Knee pain is one of the most common reasons people see a healthcare provider. The cause often depends on your age and how it started: a twist in sport, gradual aching with age, or pain around the kneecap from overuse. Most knee pain improves with the right exercises.
Imagine your knee aching after a long weekend of stairs and kneeling during a house move. It’s stiff in the mornings and complains on the stairs. You start avoiding using it, and it gets weaker and stiffer. The surprising fix for many knees is the opposite: gentle, regular strengthening.
Common causes
- Sprains and strains from overuse or minor injury
- Pain around the kneecap (patellofemoral pain), common in young and active people
- Osteoarthritis, common in older adults
- Ligament or cartilage (meniscus) injuries from twisting
- Bursitis from kneeling
- Gout or other inflammatory conditions
What helps
- Keep active within comfort; rest only briefly after an injury
- Strengthen the thigh and hip muscles with simple exercises
- Ice or heat and simple painkillers for comfort
- Supportive footwear and, if overweight, gradual weight loss to reduce load
- Physiotherapy if pain persists
But when is knee pain urgent?
Get urgent help if you can’t put weight on the leg after an injury, the knee looks deformed, swells quickly after a twist, locks and won’t straighten, or is hot, red and swollen with a fever (possible joint infection). See a doctor soon if it keeps giving way.
Your next step: Try 10 slow sit-to-stands from a chair, twice a day, for two weeks. Strong thighs take load off the knee. If it hurts more, stop and get advice.
Sources: NHS (Knee pain), American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, NICE guideline on osteoarthritis, World Health Organization (Musculoskeletal health). This guide is for general information and does not replace advice from your own nurse, doctor or physiotherapist.
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