Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsChondromalacia PatellaArthritisLigament InjuriesPatellofemoral Pain SyndromeDiagnosisTreatmentPreventionFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Chondromalacia Patella
Arthritis
Ligament Injuries
Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
Frequently Asked Questions
Chondromalacia patella(an overuse injury) andarthritisare two of the most common causes of pain in the knees when climbing stairs. A ligament injury or a condition known as patellofemoral pain syndrome could also be to blame.
Each can take a seemingly benign task like stair climbing and turn it into a challenging endeavor, as well as cause other issues.
This article explains each of these causes of knee pain that occurs when you climb stairs, including symptoms they cause, who is most at risk, and how they are diagnosed and treated.
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Chondromalacia patella, also called “runner’s knee,” occurs when the smooth, slippery cartilage that lines the back of your knee cap (patella) begins to soften and break down. When it functions correctly, as your knee bends and straightens, the patella slides up and down in a groove at the bottom of your upper leg bone (called the femoral groove).
But people with chondromalacia patella experience increased amounts of rubbing and friction. This extra friction occurs due to this cartilage breakdown, and it can irritate your joint.
Symptoms
One of the hallmark signs of chondromalacia patella is a dull, achy pain centered in the area behind the knee cap. This condition can also cause soreness below, inside, or outside your patella as well.
A primary complaint of those with this condition is soreness when doing certain activities, like:
Causes and Risk Factors
Several different risk factors can make you more likely to develop chondromalacia patella. These include:
Chondromalacia patella is also more frequently seen in individuals who participate in endurance sports like running or biking.In this situation, muscular imbalances cause the kneecap to track improperly in the femoral groove, leading to repetitive rubbing and irritation.
As the cartilage breakdown progresses, the space between the bones in the knee (tibia, fibula, and patella) diminishes. When this happens, damage to one or several of them can develop, referred to as arthritis.
While there are many different varieties of this condition, the most prevalent isosteoarthritis(OA), a degenerative (wear-and-tear) form of arthritis.
Symptoms of Arthritis
Both chondromalacia patella and arthritis can make climbing the stairs, walking, and squatting quite painful. However, several other symptoms can help you distinguish between the two conditions.
Signs of knee OAinclude:
Osteoarthritis typically occurs in middle- and older-aged individuals. In addition, knee stiffness and swelling (particularly in the morning and after long periods of sitting down) can make it difficult to bend or straighten the knee. This stiffness can cause the first few steps of the day to be sore and challenging.
Who Develops Arthritis?
Anyone can develop arthritis, but multiple different factors can put you at a greater risk. These include:
There are four different ligaments in the knee that can be injured. These include:
Symptoms of a Ligament Injury
Ligament injuries can cause pain when walking up stairs. It can be hard to tell the difference between a ligament injury and another type of knee injury. Often, these symptoms will appear immediately after an incident such as a sports accident or car crash. It’s important to see your healthcare provider if you have:
Why Ligament Injuries Occur
These injuries often happen as the result of an impact or sudden twisting of the knee. You are at higher risk for a ligament injury if:
A sudden impact such as something you might experience during a car accident can also cause a ligament injury.
Patellofemoral pain syndrome describes dull pain that occurs around the kneecap.
Symptoms of Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
Patellofemoral pain syndrome can cause pain when you are active or after you’ve been sitting with bent knees for long periods of time. You may also experience:
These symptoms are similar to some other causes of knee pain. This is why it is important to see a healthcare provider if you experience any pain in your knee.
Causes of Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
When you see a doctor about knee pain that occurs when you climb the stairs, the first thing they will do is a physical exam. In addition, they will review your medical history and all of your symptoms.
Imaging the knee is the next step, but the type of study you’ll get depends on what your provider suspects is causing your pain.
Many knee injuries can be well-managed with conservative measures initially, especially when the symptoms are mild to moderate. The suggestions below may help relieve the pain you feel when going up stairs.
Chondromalacia patella is common in people who participate in repetitive activities like running. Therefore, chondromalacia can often be “cured” with rest and physical therapy. In addition, the following therapies may help:
Physical therapy can help build up strength and flexibility in your leg muscles. In addition, this work can help reduce the forces placed on the knee itself and improve the tracking of your knee cap. Your therapist may also work with you to modify your running or biking form to reduce your knee pain.
Chondromalacia Exercises to Relieve Knee Pain
Like chondromalacia, you can improve arthritis pain using theRICEprinciple (rest, ice, compression, elevation). In addition, the following may benefit knee arthritis:
Bed rest or remaining sedentary is rarely an effective solution. Instead, try riding a stationary bike with minimal resistance or going for a short walk. These activities can help loosen up a stiff knee and improve your overall soreness.
Physical therapy strengthens your supporting hip and knee muscles and improves overall flexibility.
Unfortunately, in some cases, conservative treatment is not effective in relieving your symptoms. In that case, surgery may be necessary. Surgery for knee arthritis may involve a partial or total knee replacement.Outpatient therapyis needed afterward.
You can also manage a knee ligament injury at home with the RICE principle:
Knee-strengthening exercises can be helpful as you recover. You should wear a knee brace during activity and limit those activities that put strain on the knee.
Some ligament injuries require surgery.
The most important treatment for patellofemoral pain syndrome is rest. You should avoid doing any vigorous activities until you can do so without experiencing pain.
Additional treatment for patellofemoral pain syndrome includes pain management, RICE, and strengthening exercises. For example:
Summary
A healthcare provider diagnoses these conditions through imaging techniques, like X-rays and MRIs. Treatment may vary slightly depending on the cause, but rest, ice, and physical therapy usually help all these conditions.
Why Do I Experience Knee Pain While Going Down Stairs?
Frequently Asked QuestionsStrengthening your leg muscles can improve your mobility and make it easier to handle stairs when you have arthritis. Exercise, proper nutrition, and reducing inflammation are the best ways to strengthen those muscles.Learn MoreStraight Leg Lifts for Muscle StrengthDepending on the severity of the injury and your overall health, you might make a full recovery in weeks or months. However, about half of those who experience chondromalacia patella continue to have pain and symptoms for two to eight years.Learn MoreHow Runner’s Knee Is TreatedRepetitive stress on the knee can cause patellofemoral pain syndrome, also known as chondromalacia patella or runner’s knee.It refers to the breakdown of cartilage under the knee cap.Learn MoreWhat Is the Patellofemoral Joint?
Strengthening your leg muscles can improve your mobility and make it easier to handle stairs when you have arthritis. Exercise, proper nutrition, and reducing inflammation are the best ways to strengthen those muscles.Learn MoreStraight Leg Lifts for Muscle Strength
Strengthening your leg muscles can improve your mobility and make it easier to handle stairs when you have arthritis. Exercise, proper nutrition, and reducing inflammation are the best ways to strengthen those muscles.
Learn MoreStraight Leg Lifts for Muscle Strength
Depending on the severity of the injury and your overall health, you might make a full recovery in weeks or months. However, about half of those who experience chondromalacia patella continue to have pain and symptoms for two to eight years.Learn MoreHow Runner’s Knee Is Treated
Depending on the severity of the injury and your overall health, you might make a full recovery in weeks or months. However, about half of those who experience chondromalacia patella continue to have pain and symptoms for two to eight years.
Learn MoreHow Runner’s Knee Is Treated
Repetitive stress on the knee can cause patellofemoral pain syndrome, also known as chondromalacia patella or runner’s knee.It refers to the breakdown of cartilage under the knee cap.Learn MoreWhat Is the Patellofemoral Joint?
Repetitive stress on the knee can cause patellofemoral pain syndrome, also known as chondromalacia patella or runner’s knee.It refers to the breakdown of cartilage under the knee cap.
Learn MoreWhat Is the Patellofemoral Joint?
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cleveland Clinic.Knee pain.Arthritis Foundation.Chondromalacia patella.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Osteoarthritis.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee (2nd edition).Zwart A, Dekker J, Lems W, Roorda L, Esch M, Leeden M.Factors associated with upper leg muscle strength in knee osteoarthritis: A scoping review.J Rehabil Med. 2018;50(2):140-150. doi:10.2340/16501977-2284Collins NJ, Barton CJ, Middelkoop M van, et al.2018 Consensus statement on exercise therapy and physical interventions (Orthoses, taping and manual therapy) to treat patellofemoral pain: recommendations from the 5th International Patellofemoral Pain Research Retreat, Gold Coast, Australia, 2017.Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(18):1170-1178. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2018-099397Mellinger S, Neurohr GA.Evidence based treatment options for common knee injuries in runners.Annals of Translational Medicine. 2019;0(0):6-6. doi:10.21037%2Fatm.2019.04.08
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cleveland Clinic.Knee pain.Arthritis Foundation.Chondromalacia patella.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Osteoarthritis.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee (2nd edition).Zwart A, Dekker J, Lems W, Roorda L, Esch M, Leeden M.Factors associated with upper leg muscle strength in knee osteoarthritis: A scoping review.J Rehabil Med. 2018;50(2):140-150. doi:10.2340/16501977-2284Collins NJ, Barton CJ, Middelkoop M van, et al.2018 Consensus statement on exercise therapy and physical interventions (Orthoses, taping and manual therapy) to treat patellofemoral pain: recommendations from the 5th International Patellofemoral Pain Research Retreat, Gold Coast, Australia, 2017.Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(18):1170-1178. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2018-099397Mellinger S, Neurohr GA.Evidence based treatment options for common knee injuries in runners.Annals of Translational Medicine. 2019;0(0):6-6. doi:10.21037%2Fatm.2019.04.08
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Cleveland Clinic.Knee pain.Arthritis Foundation.Chondromalacia patella.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Osteoarthritis.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee (2nd edition).Zwart A, Dekker J, Lems W, Roorda L, Esch M, Leeden M.Factors associated with upper leg muscle strength in knee osteoarthritis: A scoping review.J Rehabil Med. 2018;50(2):140-150. doi:10.2340/16501977-2284Collins NJ, Barton CJ, Middelkoop M van, et al.2018 Consensus statement on exercise therapy and physical interventions (Orthoses, taping and manual therapy) to treat patellofemoral pain: recommendations from the 5th International Patellofemoral Pain Research Retreat, Gold Coast, Australia, 2017.Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(18):1170-1178. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2018-099397Mellinger S, Neurohr GA.Evidence based treatment options for common knee injuries in runners.Annals of Translational Medicine. 2019;0(0):6-6. doi:10.21037%2Fatm.2019.04.08
Cleveland Clinic.Knee pain.
Arthritis Foundation.Chondromalacia patella.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Osteoarthritis.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee (2nd edition).
Zwart A, Dekker J, Lems W, Roorda L, Esch M, Leeden M.Factors associated with upper leg muscle strength in knee osteoarthritis: A scoping review.J Rehabil Med. 2018;50(2):140-150. doi:10.2340/16501977-2284
Collins NJ, Barton CJ, Middelkoop M van, et al.2018 Consensus statement on exercise therapy and physical interventions (Orthoses, taping and manual therapy) to treat patellofemoral pain: recommendations from the 5th International Patellofemoral Pain Research Retreat, Gold Coast, Australia, 2017.Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(18):1170-1178. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2018-099397
Mellinger S, Neurohr GA.Evidence based treatment options for common knee injuries in runners.Annals of Translational Medicine. 2019;0(0):6-6. doi:10.21037%2Fatm.2019.04.08
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