Dr Tom Smallman explains how he first became interested in anterior knee pain.
First published 2018, and reviewed August 2023 by Dr Sheila Strover (Clinical Editor)
An alternative viewpoint on anterior knee pain - course
- INTRODUCTION: Anterior Knee Pain - a symptom complex
- INTRODUCTION: Why is Anterior Knee Pain such a problem?
- CLINICAL CASES - Case 1
- CLINICAL CASES - Case 2
- CLINICAL CASES - Case 3
- CLINICAL CASES - Case 4
- CLINICAL CASES - Case 5
- BACKGROUND ANATOMY - Anterior compartment of the knee
- BACKGROUND ANATOMY - The Fat Pad
- BACKGROUND ANATOMY - The Infrapatellar Plica
- BACKGROUND ANATOMY - how the fat pad and infrapatellar plica form
- BACKGROUND PHYSIOLOGY - Kinematics of the knee
- BACKGROUND PHYSIOLOGY - Knee pain in general
- TAKEHOME MESSAGE - The surgical technique of Untethering the Fat Pad
What is 'Anterior Knee Pain'?
Anterior knee pain is a symptom complex, dominated by 'pain in the front of the knee'.
This characteristic pain tends to be associated with:
- forced activities -- squatting, weight bearing activities, running.
- prolonged sitting – producing stiffness, pain, or both, relieved by straightening (extending) the knee.
- on getting up from sitting, the pain may be severe, then diminishes and even disappears as the individual keeps walking.
- the “theatre sign” in some - where the individual seeks to sit at the end of any row of chairs, to allow the relief afforded by knee extension and even standing up.
- problems with walking - where the person may exhibit weakness, giving way of the knee, and 'catching'.
- stair climbing producing pain when weight is applied on the leg, when going up or down stairs.
- snapping, popping, or crunching in the knee occurring with activity as simple as walking, that may be accompanied by pain, which may be so severe that the individual feels that the knee locks.
BACK TO COURSE INTRODUCTION: An alternative viewpoint on Anterior Knee Pain
NEXT PART: INTRODUCTION: Why is Anterior Knee Pain such a problem?
-