COMMON CAUSES OF KNEE PAIN

Knee pain is caused by many diseases. As the knee is the largest joint of the body and is subject to severe stress throughout life, hence it is most commonly injured and earliest to deteriorate. Two patients, out of every ten I see, complain of knee pain.

Osteoarthritis knee (also called arthritis) is a degenerative disease. It is caused by erosion of cartilage in the knee. Cartilage is a smooth covering over the bones of the knee joint. If your knee joints creak and squeak when you walk or stand up and you are overweight, then you may have this condition.
Or you may know a few elderly people in your neighborhood who have pain in their knee joints and difficulty in walking. Learn more about this condition including diagnosis and treatment options in the Knee Osteoarthritis page.

Menisci are semicircular structures in the knee joint that act as shock absorbers and help in maintaining the congruity of the joint surfaces. The menisci can be injured and torn. This can result in pain and swelling in the knee joint.
Natural repair of menisci is difficult as they have a poor blood supply. In young sports people meniscal tears can be career threatening. These sportsmen require proper and timely treatment. Know more about this injury in the Meniscal Injuries page.

Ligaments are strong cord like structures that make our knee joints stable. If it weren't for our ligaments then playing football, hockey, skiing and skating would have been impossible.
Once the ligaments are torn our knee joint becomes unstable and begins to pop out of place when ever we stress it. Know more about the ligament injuries, their types, diagnosis and treatment options at the Ligament Injuries page.

Bursa are this sac like structures located around the knee joint. Their function is to allow the smooth movement of muscles, tendon and skin when ever we move our knee joint.
If it weren't for them our muscles and tendons would rub against the bones and become painful. Sometimes these bursa become swollen and painful. This condition is called bursitis. Know about the causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of this condition at the Bursitis page.

Patella is a small round bone that is located in the front of the knee joint. It has a important function in protecting and increasing the lever action of the quadriceps muscle (this muscle straightens the knee).
This bone is frequently fractured. Known more about how this fracture occurs, what are the treatment options and how long does it take to heal, at the Patella Fracture page.

The lower end of the femur bone forms part of the knee joint. This end consists of two curved structures called condyles. These can be fractured in falls and accidents. More about this at the Knee Fracture page.

Another important fracture of the knee is the tibial plateau fracture. It is a fracture of the upper end of the tibia bone that forms the knee joint. The menisci and the ligaments attach to this part. Accurate re-alignment of this fracture is essential to prevent the development on arthritis. Classification, diagnosis and treatment can be seen at the Tibial Plateau Fracture page.

Most common cause of adolescent knee pain is Osgood Schlatter disease. It is caused by repeated traction injury to the tibial tuberosity and presents as pain on the front of the knee. Swelling may also be present. More information on this condition can be seen at the Osgood Schlatter Disease page.

I have added a page on Knee Replacement as it is the only cure available for osteoarthritis of the knee joint, which is the most common cause of knee pain in the elderly population. On this page you can know about about the types of knee replacements, indications, contra-indications, a summary of the surgical procedure and complications.

If you really want to get a better understanding of the above conditions then first visit the Knee Anatomy page. Skip this page if you have already done so.

I hope the information provided was helpful. If you have any query you can ask me at the contact me page.

This page was last updated on 26th December 2010.

Causes of knee pain...

Knee Osteoarthritis

Meniscal Injuries

Ligament Injuries

Bursitis

Patella Fracture

Tibial Plateau Fracture

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