Knee Pain Location

Source: www.drlox.com

I

 remember a Judo Black Belt. Tough, strong…the type of Judoka who spent hundreds of hours refining just one technique.  A man who would sweat through more gi tops in a week than an entire class of newbies would do in a month.

As fearless as he was in scrutinizing – and criticizing his own technique – he was doubly fearless in matching an opponent toe to toe.

Yet, one day, he met up with an opponent he couldn’t beat…a full out knee injury.

In  Judo  - as  in Jiu Jitsu, Hapikdo, etc. – if you lift someone over your shoulder - or over your hip - and rotate about face while, you may end up in trouble. Just a slight error in your body alignment, and the force of your partner’s weight will be borne entirely by your knees.

Knees do become worn down in the martial arts world. Too deep a stance, years of snapping while kicking, or being hit or swept off your feet once too often. I recall doing the old “duck walk” one time in a Jiu Jitsu class, when Sensei Hatashita ran out of his office and told us to stop.

“The American Medical Association just banned this exercise.  It’s no good for your knees!”

Often enough, I come across people who just seem to develop pain in one part of a knee without a specific reason. I always suggest that they seek the advice of a medical practitioner.  The cause might be as simple as a tight IT band; a little bit of massage and stretching, and the pain often disappears.

The following is a very brief and very cursive look at where pain might be located on a knee – and some very general reasons for that pain. Again, this information is not meant as a substitute for a professional diagnosis.

Original Source: www.kneesurgerygame.org

PAIN ABOVE THE KNEE

1.  Pain above the knee may suggest problems with the quadriceps tendon.

PAIN ON EITHER SIDE OF THE KNEE

2. Pain on either side of the knee can be due to injuries to the collateral ligaments, arthritis, or tears to menisci cartilage. Pain on the outside (lateral) part of the knee can also come from problems with the iliotibial band. 

PAIN AT THE FRONT OF THE KNEE

3.  Pain at the front of the knee can be due to a number of possible reasons -  bursitis, arthritis, or a softening of the patella (knee cap) cartilage known as chondromalacia patella or “runner’s knee”.

 PAIN AT THE BACK OF THE KNEE

4.  Pain in the back of the knee may be attributed to arthritis or cysts, known as Baker’s cysts rising from  an accumulation of joint fluid (synovial fluid) that forms behind the knee.

PAIN BELOW THE KNEE

5.  Pain below the knee may suggest Osgood-Schlatter disease, involving the patellar ligament usually in children up to about the age of 16.

Pain in the entire knee can come from bursitis, arthritis, a torn ligament, osteoarthritis, infection and injury. The knee joint can also feel unstable. Instability can arise from injury or wear and tear to the menisci, the collateral ligaments or problems with patellar tracking.

The following video offers an excellent overview of knee pain and its possible causes. Source: YouTube.  Nabil A. Ebraheim, MD.  If youu can't see this on your mobile device, please visit -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJB4eh-Vtz8&list=TLpmfaujWP7jtaCQw7BBhx56go38Zva3tH