Knee hurts going down stairs

There is a specific condition thats characterized by this deterioration known as chondromalacia. Most Common Causes Of Knee Pain When Walking Up And Down Stairs.

Causes of Knee Pain Going Down Stairs.

Knee hurts going down stairs. Symptoms include grinding or clicking in the knee when moving the joint or swelling and pain in the knee cap. There are several reasons why you may be experiencing patellofemoral pain when going down stairs. It may be because of anatomical abnormalities flat feet or muscle weakness and can occur at any age.

Two knee joints can hurt when going down stairsthe tibiofemoral joint and the patellofemoral joint. The tibiofemoral joint is the knee joint you probably think of first. Its where the tibia shin bone meets the femur thigh bone.

The patellofemoral joint is the patella kneecap sitting on top of the femur. Knee pain walking down stairs is commonly caused by arthritis chondromalacia patella and patellofemoral pain syndrome. Causes of Knee Pain Going Down Stairs.

In most cases knee pain going down stairs usually indicates a problem with the knee cap patella and how it moves. The kneecap is a small bone shaped like an upside down triangle which sits in the patella groove at the front of the knee and glides up and down as the knee moves. Chondromalacia patella can cause knee pain when you are going down stairs.

It happens when there is injury to the underside of the patella or knee cap in the area of the cartilage. It is usually seen in women as well as in teens and children. Getting up from sitting or going down stairs can cause increased pain.

It is almost always damage to the knee cap or the cartilage on the back of it that causes knee pain when you go down stairs but not up. The most common cause is a condition called runners knee. This is caused by prolonged periods of repeated stressful activities such as running jumping or even standing and twisting on your knees.

Believe it or not going down the stairs actually puts more weight or force on your knee cap patella than going up stairs. Studies report it can be as much as x4 times your bodyweight. So if you weigh 10 stone the force on your knee cap patella when going down the stairs can be as much as 40 stone.

For many knee pain and walking down stairs go hand-in-hand. But while this pain is common its definitely not normal says Lara Canham DPT an orthopedic clinical specialist in Colorado. Unless youre recovering from a knee injury you should be able to walk down stairs without pain she says.

When knee pain occurs with bending squatting and climbing stairs this damage is usually centered on the kneecap. Pain in the kneecap region is referred to as anterior knee pain or pain in the front of the knee. However anterior knee pain is a description not a diagnosis.

It is almost always damage to the knee cap or the cartilage on the back of it that causes knee pain when you go down stairs but not up. The most common cause is a condition called runners knee. This is caused by prolonged periods of repeated stressful activities - such as running jumping or even standing and twisting on your knees.

If your knee pain going down stairs feels like its inside the knee you may be dealing with either arthritis in the knee or a meniscus issue in the knee joint. Finally pain in the back of the knee going down stairs may be due to either hamstrings or calf muscle issues or a bulge in the back of the knee called a Bakers cyst. Going up stairs can be uncomfortable or even painful however going down puts much more pressure on the knees.

When you go down stairs the force on the kneecap is 35x your body weightThis means that if you weigh in the neighbourhood of 80kg your knees bear a force of 280 kg For such a small surface area this is a lot to carrywhich explains why so. This is why the knees often hurt when a person is going up or down the stairs. This deeper movement means that the kneecap is forced.

Well if you have less cushion inside your knee the stress from your weight stepping down can cause pain. When you go up the stairs you place indirect stress on a bent joint. So its less direct stress on the knee joint itself but its added stress on the ligaments and tendons around the knee.

Which causes the knee pain if youve already got an injury meniscus patellofemoral Pain Syndrome damaged cartilage arthritis any kind of those common knee problems its going to increase the pressure on those injured parts of your knee and make it painful to go up and down the steps. One major cause of knee pain when going down stairs is chondromalacia a weakening of the cartilage underneath the kneecap as explained by the Cleveland Clinic. Muscle weakness injury or overuse can cause the condition which is.

But as I mentioned knee cap pain is really common and how you can differntiate is that knee cap pain is often painful when you are climbing stairs getting out of a chair or getting off the floor often it can also be sore running or after sitting for long periods such as driving. The knee doesnt often swell up but it can. Additional Causes of Knee Pain when Climbing Stairs but Not During Running.

If the pain occurs going down stairs it could be an ACL patellar tendon or arthritis issue says Dr. As for pain in the knee when going up a staircase but not when you run Dr. Carpenter says that other causes should be considered such as an.

As a result going down stairs will place more force through your knee. Given that a larger force is more likely to cross the threshold amount required to cause sensitivity you can now see why you are more likely to experience knee pain going down stairs. What Can I Do About Knee Pain Going Down Stairs.

Reduce the Forces Temporarily. Climbing up and down stairs is something we all have to do but it puts a lot of stress on the knees. While you might think that going up stairs would be a likely time for a flare-up of knee pain and youd be right going down the stairs actually puts a slightly larger amount of body weight on the knees with each step.

Knee Pain When Going Up And Down Stairs Is Common But Not Normal. Knee pain when going up and down stairs is one of the most common complaints among people who suffer from knee pain. However most people have to go up and down stairs almost daily even if its only one or two steps to get into the house.

A lack of strength and stability of the hip and pelvic girdle. A lack of flexibility in thigh hip and calf muscles. Weakness of hip thigh calf muscles.

Watch yourself going down stairs or squatting this is what a knee looks like when not in good alignment due to these contributing factors and increased stress is placed on the knee. Most Common Causes Of Knee Pain When Walking Up And Down Stairs. Most often pain in your knee when walking up and down stairs is caused by some issue with the patella or the cartilage under the kneecap.

There is a specific condition thats characterized by this deterioration known as chondromalacia.