Prevalence of Knee Pain
Frequent knee pain affects 1 in 4 people in the USA¹ and is reportedly the most common symptom seen in sports medicine and chronic pain clinics across Canada.² Knee pain affects people from all walks of life, especially as we age.³ It decreases our quality of life and can even lead to physical disabilities.
What is Knee Pain?
Knee pain is pain felt around the knees due to mechanical issues and underlying conditions. Some common knee pain symptoms include:
- Swelling, inflammation and stiffness
- Redness and warmth to the touch
- Weakness or instability
- Popping or crunching noises
- Inability to fully straighten the knee³
Causes of Knee Pain
Knee pain has many different causes, and can be categorized into three types: acute injuries, overuse, and underlying conditions that result in knee pain.
Acute injuries
Acute conditions are severe and sudden onset, such as fractures or injuries.⁴ Acute injuries commonly occur from accidents and sports.⁵ The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), which helps connect your shin and thigh bone, is the most commonly injured ligament in the knee⁵ and affects close to a quarter of a million people in Canada and the USA⁶ every year. ACL tears often occur as a result of abruptly changing direction and speed (e.g. in sports like basketball³). Another acute injury is patella (kneecap) fractures and while they are quite uncommon, accounting for about 1% of all skeletal fractures,⁷ they can seriously impair movement. They occur commonly as a result of falls or automobile accidents.³
Overuse
Overuse of the knee joint due to repetitive activities and prolonged pressure on the knee can lead to injury as well.⁵ Tendinitis, the inflammation of the tendons, and tendinosis, small tears in the tendons, are common overuse injuries.⁵ Tendinitis of the patella…
