The causes of knee pain can be :
- Previous injury to the knee: There may be persistent pain since the injury or there is a sudden onset of pain due to improper treatment of the knee pain in the past.
- Kneecap dislocation: If there is slip of location of the kneecap from its original position, this slide can cause knee pain and also inflammation.
- Bursitis: There is a sac called bursa, lying between the knee joint and the skin. With repeated bending, kneeling or falling, this bursa can get irritated causing pain, which is associated with swelling.
- Arthritis: There are over 100 types of arthritis, but three main types of arthritis affect the knee joint and cause pain. First is rheumatoid arthritis, second post-traumatic arthritis and third is osteoarthritis. Of these rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease and osteoarthritis is a degenerative cellular disease.
- Loose cartilage: The cartilage can get loosened after a knee injury. The pieces get stuck in the joints, leading to pain and inflammation.
- Osgood-Schlatter disease: This condition is seen mainly in the teenagers, when the knee is still under development and excess exercise causes the bottom of the knee to get irritated and becomes painful.
- Cartilage tears: This tough, flexible tissue covers the inside and outside of the knee. When it is torn it’s called a “meniscus tear,” which can be treated by a surgery.
