Knee pain

Knee pain is a common complaint and can have many different causes. Some of the conditions that can affect the knee include: patellofemoral pain syndrome, patellar tendinopathy, osteoarthritis, fat pad irritation and injuries to muscles or ligaments.

Patellofemoral pain- pain is often felt at the front of the knee and around the knee cap. Pain may be worse on squatting, kneeling, going up or down stairs. A common cause of patellofemoral pain is imbalance, altered biomechanics or weakness or tightness of the surrounding muscles.

Patellar tendinopathy- this affects the tendon underneath the kneecap which can become irritated and inflamed. Pain is often felt around the front of the knee or beneath the kneecap and is often worse on squatting, walking or running and going down hills. You may also have some swelling around the knee.

Fat pad irritation/ hoffa’s disease- the fat pad sits below your knee cap and helps to provide shock absorption and load distribution around the knee. When the fat pad is irritated or inflamed, pain is often felt at the front of the knee. This may have been caused as a result of direct trauma to the knee, altered biomechanics (such as over straightening your knee) or overuse injury. Pain may be worse on straightening your knee, standing for a long time, going up stairs or sitting for long periods where the fat pad is compressed.

Arthritis-a condition which affects the cartilage in the joint which can cause pain, stiffness and swelling in and around the knee. You may hear a grating or cracking in the joint on movement and it may be difficult to walk. Symptoms can come and go or they may be present every day.

Your physiotherapist can assess your knee pain and help determine the likely cause of your condition and how best to treat it. They will wish to complete a comprehensive assessment looking at how the knee moves, your muscle strength, walking, flexibility as well as special tests to test structures such as the ligaments or cartilage. This will help to guide your rehabilitation programme.