tears - injury and age (degeneration) - and in either case, the condition is very painful. Symptoms of meniscus tears include pain, swelling, tenderness to the touch, limited range of motion, and an audible popping noise when the joint is in motion.

Injuries to Ligaments

The most common cause of injuries to the knee ligaments is over-extension, which causes the ligaments to tear or rupture. There are two ligaments in the knee, medial collateral ligaments and lateral collateral ligaments. The three main types of ligament injuries are sprains, partial tears and complete tears, all three of which are painful, with the latter two often requiring surgery. Some of the symptoms patients with injured knee ligaments have reported include pain, tenderness, swelling and a limited range of motion.

Chondromalacia Patella

Chondromalacia patella is a painful knee condition mainly seen in adolescents and young teenagers, usually between the ages of 13 and 15 years. This condition is also known as runner's knee, and is caused by an irritation beneath the kneecap or patella. Chondromalacia patella tends to affect young people who are into sports, particularly females, and treatments include physiotherapy and anti-inflammatory medication. If the condition persists, surgery may be required. Some of the symptoms of this condition include pain and swelling (particularly on the top of the kneecap), tenderness to the touch, and limited range of movement.

There are a number of other causes of knee pain, such as bursitis, gout and a dislocated kneecap. Many of the causes of knee pain can be treated and relieved with exercise, hot/cold therapy, medications (pain and anti-inflammatory) and, in the worst-case scenarios, surgery. If you are suffering from knee pain, talk to your doctor. Find out the cause, so you can get to work at becoming pain-free as soon as possible.