Why Do Your Knees Hurt? — Understanding Causes of Knee Pains

Some have knee pain that only acts up when they sleep, and even getting a popular Essentia mattress or TempurPedic will not be enough to prevent their knees from aching. Others have problems when they play sports, but the athletic knee braces just don’t stop their pains. 

Not sure why your knees are hurting? Here are a few of the more common types of knee pain:

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis sets in when your body sees cartilage as an invader, and your immune system attacks the tissue in the same way that it attacks viruses and germs. It is a connective tissue disease that is very hard to treat, and it usually sets in around the finger, hand, elbow, and knee joints. Your immune system actually wears away at the cartilage, which causes your joints to swell up in order to stop the bones from rubbing together. This can lead to stiffness, aches, and pains in the joint.

Osteoarthritis

When you use the joint too much or move it the wrong way, the cartilage gets worn down. This wearing down is known as osteoarthritis, and it sets in when the cartilage between your knee joints degenerate to the point that your knee bones actually begin to rub against each other. This can be very painful, and it can seriously limit your mobility.

Bursitis

In between your joints, there are little sacs called bursae. When these little sacs become infected, receive a trauma, are worn out, or form crystalline arthritis deposits, they can become inflamed. The swollen sacs push against the bones of your knee, which can be very painful. They also limit your mobility, and you may find that your joints are very stiff thanks to this problem. Those that spend a lot of time on their knees can develop this problem – also known as housemaid’s knee and carpet layer’s knee.

Crystalline Arthritis

Also known as gout and pseudogout, crystalline arthritis is the result of sharp crystals forming around the knee joint. These crystals are formed either or uric acid (gout) or calcium pyrophosphate (pseudogout), and they can be very painful.

Jumper’s Knee

There is a risk of tendonitis forming where the thigh tendons meet the patella (knee bone), or where the tendons of the lower leg meets the knee. This is called jumper’s knee simply because it is most common among athletes that participate in sports that require a lot of jumping, such as basketball and volleyball. The pain is in the tendon rather than in the joint, but it is a strong pain that hurts more when you stress the tendon.

Iliotibial Band Syndrome

There is a ligament that runs along the outside of your pelvis, down your thigh, and to the outside of your tibia – called the Iliotibial Band. The band may tighten, and it will rub against the outside of your femur. This is common among marathon and distance runners.

These are just the more common types of knee pain, but there are many more – including Osgood-Schlatter Disease, Patellofemoral Syndrome, Chondromalacia Patella, and Infectious Arthritis.  Understanding the difference between the various knee problems can help you figure out what’s causing your pain, and help you know how to solve the problem!