Twenty percent of U.S. adults report regular knee pain or stiffness.
Delaying knee pain treatment can limit mobility and be extremely painful. Discomfort in the knee can arise from injury, overuse, and aging. Osteoarthritis is one of the main causes of knee pain. Sports, recreation, working, repetitive motion, projects around the home, and yard work also can lead to problems. Common injuries include sprains and strains of the ligaments and tendons in the kneecap, meniscus tears, kneecap fractures, kneecap dislocations, and knee joint dislocations. Common causes of knee pain include inflammation, tendonitis, bursitis, and plica syndrome. One out of five Americans experience regular pain or stiffness in the knee.
Knee pain can occur from injury, overuse, or medical conditions that affect joint health such as arthritis. Common risk factors include:
Health conditions that may require knee pain treatment include:
Knee pain can take different forms, depending on the cause and severity. Symptoms include:
Treatment of knee pain depends upon specific identification of the cause. Severe cases of acute injury may require reparative surgery, potentially including knee replacement surgery in extreme cases of joint damage. Knee pain resulting from overuse or injury typically can be alleviated with rest, ice, elevation, compression bandaging, massage, chiropractic treatment, pain medication, and stretching. Treatment of underlying conditions also may help reduce joint pain.