Decoding the Mystery: Unveiling the Cause of Front Knee Pain

Patellofemoral Pain!

In this blog we are going to dive into anterior knee pain also known as patellofemoral pain and use two real patient examples to explore the different causative factors of this common injury.

Patellofemoral pain is one of the most common injuries in young athletes, but commonly seen in everyday people going about everyday tasks too.

Anterior Knee Pain can occur due to trauma of the patella (knee cap) but is more commonly attributed to multiple other factors.

These factors can include overload of the patellofemoral joint, individual anatomical or biomechanical variations (how a person is built and moves), muscular weakness, imbalance or movement dysfunction, altered jumping, landing or cutting mechanics.

Just to name a few!

With this type of knee pain you will typically notice symptoms in or around the patellofemoral joint or knee cap in weight baring activities such as walking, running, jumping, climbing up or down stairs, or kneeling and squatting.

It is important to note that these are not the only symptoms that people will experience as each case presents slightly differently.

Any area circled and pointed to in green could be anterior knee pain!

Let's take a look a some real life examples!

We will use 2 of my recent patients as an example of two different presentations coming from the same sport.

Both are soccer players. Both are young athletic males and suffering anterior knee pain during training and games.

Patient A

This patient presented with a 1 week history of anterior knee pain after getting hit in the knee during a soccer game.

He was able to play out the rest of the game without pain.

But upon waking the next day began experiencing a sharp pain in his knee while walking on flat and especially when walking down stairs.

On physical examination of his knee he had slightly reduced knee range of movement due to pain on the affected side and tenderness with compression of his patella.

Performing resisted knee extension reproduced and caused this sharp pain. With a medial glide of his patella repeating the same movement relieved this sharp pain that he experienced.

Therefore a specific taping technique that provided this same medial glide to the patella was applied and again received his pain in resisted knee extension and with stairs. WIN!

Further testing during our consult, also revealed that this young male had reduced strength on the affected side around the hip.

It has been hypothesized in research that weak hip musculature can affect the angle at which your knee moves while walking and running.

This difference in angle is propertied to put more load on the patellofemoral joint and in turn causing joint irritation and an experience of pain.

With a combination of a graded exercise program targeted at knee and hip strength, along with a taping technique to relieve pain we were able to get patient A back playing soccer without pain in a very short period of time.

Patient B

Now let’s take a look this guy!

He presented to the clinic with a 3 week history of anterior knee pain that was slowly getting worse.

He was unable to describe a specific event that would have caused this pain.

When we dove a bit deeper into his history it was noted that he had quite a high training load with inadequate periods of recovery.

His pain presented similarly to patient A in that he had a sharp pain in his anterior knee with walking and climbing stairs.

During testing of his knee he also presented similarly to patient A, but with one main difference.

This difference was during his resisted knee extension test.

This test reproduced his sharp pain however we were able to relieve this pain this time with a lateral glide of his patella.

This again had a similar response to the same taping technique with a lateral glide. A good result to allow the joint to settle while we focused on two very important factors in his anterior knee pain!

We also provided education and guidance around modifing his training schedule and load to improve and optimise his recovery. As all tissues, including the knee, need time to adapt to the rigours of training and competition.

Patient B, was also provided with a sports specific, graded strength and conditioning program for him to complete at home to assist in doing the right exercises at the right time!

Like patient A, we were able to get him back training and playing soccer without pain in a similar time frame.

Not all Knee Pain is the Same!

Moral of the story here is that not all patellofemoral pain is the same.

Each case presents slightly differently and with the expert knowledge of your physiotherapist they will be able to identify some of the causative factors and guide you until you are pain free.

If you are suffering pain in the front of your knee during sport or in everyday life, please reach out and let us know.

Some simple tips and intervention early on really do speed up recovery and resolution of pain or symptoms!

Knee pain while running

Dean Phelps

Dean Phelps is the founding owner and senior physiotherapist at Fighting Fit Physiotherapy. He has a special interest in the highest physiotherapy care which focuses on progressive, results based treatments that ensures patients meet their goals, move optimally and enhance their health.

Brenda Samosa

05:52 07 Nov 24

I had a really bad shoulder and had been seeing a different physio for 3 months (from a different place) I got told Tyson was good. After just a few sessions the movement was coming back. I’m 66 and was worried I would have to stop surfing. But with a lot of help from Tyson I’m back in the waves ( thank you so so much)

Cyana Ferguson

08:16 30 Oct 24

Steve Harris

22:33 15 Oct 24

Great team, all friendly, super helpful and first class clinical advice and a big shout out to my Physio Noah with my shoulder issue

Andrea Bell

05:33 19 Sep 24

These guys are the best in the biz 🎉

Ryan Brockett

04:20 18 Sep 24

Shout out to Max from fighting fit physio. He helped me out massively straight after shoulder surgery and back into work and sports in no time. Couldn’t recommend anyone better!

Scotty

08:31 31 Jul 24

Five star service from Max & the team!
Professional & very thorough, you know that patient outcomes are of the highest priority.
I highly recommend this business.

Riley Wilson

08:27 14 Jul 24

Be AWARE they’ll immediately try to commit you to multiple follow up sessions after your initial consultation. This happened to me and then I later found out that as it just so happens, they have a cancellation policy that says you have to pay 100% of the consultation fee for cancelling. They failed to tell me this when they were pushy in committing me to 6 sessions after my consult, so that was a really nice little surprise.

I was already uncomfortable with how pushy they were in having me commit to so many sessions, so when I heard about the policy I just cancelled all together. So, I can’t speak further to the quality of their service throughout therapy phase. FYI this was also a few months ago now, it’s possible (though unlikely) they may have changed the policy. Just ask the question.

Megan Shelley

06:51 03 May 24

Fighting Fit Physiotherapy is hands down the best physio I've encountered. Having tried multiple physios for various injuries, I always find myself coming back to them. Their expertise consistently exceeds expectations, helping me get back to my sport faster than I thought possible. Their personalized approach and attention to detail make all the difference. I could not recommend a better or more exceptional physio team!

Gina Matthews

08:41 24 Mar 23

Can't recommend this place high enough. I was in so much pain with my knee an had been for months through advise an exercises I'm now looking forward to returning to gym an back riding my horses in endurance thank you so much

Courtney Halse

01:36 29 Nov 22

Kyle was knowledgeable, personable and professional. He saw me through my second pregnancy and continued to work with me until 6 months post partum on issues with my back. Would recommend anyone to go and see him.

Also shout out to Georgia on the front desk. She makes you feel welcome and brings a sense of warmth to the place!

Alli Davenport

08:07 04 Nov 22

After hip replacement surgery in February I wanted toget back into weight training legs, I started with Mitch 18 weeks ago and after a lot of hard work and sweat I am able to safely train again, I cannot thank Mitch enough for his support,encouragement and knowledge. The staff are friendly and helpful and I always looked forward to my session's

Robert Parkinson

10:50 15 Aug 22

This is the second time I have been treated by the team at FFP.
As a health professional myself I have been impressed with the level of care I have received from all members of the team.
The personalised treatment and rehabilitation programs have produced excellent results and I have completed both programs pain free and feeling stronger than before my injuries.
During the program there was constant communication and follow up and they were very accommodating with my work schedule.
All in all it was a very holistic experience and I would highly recommend the service.

Kiri Canavan

07:30 08 Jun 22

Tyson was amazing! We came up with an 8 week plan at my first consultation with weekly check ins and updates to exercises. 8 weeks later, I am pain free and able to train harder than ever. Highly recommend and the staff are all fantastic and super accomodating!

Patellofemoral Pain!

Let's take a look a some real life examples!

Patient A

Patient B

Not all Knee Pain is the Same!

The Desk Worker’s Guide to a Pain-Free Neck

Hip Osteoarthritis: Why It Hurts and How Physio Can Help

The #1 Mistake Athletes Make After an Ankle Injury

The Secret to Beating Back Pain? Walk This Way!

OPENING HOURS

HELPFUL PAGES

OPENING HOURS

HELPFUL PAGES

Our GOLD COAST PHYSIO Location

HELPFUL PAGES

fighting fit
physiotherapy

call 0402 938 661

fighting fit
physiotherapy

call 0402 938 661

OUR SERVICES

OPENING HOURS

Monday	6:30am	–	8:00pm
Tuesday	6:30am	–	8:00pm
Wednesday	6:30am	–	8:00pm
Thursday	6:30am	–	8:00pm
Friday	6:30am	–	8:00pm
Saturday			CLOSED
Sunday			CLOSED

Monday	6:30am	–	8:00pm
Tuesday	6:30am	–	8:00pm
Wednesday	6:30am	–	8:00pm
Thursday	6:30am	–	8:00pm
Friday	6:30am	–	8:00pm
Saturday			CLOSED
Sunday			CLOSED

Monday	6:30am	–	8:00pm
Tuesday	6:30am	–	8:00pm
Wednesday	6:30am	–	8:00pm
Thursday	6:30am	–	8:00pm
Friday	6:30am	–	8:00pm
Saturday			CLOSED
Sunday			CLOSED

Monday	6:30am	–	8:00pm
Tuesday	6:30am	–	8:00pm
Wednesday	6:30am	–	8:00pm
Thursday	6:30am	–	8:00pm
Friday	6:30am	–	8:00pm
Saturday			CLOSED
Sunday			CLOSED