Knee pain is an extremely com­mon com­plaint, and there are many causes. It is impor­tant to make an accu­rate diag­no­sis of the cause of your symp­toms so that appro­pri­ate treat­ment can be directed at the cause. If you have knee pain, some com­mon causes include:

* Arthri­tis
Arthri­tis is among the most com­mon causes of knee pain, and there are many treat­ments available.

* Lig­a­ment Injuries
Lig­a­ment injuries com­monly occur dur­ing ath­letic activ­i­ties and can cause dis­com­fort and insta­bil­ity.
o Ante­rior Cru­ci­ate Lig­a­ment (ACL) Injury
o Pos­te­rior Cru­ci­ate Lig­a­ment (PCL) Injury
o Medial Col­lat­eral Lig­a­ment (MCL) Injury

* Car­ti­lage Injuries | Menis­cal Tear
Car­ti­lage tears are seen in young and old patients alike, and are also an extremely com­mon cause of knee pain.

* Patel­lar Ten­donitis
Ten­donitis around the joint is most com­monly of the patel­lar ten­don, the large ten­don over the front of the knee.

* Chon­dro­ma­la­cia Patella
Chon­dro­ma­la­cia causes knee pain under the kneecap and is due to soft­en­ing of the

car­ti­lage. It is most com­mon in younger patients (15–35 years old).

* Dis­lo­cat­ing Kneecap
A dis­lo­cat­ing kneecap causes acute symp­toms dur­ing the dis­lo­ca­tion, but can also lead to chronic knee pain.

* Baker’s Cyst
A Baker’s cyst is swelling in the back of the joint, and is usu­ally a sign of another under­ly­ing prob­lem such as a menis­cus tear.

* Bur­si­tis
The most com­mon bursa affected around the joint is just above the kneecap. This is most com­mon in peo­ple who kneel for work, such as gar­den­ers or carpetlayers.

* Plica Syn­drome
Plica syn­drome is an uncom­mon cause of knee pain, and can be dif­fi­cult to diag­nose. The diag­no­sis is usu­ally made at the time of arthroscopy.

* Osgood-Schlatter Dis­ease
Osgood-Schlatter dis­ease is a con­di­tion seen in ado­les­cents and is due to irri­ta­tion of the growth plate just at the front of the joint.

* Osteo­chon­dri­tis Dis­se­cans
Osteo­chon­dri­tis dis­se­cans (OCD) is another con­di­tion seen in ado­les­cents due to the growth of the bone around the joint.

* Gout
Gout is an uncom­mon cause of knee pain. How­ever, in patients who have a diag­no­sis of gout, it must be con­sid­ered as a cause for new onset knee pain.

Treat­ments for Knee Pain
Treat­ment of knee pain depends entirely on the cause of the prob­lem. There­fore, it is of utmost impor­tance that you under­stand the cause of your symp­toms before embark­ing on a treat­ment pro­gram. If you are unsure of your diag­no­sis, or the sever­ity of your con­di­tion, you should seek med­ical advice before begin­ning any treat­ment plan.

Some com­mon treat­ments for knee pain are listed here. Not all of these treat­ments are appro­pri­ate for every con­di­tion, but they may be help­ful in your situation.

* Rest: The first treat­ment for most com­mon con­di­tions that cause knee pain is to rest the joint, and allow the acute inflam­ma­tion to sub­side. Often this is the only step needed to relieve knee pain. If the symp­toms are severe, crutches may be help­ful as well.

* Cold and Heat Appli­ca­tion: Nature Cre­ation Hot & Cold herbal packs are among the most com­monly used treat­ments for knee pain. So which one is the right one to use, ice or heat? And how long should the ice or heat treat­ments last? Click the fol­low­ing link: Heat or Cold, which Treat­ment is to use.

* Stretch­ing: Stretch­ing the mus­cles and ten­dons that sur­round the joint can help with some causes of knee pain. A good rou­tine should be estab­lished, and fol­low­ing some spe­cific sug­ges­tions will help you on your way.

* Phys­i­cal Ther­apy: Phys­i­cal ther­apy is an impor­tant aspect of treat­ment of almost all ortho­pe­dic con­di­tions. Phys­i­cal ther­a­pists use dif­fer­ent tech­niques to increase strength, regain mobil­ity, and help return patients to their pre-injury level of activity.

* Anti-Inflammatory Med­ica­tion: Non­s­teroidal anti-inflammatory med­ica­tions, com­monly referred to as NSAIDs, are some of the most com­monly pre­scribed med­ica­tions, espe­cially for patients with knee pain caused by prob­lems such as arthri­tis, bur­si­tis, and tendonitis.

* Cor­ti­sone injec­tions: Cor­ti­sone is a pow­er­ful med­ica­tion that treats inflam­ma­tion, and inflam­ma­tion is a com­mon prob­lem in patients with knee pain. Dis­cuss with your doc­tor the pos­si­ble ben­e­fits of a cor­ti­sone injec­tion for your condition.