If you’ve ever suffered from kneecap pain, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common types of joint pain around. And it often seems to come on unexpectedly. You wake up. Get out of bed. Notice a pinch or an ache in the kneecap zone. Where did that come from?
The official term for this type of issue is patellofemoral pain syndrome. It’s basically a catchall for pain that occurs around the front of your knee, between the patella (kneecap) and the femur (thighbone). And, being a broad description, it also has quite a range of potential causes.
So what are the main ones? Here are some possibilities…
Overuse
The most likely cause of a new kneecap pain is overuse. You take on a new activity that your knees aren’t too familiar with – doing a DIY project on hard flooring, say, or kneeling in the garden while weeding. Or maybe you put yourself through an unusually vigorous workout – a long run, a game of football, something that involves jumping and squatting. The joint tissues aren’t used to this type of stress, so they break down – resulting in pain and often inflammation.
Trauma
If overuse causes gradual breakdown of tissues and tendons in the kneecap area, injury accelerates the process. The most common kneecap injuries are ‘direct hits’ to the front of the knee – a nasty fall, or a car accident where the knee strikes the dashboard. At the more serious level, this can cause a break in the bone or a dislocation / subluxation.
Degeneration
While most new kneecap pains are temporary, some can be caused by a deeper problem in the joint. For older people, this is most likely to be a cartilage issue. When joint cartilage gets depleted through long-term wear and tear – AKA osteoarthritis – the unprotected bone surfaces begin to rub against each other. For more detail on this, see What does knee osteoarthritis feel like?
Anatomy issues
Some kneecap problems are rooted in the mechanics of the knee. If you have something called patella alta (a high-placed kneecap), you’ll be more vulnerable to dislocation, instability and outside-knee pain. At the other end of the spectrum, a low-placed kneecap tends to increase the load going through your joint – which, obviously, puts your knee under greater stress. A further problem is malalignment, where bow legs or knock knees can overload the knee joint, leading to stress, wear and discomfort.
Soft-tissue weakness
Bones, of course, aren’t the only protagonists in play here. The supportive muscles, tendons and ligaments around your knee are also key to the health and stability of the joint. Tight hamstrings and calf muscles, or weakness in the hip and thigh muscles, can alter the load in your knee and pull the kneecap away from its natural position. A related problem is patellar tendinopathy – stress to the tendon that connects your kneecap to your shin.
Something else!
Kneecap pains aren’t always easy to diagnose. Some are what we call idiopathic – the cause is basically unknown. We might run a scan of your knee. We can see there are no obvious signs of degeneration or injury. Yet you’re still getting pain. This could hint at a neuropathic problem – an issue with nerves in or near the knee. In this case, the next step would be to refer you to a specialist for treatment. One option is a physiotherapist, who can help you to strengthen the supportive muscles around your knee. Another is a pain clinic, where treatments can range from medicines and injections to complementary and psychological therapies. With focused professional help, the outcomes are usually very good.
If you’re struggling with knee pain and unsure what to do next, you don’t need to suffer in silence. You can get in touch with us at the clinic on 01962 826107, or quickly book an appointment online to see Mr Bailey. We’ll be very happy to look at your knee in depth and explore the best options for you.
