Pain in and around your knee cap is referred to medically as ‘Patello-femoral joint syndrome’. The patello femoral joint is the joint that is made by the back of the knee cap (patella) with the front and lower part of the thigh (femur). Patello femoral joint pain is often made worse by activities such as walking down hill or down stairs, sitting for long periods of time or any weight bearing activities that involve the knee bending, such as squatting down.

The knee cap, which sits above the femur, is required to track and glide in a groove in the femur. When there are abnormal forces affecting the mobility of the knee cap it results in poor gliding of the knee cap in it’s groove. This leads to irritation of soft tissue structures and cartilage.

There are many reasons as to why abnormal forces will affect your patello-femoral joint. It is important to have these accurately assessed and diagnosed so optimal treatment and rehabilitation can then occur. These factors can include abnormal biomechanics at the hip joint which can be structural or due to muscle imbalance. Often weakness of the hip stabilising muscles can occur and these play an important role in the patello femoral joint biomechanics. Tight muscles along the outside of the thigh and knee will pull laterally on the knee cap, and coupled with weak stabilising muscles on the inside of the knee, it results in mal tracking of the patella. Foot biomechanics can also affect the patello-femoral joint and these need to be corrected.

A physiotherapist will assess all of these factors and then devise a treatment plan best suited to the individual’s presentation. Physiotherapy and rehabilitation can include soft tissue massage, muscle strength and conditioning at the hip and knee joints, stretches, acupuncture in some cases, specific strapping techniques and the fitting of or referral for orthotics from a Podiatrist.

The pain can occur through injury or arise without seemingly any due cause. If you suffer from pain in and around the knee, and it’s not settling, it’s time to do something about it. It is important to not let this condition persist as it will continue to cause irritation and ongoing dysfunction.