Knee pain is more common than you think. If it hurts even when you walk, it could be due to a problem and you should see a doctor or an orthopedic surgeon. Here is everything you need to know about knee pain when walking.

Reasons Your Knee Hurts When Walking

You Have Runner’s Knee

Runner’s knee is a condition that causes pain in the outside region of your kneecap and the area surrounding it. This pain doesn’t necessarily occur on the inside of your knee, it is more on the outside, but it is painful nonetheless.

This can be caused by overuse of the knee, poor management of kneecap injuries, and other things along the line. So, if you feel like the area surrounding your knee hurts, especially after walking, running, and even long periods of keeping your knee bent, then it is probably runner’s knee.

Your Knee Meniscus Is Tearing

The meniscus of the knee is a C-shaped spongy cartilage that acts as a shock absorber for all kinds of forces that impact the thigh and the shin bone. However, all cartilages can be subjected to damage and tears.

The meniscus of your knee can also tear, especially if you have stretched your knee beyond its limit or overused it a ton. Meniscus tears heal on their own, but while they’re torn, you will experience a bit of pain in the knee when you try to move it. So, keep it in mind.

Osteoarthritis Is The Problem

Osteoarthritis is a very common bone disorder that occurs in a lot of people. It can be age-related or it can be spontaneous, but the thing is that osteoarthritis causes bones to deteriorate from the inside. Arthritis is mainly the inflammation of joints and this inflammation, if prolonged and left untreated, can recede your joints and that is not good at all.

Osteoarthritis targets the major joints in your bones and your knees might be the perfect victim of osteoarthritis. This is one of main causes of joint pain in many people. So, you need to consult your doctor about nipping the inflammation and damage to the bones in the bud.

Tendinitis May Be The Culprit

Problems in tendons can also be an issue when your knee is involved. Tendons are the thick and thin ribbons of cartilage that hold the muscles together with the bones. So, these bands are really elastic, but that also doesn’t mean that they are indestructible. Tendons can have tension between them and if there comes a point when the tendons are no longer able to support the elasticity, they get torn.

This can happen if you overuse your knee a lot and this condition is known as tendinitis. The main symptom of this disorder is also pain in the knee when you’re walking and it also radiates up and down your knee.

Bursitis Can Be An Issue

Your body and the way it moves is a whole mechanism in itself. When you move your knee or extend it, the tendons and muscles glide over the bone and the joints also move in harmony. The reason why there is no wear and tear in the bones and joints is because of Bursae.

These are small fluid-filled sacs that cushion the tendons, muscles, and bones. However, if these sacs get punctured or inflamed, then they won’t be able to do their work and it will, in turn, cause immense pain in the knees. This is known as bursitis. Visit a podiatrist Woodbridge for knee pain relief and treatment.

You Have IT Band Syndrome

The Iliotibial band, also known as the IT band, goes from the hip bone all the way down to your thigh and knee. This band is located on the outside of your knee and if it’s tight, pulled, or even inflamed, then it will cause pain on the outside of your knee, especially when you engage your knee in walking or running.

So, if you feel very sharp pain in your knee and it is on the outside of the knee, then it is probably because of the iliotibial band syndrome and you have to get it checked by a doctor.

Your Ligaments Are Injured

Your knee is one complex joint and it consists of a lot of ligaments. Mainly, four ligaments are responsible for movement and better support of the knee and they are the ACL, PCL, MCL, and LCL. If any of these ligaments get torn, then you are in serious trouble, because pain in the knee will be the norm.

These ligaments help you to move your knee easily and facilitate other movements, so if the ligament is affected, all you will experience when you move your knee or even walk will be pain.

Gout

Gout is caused by the deposition of certain compounds that don’t belong in your body or the place of deposition. They are mainly crystal deposits and they find their way into your knees and other joints.

So, if you feel inflammation, warmth, and redness on your knees and very excruciating pain when you walk, then it is probably because you have gout. There are certain tests that you can get done to find out if you have gout or not, so it’s better to consult with your doctor in this regard.

What To Do About Knee Pain?

Now that you know all of the reasons why knee pain can be caused when you’re walking or taking a stroll, you have to figure out how to deal with it, because walking while you’re in pain can be really hard and you can’t just stop walking altogether forever. So, here is a list of things you can try out to alleviate your pain.

• Consult a doctor first. There can be many reasons for knee pain while you’re walking and these reasons have different diagnoses and treatment modes. So, visit your nearest doctor’s office and see what you’re dealing with.
• Are you walking too much? If that is the case, then you need to give your knees a break. If you are constantly walking and not resting, then that isn’t good either. Your body does need movement, but it also needs rest from time to time, so you want to ensure that you’re not getting carried away.
• Is your knee cold? Sometimes, the changing and dropping temperatures can cause knee pain too. So, if you love taking walks when it’s freezing out and you don’t cover your knees with either knee heating pads or some sort of protection from the chilly wind, then you might want to start doing that.
• The most basic form of treatment for knee pain is taking pain medication. There are tons of medications out there that you can either take over the counter or you can get a prescription from your doctor. There are also injections and topical creams that you can use for knee pain, but the best thing to do is to consult with your doctor first and then carry on with the pain management.

Conclusion

Knee pain when you’re walking is really common and now you know its possible reasons. See a knee injury doctor Woodbridge for diagnosis and a treatment plan.