Inner Knee Pain: A Guide to Common Causes and Effective Treatments

Nearly 25% of people suffer from knee pain.

Inner knee pain causes pain and is very common. Despite how common it is, inner knee pain also restricts movement and quality of life.

If you’re suffering from knee pain, keep reading to learn more about the causes of inner knee pain and what treatments and therapies are available to you.

What is The Inner Knee?

Your knee is a great asset to the body. Its complexity allows you to do so much activity and movement, that when anything goes wrong, it directly impacts your whole life. Inside the knee, you’ll find an array of ligaments, tendons, bones, and cartilage.

Another name for the inner knee is the medial knee and refers to the part of the knee that’s closest to your other knee.

Symptoms of Knee Pain

The pain in the knee can vary from sharpness of dull and anywhere in between.

You could experience:

• Swelling
• Stiffness
• Knee locking
• Brusing
• Redness
• Tender to the touch
• Popping when the knee moves

If you have any pain that’s causing serious health problems, contact your doctor.

Causes of Inner Knee Pain

Because there are so many different parts of the knee, there are several causes that could create pain.

Here are some of the most common causes of knee pain.

1. Osteoarthritis

In the knee, there’s plenty of cartilage. Cartilage is a flexible tissue that’s known as connective tissue.

When this cartilage wears down over time, this is when osteoarthritis happens. The cartilage protects your bones from wearing against each other. When the cartilage deteriorates, your bones basically grind against each other and it’s extremely painful.

2. Medial Collateral Ligament

Your medial collateral ligament, otherwise known as MCL, provides support to the joint. When you stretch it too far, it could result in injury.

You can also tear your MCL during sports or other activities. When an MCL injury occurs, you’re likely to see swelling at the injury site and trouble walking almost right away.

3. Arthritis

About 15 million people suffer from arthritis. Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints that results in stiffness and inability to achieve a full range of motion in your joints.

Arthritis in the knees is very common, especially rheumatoid arthritis, which is a type of autoimmune disorder.

4. Trauma or Injury

When you play sports or engage in other physical activities like running, biking, hiking, and the sort, you have a tendency to put your knee at risk.

Any type of force to the knee is likely to cause injury, especially if you’re not wearing protective gear or not playing with proper form. Falling can also result in a knee injury.

5. Bursitis

Bursitis happens because of a sack of fluid in the knee called a bursa. The bursa protects the muscles, bones, and tendons in your knee from coming in contact with each other.

Bursitis occurs when the bursa becomes inflamed and causes pain. Being overweight and having osteoarthritis are common reasons why bursa has inflammation.

6. Medial Plica Syndrome

The plica is a tissue that covers part of the knee. The majority of people have four plicas in the knee which allows you to move the knee.

When the plica becomes inflamed it’s usually because it’s overworked due to overactivity. If this happens it could result in your knees being locked.

Physical Therapy for Inner Knee Pain

Any type of injury or disease will result in knee pain and make everything more difficult. Thankfully, there are many ways you can treat or manage knee pain or even get to the source.

Physiotherapy

Physicotherapy, otherwise known as physical therapy, is one of the most common ways to treat knee pain especially after an injury. The goal of physical therapy is to strengthen the knee’s muscles so it can work properly again.

As prescribed by your doctor, the physical therapist will help you work through the injury and give you exercises and stretches to do. These benefits of physiotherapy will help movement become easier.

At-Home Treatments

If your knee injury is mild, there is pain relief for knees you can do at home.

Another way to treat knee pain is by icing it at the source of the pain. The ice will sooth the inflammation. Aim to ice your knee with an ice pack up to four times a day for 10-20 minutes or however is comfortable.

Taking over the counter medications might be a good way to relieve the pain so you can focus on healing. There also some anti-inflammatory medications that can reduce inflammation as well.

Resting the knee is also recommended. While the knee rests, the body can focus on healing. Overexerting the knee can lead to further injury.

Aside from the exercises your physical therapist may prescribe, there are exercises you can do at home to strengthen the knee. Many exercises like leg lifts, squats, or gentle activities like biking or swimming all work to create the knee.

Surgery

In very serious cases of knee injury and pain, there’s a possibility you may need surgery. Many people need Robotic knee replacement surgery and only a doctor or a surgeon can decide whether or not surgery is warranted.

Knee Pain: Get Help!

Inner knee pain can be a huge determent to your life, but it’s manageable and in some cases, treatable. When you reach out to your doctor, there are ways which they can recommend getting you help so you can enjoy movement again.

Do you need more fitness ideas to keep yourself strong and healthy? We’ve got some great fitness tips for you! Visit our fitness page to find more.