Kneecap pain
What is kneecap pain?
Kneecap pain or runner’s knee is characterised by pain at the front or middle edge of the knee or behind the kneecap (patella). It is known to doctors as patellofemoral joint pain or patellofemoral pain syndrome.
Kneecap pain symptoms
The pain of patellofemoral pain syndrome typically comes on gradually. It is often felt while squatting or going up or down stairs, and on getting up after sitting for a while. There is usually no knee swelling.
Causes of kneecap pain
The kneecap (patella) is a circular bone that is attached to tendons and ligaments around the knee. Normally when you run the kneecap slides smoothly up and down the thighbone (femur) in a groove known as the patellofemoral groove. Kneecap pain can be caused by any imbalance or dysfunction of the stabilising forces that keep the kneecap tracking smoothly in this groove.
Causes of an imbalance include overly tight thigh (hamstring) muscles, tightness of the iliotibial band (the strong band of thick tissue running down the outside of the thigh), weakness of one of the large quadriceps muscles, such as the vastus medialis oblique, and faulty biomechanics, such as excessive pronation (rolling in of the foot during the walking cycle).
Kneecap pain treatment
Initial treatment may involve taping of the kneecap to hold it closer to the midline of the body to relieve pain. Simple pain relief medicine such as paracetamol and sometimes a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) may also help.
Rehabilitation usually involves stretching and strengthening exercises to achieve correct balance of the stabilising muscles around the kneecap. If there are biomechanical abnormalities, orthotics may occasionally help.
Last Reviewed: 05 August 2011
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3. MayoClinic.com. Knee pain (last reviewed 9 Sep 2010). http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/knee-pain/DS00555 (accessed Dec 2011).
