Knee pain may arise from a variety of conditions and diseases. Below are the most common conditions:

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ACL Tear: An ACL tear injury occurs when the Anterior Cruciate Ligament inside your knee joint is torn, overstretched or injured. A tear may be partial or complete.

Runner’s Knee: When the kneecap is misaligned or out-of-place, it can irritate the femoral groove and wear away the cartilage underneath the patella and joint lining. When this occurs, the condition is called Runner’s Knee. The repetitive force from running (especially downhill), tight or weak muscles, excessive bending and use of the patella, as well as body mechanics like weak hips and flat foot places extra stress on the patella and causes pain around the kneecap.

Pre-Patellar Bursitis: Pre-Patellar Bursitis is an irritation of the bursa located right in front of the kneecap. This inflammation of the bursa leads to swelling and pain of the kneecap.

Iliotibial Band Syndrome: Inflammation occurs when there is repeated friction on the iliotibial band, or ITB, a ligament that runs along the outside of the thigh, from the top of the hip to the outside of the knee. This friction is exacerbated from running downhill, running too many miles, running on one side of a crowned road, or running only one way around a track.

Interested in learning more? Give your Houston pain specialists a call at (713) 668-6000, and learn more!