Anterior knee pain

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Anterior knee pain is pain that occurs at the front and center of the knee.

Runner's knee; Patellofemoral pain; Patellar tendinitis; Tendinitis - patellar; Jumper's knee

Your kneecap (patella) sits over the front of your knee joint. As you bend or straighten your knee, the underside of the patella glides over the bones that make up the knee.

Strong tendons help attach the patella to the bones and muscles that surround the knee. These tendons are called:

• The patellar tendon (where the kneecap attaches to the shin bone)
• The quadriceps tendon (where the thigh muscles attach to the top of the kneecap)

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Anterior knee pain refers to a number of different conditions. These include runner's knee (sometimes called patellar tendinitis) and chondromalacia of the patella.

Anterior knee pain is more common in:

• Adolescents and healthy young adults, especially girls
• People who are overweight
• Runners, jumpers, skiers, bicyclists, and soccer players, who exercise often

The pain often comes from strained tendons (tendinitis) and irritation or softening of the cartilage that lines the underside of the kneecap (chondromalacia patellae).

These problems begin when the kneecap does not move properly and rubs against the lower part of the thigh bone. This may happen because:

• You have flat feet
• The kneecap and the two other bones that make up the knee joint don't line up well (this is called poor alignment of the patellofemoral joint)
• There is tightness or weakness of the muscles on the front and back of your thigh
• You've done too much activity, which places extra stress on the kneecap (such as running, jumping or twisting, skiing, and playing soccer)

Other possible cause of anterior knee pain include:

• Arthritis
• Cartilage injury
• Dislocation of the patella, which means the kneecap has been pulled out of place
• Fracture of the kneecap
• Pinching of the inner lining of the knee with knee movement (synovial impingement, or plica syndrome)

Review Date: 06/13/2010
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine; and C. Benjamin Ma, Assistant Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).