A bursa lies between muscles or tendons and bone and aids in reducing friction during movement. There is a specific condition thats characterized by this deterioration known as chondromalacia.
There is a lack of tendency to squat or deep knee bend.
Knee hurts only when walking down stairs. Knee pain is commonly felt when using the stairs because of the increased weight load especially when walking down stairs but there are ways to address the pain. Your health is the 1 priority. AposHealth provider sites are taking steps to create a safe and sterile environment during AposHealth visits.
Some of the symptoms of chondromalacia patella include. Dull pain behind below and on the sides of the kneecap. Feeling of grinding when going down the stairs running downhill or doing squats or knee bends.
Pain standing up after sitting for a period of time. 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. 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.
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.
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. 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. It is noted that Runners knee is the most common causes of knee pain while walking downstairs. Muscle weakness or tightness flat feet and irregular anatomy are some of the major causes for Patellofemoral Pain syndrome.
Usually sportsmen are more likely to encounter this condition. 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. A nagging ache at the anterior medial front aspect of the kneecap. The pain tends to be present during activity and worsens going up and down hills or steps.
There is a lack of tendency to squat or deep knee bend. No swelling or bruising is present and there is no known incident where this happened. Chondromalacia can cause knee pain to worsen on stairs.
In fact this condition may cause knee pain only on stairs. Osteoarthritis and ITBS are other possible explanations. Fortunately patients can relieve pain by resting the knee strengthening the surrounding muscles and bracing the knee.
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. Inflammation of the IT band can cause severe knee pain when walking running climbing stairs and other activities.
Ligament sprain or tear Ligaments like the ACL and MCL that help join the knee can become sprained or even torn causing pain that manifests when climbing stairs. These injuries can become serious conditions that require surgery in some cases so prompt diagnosis and treatment. 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. 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.
As we age age-related changes can cause the cartilage on the under-surface of the patella to wear out and further contribute to pain. Our patella withstands huge compressive forces when going down stairs 35x our body weight normal walking only puts a force of 05x body weight. 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 common among skiers cyclists and soccer players. Orthopedic Surgery 42 years experience. The most common cause of knee pain and crepetance walking up and down stairs is patello-femoral pain chondromalacia of the patello-femoral surfaces.
58k views Reviewed 2 years ago. Chondromalacia may lead to a dull pain when bending the knee or when the knee straightens right after bending it. Activities that might cause pain include.
Walking down hills or stairs. You may feel a dull ache in the front of your knee and it may hurt to climb stairs jump or squat. You may notice that your knee hurts after you sit for a long time.
Or it might pop or crackle. Knee bursitis can cause knee pain when climbing stairs. Bursitis is inflammation of a bursa ie.
Fluid-filled sac near the knee joint. A bursa lies between muscles or tendons and bone and aids in reducing friction during movement. Each knee has 11 bursae.