Knee pain symptoms & treatment

Knee pain can result from an infection, an injury or medical conditions such as tendonitis or arthritis. It’s a common condition that can affect anyone at any age.

What causes knee pain?

Like other forms of joint pain, knee pain can have many causes including injuries, medical conditions or infection.

Knee pain risk factors

Certain factors can increase your risk of knee pain, including:

• History of previous knee injury
• Obesity
• Participating in exercise or sports without properly warming up beforehand
• Poor muscle tone due to a sedentary lifestyle
• Shoes that don’t fit properly

Knee injuries

Accidents and sports injuries can cause mild to severe knee pain. This type of pain may be caused by damage to different areas of the bones or soft tissue, including:

• Tendons: Tendons are flexible, cord-like connective tissues that form a bridge connecting your muscles to your bones. If you tear or overstretch a knee tendon, you’ll have pain, swelling and possible difficulty bearing weight.
• Ligaments: There are four knee ligaments: ACL, MCL, PCL and LCL. They’re bands of tissue that connect the thigh bone to the lower leg bones. Torn knee ligaments can be very painful and may require surgery.
• Cartilage: Cartilage is the rubbery surface on the ends of your bones. A torn meniscus is a common knee injury. Symptoms include mild to severe pain, swelling, and popping or locking in the joint.
• Bursae: Bursae are small fluid-filled sacs located near your knee joint. They reduce friction and cushion pressure points between your bones and the tendons, muscles and skin near your joints. Knee bursitis is painful inflammation of the bursae around your knee.
• Bones: The knee bone or kneecap is called the patella. If you fracture your patella, you’ll feel pain in the front area of the knee. The most common way to detect a patellar fracture is asking you to straighten and bend your leg. It will be extremely painful and difficult to do if you’ve broken your patella.

If you have a knee injury, count on our team of sports medicine experts to get to the source of the pain and offer personalized care recommendations.

Medical conditions affecting the knee

Common medical conditions that can cause knee pain include:

• Tendonitis: Tendons are thick cords that attach bones to muscles. Repetitive motion can irritate the tendons in the knee and cause pain, swelling and discomfort.
• Knee instability: Injury to the ligaments can cause the knee to twist and move side to side during basic activities.
• Arthritis: This common joint condition can cause pain, swelling and stiffness in the knee because of worn cartilage.

Infection

Infection or painful swelling of the knee can result from several types of bacteria or arthritis. If you have a joint infection affecting the knee, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics.

Knee pain diagnosis

When you visit your doctor or sports medicine specialist, they’ll perform a physical exam to evaluate your knee mobility and investigate the cause of your knee pain.

To gather more information to confirm a diagnosis, your doctor may also order tests including:

• Ultrasound or MRI scans: Detailed images that show injuries to ligaments, muscles and other soft tissue
• X-ray: Images that can show arthritis, fractures or other problems with bones in and around the knee
• Blood tests: Tests that check for infection or different types of arthritis

Our specialized approach to knee pain

Our orthopedic and sports medicine experts offer compassionate care and personalized treatment plans depending on the cause and severity of your knee pain. At Advocate, we offer:

• A diversified system of resources: If your knee pain becomes serious, your doctor can immediately refer you to the right specialists and resources. That’s because our large team of experts is connected by a single, fully integrated health system.
• Emphasis on prevention: A healthy, active lifestyle can help you prevent knee injuries and pain. Our primary care doctors can help you maintain orthopedic wellness and prevent injuries at every age.
• Top-tier specialists: Our team of experts sees many people for orthopedic care and knee replacement surgery, which translates to deep experience in treating all types of orthopedic problems – including knee pain.
• Seamless chain of care: Whether you need orthopedic specialists, primary care doctors, physical therapists, sports medicine providers or a combination approach, our team works together to give you the best care possible.
• Faster, more advanced surgery: Our leading-edge surgical procedures aren’t widely available through other health systems. Many of these treatments include minimally invasive surgery options to help you recover faster.

When should you see a doctor for knee pain?

Knee pain symptoms can be different for different people and may change over time. You may feel knee pain constantly, or it may come and go. You might experience pain in the back of your knee or feel stiffness instead of pain.

If you experience any of the following symptoms, it’s important to see a doctor to prevent further injury:

• Fever, which can be a sign of infection
• Knee instability
• Crunching, clicking and popping noises when you move or bend your knee
• Stiffness and inability to fully straighten the leg
• Pain, swelling and redness in and around the knee

Treatments for knee pain

Depending on the cause and severity of your knee pain or knee injuries, your doctor may recommend several treatment options. Learn more about our treatments for knee pain.

Some treatments include:

• Arthrocentesis, where a syringe is used to remove fluid from the knee in order to relieve pain and test for signs of arthritis
• Full or partial knee replacement surgery to treat severe arthritis or severe injuries, including pain at the back of the knee
• Injections for joint pain to lubricate the knee joint and relieve pain, including hyaluronic acid and corticosteroids like cortisone
• Medications to treat autoimmune disease, infections or gout
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• Physical therapy

Exercises to help knee pain

Strengthening key leg muscles including your glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps can help prevent pain and knee injuries in the future by stabilizing your knee joints. Sports medicine and sports health experts can show you specific exercises to target these areas. Biking, walking, swimming and any exercise that strengthens the muscles in your legs are also beneficial. Always consult your doctor before beginning a new exercise program.

How weight loss can help knee pain

The good news is that weight loss can help knee pain. Being overweight adds additional strain and pressure on knees, which can lead to greater risk of knee pain, swelling, arthritis and injury. A recent study showed that losing one pound resulted in four pounds of pressure being taken off the knees. So losing 10 pounds would remove 40 pounds of pressure from your knees.