Common causes of knee pain

Every day, millions of people all over the world suffer from knee pain, which for many can be debilitating. Knee pain occurs for some reasons, from injuries to strains to just moving the wrong way. Often, doctors can immediately diagnose the cause of knee pain, but other times, it requires many tests, including x-rays, to figure out why the pain is occurring. Some of the most common causes of knee pain include arthritis, injuries to cartilage, injuries to ligaments, and chondromalacia patella.

So, what are the common causes of knee pain?

1. Arthritis

Arthritis is probably one, if not the most common, the cause of knee pain, and arthritis itself can be caused by some things, including trauma, hereditary, aging and even being overweight, as this puts added stress on the joints. The most common form of knee arthritis is osteoarthritis, which is also referred to as a degenerative joint disease. Basically, Osteoarthritis is the degeneration, or wearing away, of the cartilage that protects the knee joint. Some of the symptoms patients complain of include pain, stiffness, tenderness to the touch and less range of movement.

2. Injuries to Cartilage

It is extremely easy to cause damage to cartilage with the simplest of injuries. In the knee, the cartilage is known as the menisci, and its job is to keep the body weight even across the knee joints. There are two main causes of meniscus tears – injury and age (degeneration) – and in either case, the condition is very …