Anterior knee pain is a common complaint to physiotherapists, orthopaedic surgeons, GPs and sport physicians.
With the Cairns IronMan and Cairns Marathon going ahead this year, we are all getting our trainers on and hitting the streets and trails for some training. There are very few runners out there who haven’t suffered from the dreaded knee pain. Common causes include:
Patellofemoral pain
Patellar tendinopathy
Pre patella bursitis
Patellofemoral instability
Osgood-schlatter (especially in adolescents)
Not to be missed….
Referred pain from the hip
Stress fracture of the patella
Osteochondritis dessicans
Slipped capital femoral epiphysis
Tumours
Wilson, C. (2021, March 30). Knee Pian Diagnosis Chart. Retrieved from Knee Pain Explained: https://www.knee-pain-explained.com/knee-pain-diagnosis-chart.html
Certainly, the top of the list for the anterior knee pain in the weekend warrior is patellofemoral pain and patellar tendinopathy.
| Characteristics | Patellofemoral Pain | Patellar Tendinopathy |
| Tenderness | May be non-tender on palpation, but can have tender points medially and laterally and also infrapatellar region | Localised to inferior pole of patella |
| Joint Swelling | May have a small effusion | Tendon thickening but seldom swelling |
| Clicks & catches | Occasional | No |
| Crepitus | Occasional | No |
| Instability | Rarely | Rarely |
| Range of motion | Usually, normal | Normal |
| Functional Tests | Squats, stairs may aggravate | Decline squats aggravate pain |
If you are suffering from anterior knee pain and your training is affected. Please come in and have a chat with one of our doctors.
