Knee pain is the second most common musculoskeltal injury. When we have knee pain, everything is effected from walking, stairs, squatting, and lunging. Knee pain comes in several varieites. The most common diagnosis for those older than 45 years is knee osteoarthritis and for patients younger than 40 years the diagnosis is generally patellofemoral pain syndrome (1).
- Knee osteoarthritis generally is associated with activity-related knee joint pain and possibly morning stiffness for less than thirty minutes (1).
- Patellofemoral pain is described as anterior knee pain during a squat in those who are physically active (1).
However, there are other causes of pain around the knee such as ligaments, tendons, and the meniscus. Ligaments, tendons, and the mensicus can be injured with repetitive motions, but generally occur with some type of trauma or twisting. The ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and the MCL (medial collateral ligament) are generally the two most injured ligaments in the knee. Depending on the severity, a surgery may be warranted, but most often, degenerative and minor sprains and strains are best handled by physical therapy.
