What happens is that instead of your knee cap gliding smoothly across the lower end of your thigh bone, it rubs against it. As such, the repetitive rubbing roughens up the cartilage underneath.

Chondromalacia damage may range from a slightly abnormal surface to a cartilage surface that has been worn to the bone. Chondromalacia related to injury occurs when a blow to the knee cap tears off either a small piece of cartilage or a large fragment containing a piece of bone.

The most frequent symptom is a dull pain around or under the knee cap that worsens when walking down or up inclines, like stairs or a hill, or when the knee bears weight as it straightens.

Chondromalacia is common in runners, but is also seen in skiers, cyclists, and soccer players. With this problem, it is those inclines that may bring you up short with pain.

Chondromalacia exercise treatment includes performing low-impact exercises that strengthen the muscles in the inner part of the quadriceps. Swimming, riding a stationary bicycle, and using a cross-country ski machine are good exercises for this condition. Electrical stimulation may also be used to strengthen the muscles.

Osteochondral grafting and autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) is being used to replace the injured cartilage with either transplanted healthy cartilage from another part of your body or growing cartilage from your cartilage cells.

Anther surgical chondromalacia cartilage treatment is arthroscopic surgery, which smooths the cartilage surface and “washes out” any cartilage fragments in the kneecap area.

In severe cases, corrective surgery by adjusting the angle of your kneecap to relieve the friction or repositioning any out of aligned parts.

• Chronic Knee Pain and Common Causes of Pain, Stiffness and Swelling Inflammation and Exercise Relief

Osteoarthritis is a form of arthritis that most often causes painful knee conditions. Osteoarthritis results from either a worn out knee cartilage, a joint injury or being overweight.

It occurs with aging and typically begins around 50 or older. Osteoarthritis developing in someone younger is usually a result of a previous knee injury or an inherited form of the disease.

The general symptoms of arthritis is a painful and stiff knee. Treatment options include use of aspirin or acetaminophen for pain management. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, or in some cases corticosteroid injections directly into the knee joint, for inflammation management.

Another treatment option some report knee pain relief caused by osteoarthritis is use of the nutritional supplements glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate.

Rheumatoid Arthritis generally affects people at a younger age than osteoarthritis, and this form of arthritis is an autoimmune disease. Essentially your immune system attacks itself.

The main site of rheumatoid arthritis immune system’s attack on your knee is its membrane that lines the knee joint (synovium). The result of this attack is inflammation, which can lead to destruction of the cartilage, bone, muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

Gout and lupus are two other rheumatic diseases that may be causing your pain in the knee.

The symptoms for rheumatoid arthritis, gout, or other inflammatory conditions is swelling, red, and hot to the touch around your knee joint. If rheumatoid arthritis is the cause of your knee pain, proper diagnosis and treatment need to be pursued, so visit your health care provider right away.

Infectious Arthritis is a form of arthritis that is caused by infectious agents, such as bacteria or viruses. Immediate medical attention is vital to treat your infection in an effort to minimize damage to your joints, particularly if fever is present.

With osteo or rhuematoid types of arthritis, you may benefit from exercises to strengthen the muscles that support the knee and weight loss, if needed, to relieve excess stress on the joints.

If arthritis causes serious damage to your knee or your pain and loss of use of the knee from arthritis is disabling, joint surgery is an option to be considered. Newer surgical procedures include resurfacing or replacing only what’s damaged and leaves the rest of the joint intact.

Go get your cause for knee pain diagnosed in order to be fully informed as to all your treatment options. Take the painful guess work out of one of your primary joint movers.

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Some types of knee sprains, strains or tears take a long time to heal. However, there are other numerous diseases and injuries that can be affecting your knee. These are some of the most common causes of knee pain, stiffness and swelling inflammation:

• Arthritis
• Chondromalacia
• Meniscal Injuries (Injuries to the Menisci)
• Cruciate Ligament Injuries
• Medial and Lateral Collateral Ligament Injuries
• Tendon Injuries
• Osgood-Schlatter Disease
• Iliotibial Band Syndrome
• Osteochondritis Dissecans
• Plica Syndrome

Sometimes a knee injury happens over time, all of a sudden, or another joint problem throws your knee alignment off causing pain, swelling and inflammation.

Ideally, everyone should perform these three types of exercise regularly for injury prevention or injury rehabilitation:

• Range-of-motion to help maintain normal joint movement and relieve stiffness.
• Strengthening to help keep or increase muscle strength around the injured joint for support and protection.
• Aerobic or endurance to improve function of the heart and circulation, weight control for reducing joint pressure, and helps reduce inflammation.

If you are experiencing knee pain you should choose gentle exercises such as swimming, aquatic exercise, or walking. And now that you know some of the possible causes for your chronic knee pain, a diagnosis sounds like your best next step.

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There are literally too many different forms of arthritis, rheumatic diseases, and related conditions to go into here. And virtually all of them have the potential to painfully affect your knees.

The most common painful knee problems have a form of arthritis called osteoarthritis. If you are suffering from this disease, the cartilage gradually wears away and changes occur in the adjacent bone.

Osteoarthritis may be caused by joint injury or being overweight. It is associated with aging and most typically begins in people age 50 years or older.

A young person who develops osteoarthritis typically has had an injury to the knee or may have an inherited form of the disease.

Infectious arthritis is a form of arthritis that is caused by infectious agents, such as bacteria or viruses. Prompt medical attention is essential to treat the infection and minimize damage to joints, particularly if fever is present.

If arthritis causes serious damage to a knee or there is incapacitating pain or loss of use of the knee from arthritis, joint surgery may be considered. Total knee replacement may be a surgery of the past as newer surgical procedures are continuously being developed that include resurfacing or replacing only the damaged cartilage surfaces while leaving the rest of the joint intact.

Like the symptoms, treatment varies depending on the form of arthritis affecting the knee. For osteoarthritis, treatment is targeted at relieving symptoms and may include pain reducing medicines such as aspirin or acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or in some cases injections of corticosteroid medications directly into the knee joint.

Other treatments for the pain of knee osteoarthritis include injections of hyaluronic acid substitutes and the nutritional supplements glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate.

People with any type of arthritis may benefit from exercises to strengthen the muscles that support the knee and weight loss, if needed, to relieve excess stress on the joints.

Rheumatoid arthritis, which generally affects people at a younger age than osteoarthritis, is an autoimmune disease. It occurs as a result of the immune system attacking components of the body.

In rheumatoid arthritis, the primary site of the immune system’s attack is the synovium, the membrane that lines the joint. This attack causes inflammation of the joint. It can lead to destruction of the cartilage and bone and, in some cases, muscles, tendons, and ligaments as well.

Other rheumatic diseases include:

Gout – an acute and intensely painful form of arthritis that occurs when crystals of the bodily waste product uric acid are deposited in the joints

Lupus – an autoimmune disease characterized by destructive inflammation of the skin, internal organs, and other body systems as well as the joints

Ankylosing Spondylitis – an inflammatory form of arthritis that primarily affects the spine, leading to stiffening and in some cases fusing into a stooped position

Psoriatic arthritis – a condition in which inflamed joints produce symptoms of arthritis for patients who have or will develop psoriasis

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Several diagnostic tests are available to pinpoint your painful knee cause. Depending on the your description of pain and a physical exam by your medical care provider will make a difference as to which test will best evaluate the nature of your knee problem.

Some of the more commonly used tests include:

X-Ray is a procedure to produce a two dimensional picture of the bones.

CAT scan is a painless procedure in which a computer combines individual images to give a three-dimensional view of the knee. CAT scan images show soft tissue such as ligaments or muscles more clearly than conventional x rays.
Bone scan is a technique for creating images of bones. A harmless radioactive material is injected into your bloodstream that collects in your bones, particularly in abnormal areas of the bones which is detected by a scanner.

MRI is a procedure using a powerful magnet linked to a computer to create pictures of areas inside the knee. An MRI is particularly useful for detecting soft tissue damage.

Arthroscopy is a surgical technique in which an arthroscope is inserted into the joint through a small incision in the knee for projecting images of the inside of the knee joint.

Joint aspiration is a procedure that uses a syringe to remove fluid buildup in a joint, and can reduce swelling and relieve pressure. This fluid is analyzed to determine the presence of a fracture, an infection or an inflammatory response.

Biopsy is the examination of a piece of tissue under the microscope.

So there you have it. Various ways to get to bottom of your pain. Now for some common and uncommon causes of your knee pain.

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Your knee is an intersection of three bones: the femur (thigh bone or upper leg bone), the tibia (shin bone or larger bone of the lower leg), and the patella (knee cap).

The patella sits over the intersection of the two other bones at the front of the knee joint. Its main purpose is to protect this joint and give leverage to surrounding muscles.

These knee bones are covered with articular cartilage on their ends. This cartilage is a tough, elastic material that is meant to absorb shock and allow for smooth joint movement.

Separating the bones in your knee are pads of connective tissue called menisci. There are two crescent-shaped menisci between your tibia and femur bones on the outer and inner sides of each knee. They also act as shock absorbers by cushioning your lower leg from the huge weight of the rest of the body. And they offer an additional benefit of enhancing your knees’ stability.

Your have two groups of muscles at your knee which involve movement. Your quadriceps muscles located on the front of your thigh work to straighten the knee from a bent position. Your hamstring muscles, running along the back of your thigh from hip to just below your knee, help bend your knee.

Pay close attention here because this is where many knees run into injury problems.

Your quadriceps are connected to the patella via a tendon which provides the power to straighten the knee.

Your femur and tibia connect via four ligaments which provide the joint strength and stability. These four ligaments are identified as follows:

• The medial collateral ligament, runs along the inside of the knee joint, provides stability to the inner (medial) part of the knee.
• The lateral collateral ligament, runs along the outside of the knee joint, provides stability to the outer (lateral) part of the knee.
• The anterior cruciate ligament, in the center of the knee, limits rotation and the forward movement of the tibia.
• The posterior cruciate ligament, also in the center of the knee, limits backward movement of the tibia.

Many painful knee injuries involve one or more of these 4 ligaments and tendon. Diagnostic tests are used to determine the nature of an injury.

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There are various diseases that can cause knee pain, but the most common is arthritis. Arthritis literally means “joint inflammation.” However, there are many different diseases that affect your joints that are oftentimes lumped into the arthritic cause category.

As to any knee injury, it might have occurred from a direct blow, a sudden movement beyond your knee’s range of motion, or in some cases becomes injured slowly over time.

An example of a slow injury is if you have a problem with a hip or foot and your walking funny may throw your knee out of alignment to the point of permanent damage. Also, your knee problem could be the result of normal wear and tear, simply wearing out over time.

Understanding how your knee is structured may help you pinpoint exactly what is going on to help determine whether your pain requires medical attention or perhaps just a much needed rest.

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