What causes pain on the inside of your knee?

Knees are an essential part of our body, and they help us walk, run, jump, and even dance. Without them, we would be like penguins wobbling around on two feet. However, when pain strikes in one or both knees’ inner regions without warning, it can prevent you from doing things that normal humans do effortlessly.

If you’ve been experiencing constant knee pain that feels like it’s coming from the inside region for a while now (please note “a while” is subjective) maybe it’s time to take action. In this article (drumroll please…oops!), we’re going to get down to brass tacks and try to understand what causes pain on the inside of your knee.

Anatomy Lesson: The Kneecap

The kneecap (patella) forms part of your knee joint mechanism; its primary function is to protect other structures within the knee joint as well as provide leverage by extending outwards away from its origin point at the lower end of the thigh bone (femur). It sits between two tendons – (quadriceps tendon & patellar ligament), which attach it securely to parts above and below (tibia) respectively.

How Does Patellofemoral Syndrome Cause Knee Pain?

Patellofemoral syndrome (PFS) arises due to abnormal tracking (“sliding”) of the kneecap along with other factors such as muscle overuse/repetitive motion or sudden increase in physical activity routine etc., typically accompanies inflammation. Women are prone to PFS more than men because their pelvises generally wider causing femur angle deviation 12°-15° Q-angle relative men who have 8°-10° Q-angle).

Symptoms/Indicators You Shouldn’t Ignore:

• Grinding or popping sensation underneath patella; usually accompanied by variable discomfort level.
• Pain while walking downhill, climbing stairs or getting up from a seated position.

Anatomy Lesson: The Meniscus

Located between lower bone (tibia) and upper legbone (femur), the meniscus is like a cushion that helps absorb shock forces transmitted during your knee’s movements. (You could also view this as having the responsibility of acting like a ‘bumper’ in protecting joint cartilage against friction/impacts etc).

How Does Meniscus Injury Cause Knee Pain?

Meniscal tears caused due to twisting can result in painful symptoms requiring immediate attention. Older individuals with degenerative changes are more prone to suffer from it compared to younger patients (active sports people) who usually sustain tears via acrobatic actions such as landing awkwardly or sudden changes in direction leaving their feet “stuck”.

Symptoms/Indicators You Shouldn’t Ignore:

• Pressure on knee region causing pain.
• Swelling around affected site.

Osteoarthritis — A Common Culprit

Osteoarthritis (OA) often found embedded right into thin joint space that lies between articulating surfaces within the body over time – particularly those located at weight-bearing joints, including knees (This is because knees take up most of our body weight when we move about erratically through life’s many challenges…it is what it is).

It occurs mainly due to overweight issues coupled with increasing age and constant strain put upon individual bone surface viz., continuous wearing & tearing down eventually culminating into low-grade chronic inflammation process resulting arthritic formation inside joint cavities leading deficiency of synovial fluid interactions overall detriment preventing smooth skeletal movements.

Symptoms/Indicators You Shouldn’t Ignore:

• Stiffness post sitting for long periods of time affecting your gait change/balance/freshness upon standing/walking again.
• Crunching sounds while moving; restricted joint range of motion (ROM).

Rheumatoid Arthritis — A Lesser Common Culprit

Rheumatoid arthritis differs from standard arthritic patterns we’ve previously seen because this is an auto-immune disease that affects our overall immune system keeping us prone to swelling beneath tendons/joints/ligaments etc. Pro-inflammatory proteins go into overdrive assaulting damaged joints.

How Does Rheumatoid Arthritis Cause Knee Pain?

Simply put- Our rheumatic defense systems attack healthy tissues determining them as ‘foreign’ invader causing gut-wrenching pain and irreversible damage.

Symptoms/Indicators You Shouldn’t Ignore:

• Heat/soreness at the site reflecting inflamed state.
• After much exertion, excessive fatigue sets in after prolonged standing on hard surfaces for too long.

Gout—Another Late Night Snack Problem

Gout never sleeps or even takes a day off…it just hangs around. It loves to strike when you least expect it, usually in the middle of a sound sleep or during important meetings where foot tapping can be especially amplified by hardwood floor sounds (which everyone seems to hear but you)…

This type of arthritis comes about due to accumulation of uric acid crystals around affected areas leading incredibly painful sensations predominantly located inside significant joints such as your big toe ankles elbows and knees…When there’s not enough space left elsewhere! And oh-boy does it play rough if left unchecked leading permanent damages/blame-shifting episodes.

Symptoms/Indicators You Shouldn’t Ignore:

• Swollen localized region anywhere near inner knee joint area shooting momentary sharp pains(also commonly mistaken for” Charlie horse”).
• Infections abundant life constant/daily agony experience (affects lifestyle tremendously).

The list above isn’t exhaustive at all, and many more factors could cause pain inside your knee joint region. If you experience any of the symptoms listed above-(minus swapping legs at least twice daily)-please consult an orthopedist without fail.

If nothing else-Just be thankful it’s only your knees hurting and not something more permanent like your pride…)

(Image Source: Unsplash/Charisse Kenion)