Knee pain or tenderness

A pain scale is a way for you to measure your pain and keep track of what works best to control it. Most pain scales use numbers from 0 to 10: 0 means no pain and 10 means the worst pain you have known or felt. Use the list below to find the number that best describes your pain.

• 0 = No pain
• 1 to 5 = Mild pain
• 6 to 7 = Moderate pain
• 8 to 9 = Severe pain
• 10 = Worst pain possible

Knee pain and tenderness is often caused by increased activity or overuse. You can sometimes relieve the pain by resting and using home treatment.

Injuries

Injuries can cause of knee pain. You may not remember the injury if your symptoms began gradually or during everyday activities.

• Acute injuries such as sprains, strains, tears in the meniscus, fractures, or dislocations may be caused by a direct blow to the knee or from twisting or bending the knee abnormally. You may have sudden, severe knee pain and bruising and swelling may develop quickly. Your knee or lower leg may feel numb, tingly, weak, or cold or may look pale or blue if nerves or blood vessels have been injured or pinched during the injury.
• Overuse injuries (such as bursitis, patellofemoral pain syndrome, or tendinitis) occur from repeated movements, such as too much stair climbing, bicycle riding, jogging, jumping, or kneeling.

Knee problems

Pain that is not caused by a direct injury may occur in or around the knee.

• Osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease) may cause knee pain that is worse in the morning and improves during the day. It often develops at the site of a previous injury. Other types of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, and lupus, also can cause knee pain, swelling, and stiffness.
• Osgood-Schlatter disease causes pain, swelling, and tenderness in the front of the knee below the kneecap. It is especially common in boys ages 11 to 15.
• A popliteal (or Baker's) cyst causes swelling in the back of the knee.
• Osteochondritis dissecans causes pain and decreased movement when a piece of bone or cartilage or both inside the knee joint loses blood supply and dies.
• Infection in the skin (cellulitis), joint (infectious arthritis), bone (osteomyelitis), or bursa (septic bursitis) can cause pain and decreased knee movement.
• A problem elsewhere in the body, such as a pinched nerve or a problem in the hip, can sometimes cause knee pain.