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Chiropractor Blog

Kent Owens, DC

3 Main Causes of Knee Pain

Two and a half years ago I switched focus in my career somewhat to helping people with knee pain. I studied the causes of knee pain and the rising rates of knee replacements. I hired a medical doctor, nurse practitioner, and physical therapist to help me treat knee arthritis non-surgically. I even taught around 20 lunch seminars to approximately 350 guests. While I no longer offer the same treatment program, I still have the knowledge I gained in those two and a half years, and I still have the passion for helping people navigate their options for knee pain relief.
In this week’s article, I’ll focus on knee pain causes, and in next week’s article I’ll go into treatment options.

Causes of Knee Pain

Knee Pain is generally easy to diagnose by symptoms, orthopedic testing, xrays, or MRI. The vast majority of cases will fall into one of 3 categories:
  1. Tendonitis/Bursitis
  2. Tearing (overlap)
  3. Arthritis

Tendonitis and Bursitis of the Knee

Tendonitis and bursitis are common overuse injuries where one of the tendons that attach to the knee or one of the bursa sacks around the knee are inflamed.  Bursae are cushions between bones and tendons, which is why distinguishing between tendonitis and bursitis can be so difficult.  Thankfully, both are alike in that they are the result of injuries, overuse, and excess friction.  In the absence of severe arthritis and recent trauma, most knee pains will fall into this category.

Tearing Knee Injury

Tearing injuries can sometimes be obvious, like in the case of a sports injury where the ACL, MCL, PCL, meniscus, or a tendon ruptures on the spot.   These injuries can be obvious right away, and MRI confirms which structures are torn.  Some tearing injuries, though, can be overuse and degenerative.  This is most common in meniscus tears.  The meniscus is the cartilage cushion between the bones in the knee.  This structure can weaken over time and begin to tear.

Knee Arthritis

Arthritis most often refers to osteoarthritis, and is most commonly referred to as “bone on bone.”  This type of arthritis is characterized by a loss of space between the femur condyles and the tibia/fibula, erosion of articular cartilage, and bone spurs.  Most patients notice pain and stiffness, especially first thing in the morning, after sitting long periods, or after walking longer distances.  While many orthopedists refer to knee arthritis as “bone on bone,” that term should really only be used in severe arthritis (Kellgren grade 4, see image).  Some cases of type 4 are good candidates for knee replacement, but no types 1-3 should consider this option before trying everything else possible.  Like arthritis in any other joint, treatment should be considered a strategy of managing symptoms moreso than a cure or reversal of the condition.

I hope this quick informational article helps somebody understand the most common causes of knee pain.  In my next article, I will discuss the pros and cons of treatment options, including PT, injections, surgery, and some of the option we currently offer as well.

Kent Owens, DC

One comment on “3 Main Causes of Knee Pain”

  1. Free Stuff

    I am not sure where you are getting your information, but good topic. I needs to spend some time learning more or understanding more. Thanks for magnificent info I was looking for this information for my mission.

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