Conditions

KNEE PAIN
The knee joint is made up of two main bones, the femur above and the tibia below with one accessory bone, the patella or knee cap in front. The knee is held together mainly by ligaments and muscle/tendon units surrounding the joint. In walking and running the knee is placed under lots of stress as it helps absorb the force of the body striking the ground while bending and straightening. While doing this the joint must remain stable and all the bones should move over each other smoothly. Because the knee joint is under so much repeated stress it often can become painful while walking or running apart from sudden injuries such as a knock during contact sports.

“Runners knee” or patella femoral syndrome is one of the most common complaints in the knee which occurs in runners and non-runners alike. This is a condition whereby the knee cap, which should run through a grove on the front of the femur, moves to one side causing bone to rub against bone causing inflammation and damage to the cartilage. This is usually due to the feet rolling in too far or over-pronating making the knees become more knock kneed. This situation can also sometimes make the sides of the knees sore as the soft tissues are stretched and the femur and tibia rub against each other placing pressure on the cartilage between them.

A podiatrist will often treat this by attempting to stop the feet from over pronating and realigning the knees. This is done using footwear, exercise and orthoses. Physical therapy may also be needed. Other knee related conditions include Osgood Schlatters seen in children, tendon injuries, ligament strains and Condromalacia Patellae.