4/7/2019 Medial Knee Pain - Common Causes of Inner Knee Pain

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Medial Knee Pain

KneePainExp

Written By: Chloe Wilson, BSc(Hons) Physiotherapy

Reviewed by: KPE Medical Review Board See Also
Medial knee pain is pain that occurs on the inner side of Knee Pain Diagnosis Chart
the knee and can be due to a number of problems.
Top 10 Knee Treatments
There are a number of structures on the medial side of
the knee and problems in any one or more of these can
cause pain.
Visitor Comments
Symptoms may come on gradually over time or may
develop suddenly after a knee injury. There may be a “This is one of the best self-help & info
general inner knee pain, movement may be restricted or sites of any medical condition I've ever
there may be a sharp pain. seen. Excellent work.” Amy, UK

It is very common to get pain on the medial side of the "Your site and exercises have been a
knee, because muscle weakness and/or tightness, which lifesaver! The explanations are so
is very common, can subtly change the way the knee moves. clear. Thanks for your help and
excellent work." Claire, US

What Causes Medial Knee Pain? "Your website is a gold mine, thank you
very much."
Gavril, Denmark
Here we look at the most common causes of inner knee pain. See which one sounds
most like your problem and then use the relevant links to find out loads more about "I LOVE your website. Out of all the
each condition including symptoms and treatment options for each. others, yours is so informational and
easy to read." Michelle, US
MCL Tear
"This is the best site dealing with knee
An MCL tear is the most common cause of medial knee pain in people under the age of problems that I have come across. I
50. will be putting the stretches and
exercises into practise. Thank you!"
What is it: Damage to some or all of the fibres of the Margaret, S. Africa
medial collateral ligament on the inner side of the knee
"Brilliant website - highly
Symptoms: Sudden onset from sudden twisting or a force recommended! And as nurse (25yrs
through the outside of the knee. Medial knee pain with exp) its written expertly and is very
flexion, swelling, bruising, instability, stiffness explanatory and easy to understand.
Thank you!" Jo, UK
Aggravating Activities: Bending the leg, walking, stairs,
sports [?]Subscribe To This Site

Features: There are three grades of MCL tear, depending

on how severely you have damaged the ligament

Treatment Options: PRICE, knee brace, exercises

Find out more about MCL Tears This site complies with the
HONcode standard
Medial Cartilage/Meniscus Tear for trustworthy
health information.
What is it: A tear in the cartilage lining on the inner side of the knee joint, known as Verify here
the meniscus

Symptoms: Sudden onset with awkward twisting or a force through the knee, or
gradual onset through wear and tear. Causes medial knee pain, swelling, locking,
instability and difficulty straightening the leg

Aggravating Activities: Walking, running, squatting, stairs especially going up

Features: There are four types of meniscus tear depending on how the cartilage has
torn

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4/7/2019 Medial Knee Pain - Common Causes of Inner Knee Pain

Treatment: PRICE, exercises, surgery

Find out more about Meniscus Tears

Pes Anserine Bursitis

What is it: Inflammation of the pes anserine bursa, a
small fluid-filled sac the reduces friction

Symptoms: Gradual onset

of medial knee pain
approximately 2-3 inches
below the knee joint, swelling,
stiffness, weakness and
affects sleep

Aggravating
Factors: Climbing stairs,
resisted knee flexion and
exercise. Most common in overweight middle aged women or runners and swimmers

Treatment: Rest, ice, stretches, strengthening exercises, corticosteroid injections or

occasionally surgery

Find out more about Pes Anserine Bursitis

Arthritis
What is it: Wear and tear most commonly to the cartilage lining the medial side of
the joint

Symptoms: Typically come on gradually and include

morning stiffness, inner knee pain, swelling,
clicking/grinding, reduced leg movements. Most
common over the age of 50

Aggravating Activities: Worse after prolonged

rest or activity, cold weather

Features: There are three classification stages of

osteoarthritis, mild, moderate and severe based on
how badly the joint is affected.

Treatment: Depends on the severity but arthritis treatments include exercises,

medication, heat/ice, acupuncture, injections and knee braces

Find out more about Arthritis

Medial Plica Syndrome

What Is It: Inflammation of a fold in the
synovial membrane on the inner side of the knee

Symptoms: Anteromedial knee pain,

tenderness, audible clicking sound when you
move your knee

Aggravating Activities: Frequent knee

bending and straightening, stairs, getting up
after sitting or lying, squatting

Treatment: Knee exercises, anti-inflammatories, rest, surgery

What Is Causing My Inner Knee Pain?

Let's have a look at the common symptoms associated with medial knee pain and what
they typically indicate:

1. Pain On Inside Of Knee No Swelling: If there is no swelling, it is likely only

a minor injury such as a small cartilage tear or a grade 1 sprain of the MCL

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2. Inner Knee Pain Running: Most typically a cartilage tear or Runners Knee

3. Inner Knee Pain When Straightening Leg: Pes Anserine Bursitis is the
main culprit here as the bursa can easily get squashed when straightening the knee

4. Medial Knee Pain With Flexion: Most medial knee pain gets worse with knee
flexion, especially when weight bearing through the leg. If it's worse when standing it
may indicate MCL tear or meniscus tear, if it happens when you are sitting and
bending, it may be pes anserine bursitis

5. Anterior Medial Knee Pain: If the medial pain is coming round to the front of
the knee, it may actually be a problem with the knee cap or Runners Knee

6. Medial Knee Pain When Sitting Cross Legged: Most likely there is a
meniscus tear as this position places extra stress on the cartilage

7. Medial Knee Pain After Sitting or Lying: Inner knee pain that is at its worse
when you first move the knee after sitting or lying down for a while tends to be due to
knee arthritis. The pain usually eases once you are up and about. It could also be due
to Plica Syndrome.

Why Is Medial Knee Pain So Common?

It is very common to get pain on the medial side of the knee, because muscle weakness
and/or tightness, which is very common, can subtly change the way the knee moves.

This causes more force to go through the inner side of the joint, rather than distributing
weight evenly through the whole joint, which results in damage to the inner side of the
knee and therefore pain is felt medially. For example, it is much more common to get
osteoarthritis on the inner side of the knee than the outer side.

How Do You Treat Inner Knee Pain?

Inner knee pain treatment will depend on what is causing the problem. In most cases,
it helps to reduce any swelling and improve the strength and stability around the knee
to take the pressure off the knee joint. In some cases, surgery will be necessary.

You can find out loads more about the best treatment for each cause of inner knee pain
by reading the full articles list above.

Want to Know More?

Be aware that just because there is inner knee pain, doesn’t necessarily mean the
problem is on the inner side of the joint. Pain can refer from different places such as
the knee cap or even the back.

If your pain doesn’t sound quite like any of these problems, visit the Common Causes
of Knee Pain section to find out about the most common knee problems.

Alternatively, if would like some guidance with working out what is causing your
problem, visit the knee pain diagnosis section for help.

Remember, you should always see a doctor with any new onset of pain. To find out
more about these common causes of medial knee pain, choose from the links above.

Knee Pain Guide › Diagnosis › Medial Knee Pain

Page Last Updated: 18/03/19

Next Review Due: 18/03/21

Related Articles

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Outer Knee Pain Knee Pain Diagnosis Knee Pain Treatment

September 14, 2018 March 11, 2019 September 12, 2018

References
1. Journal of Orthopedics. Medial collateral ligament injuries. August 2017

2. The Surgery Journal. Synovial Plica Syndrome of the Knee: A Commonly

Overlooked Cause of Anterior Knee Pain. February 2017

3. Arthritis Research & Therapy Journal. Functional electrical stimulation of

gluteus medius reduces the medial joint reaction force of the knee during level
walking. November 2016

4. Muscles, Ligaments and Tendons Journal. Meniscus tear surgery and meniscus
replacement. May 2016

KneePainExp

Your Comments
Share your knee pain experiences with others, whether it be ideas, top tips, things that
worked well for you, problems you've had etc.......

218 Comments Sort by Newest

Add a comment...

Mayukha P Papabathina
Thankyou so much for this, it’s very much helpful. I have suffered
a lot from knee pain and then I came across an excercise routine
called isometric excercise (by Todd Kuslikis who studied Chinese,
herbal medicine as well as nutrition, acupunctureand internal
healing arts and also studied Nursing at Western Michigan
University, personal training) from where I've learnt that cellular
inflamation, postural misalignment, cartilage deterioration are the
main reasons for knee pain. Isometric exercises are a simple,
effective and easy exercise where you increase the tension in the
muscles without mo… See more
Like · Reply · 1w

Robyn Schomberg
Hi, I have had 2 half knee replacements within last 10 years I am
66. I am overweight and I want to go snow skiing but have extreme
tenderness from the knee down on the inside of my leg only. My
ski boots press on this and the pain is excrutiating. What can you
suggest it might be. I want to go skiing.
Like · Reply · 8w

William Self
Thank you for such helpful information. I would love to see your
Low Back Pain Explained and wonder if that might be in the works
or available. Your Knee Pain Explained support is Excellent.
Like · Reply · 17w

Merle Bonghanoy
i was not injured in any activities,but I over stretch my legs in
exercises forcing my legs to perform my aim to reach the flexibility
that I want.I think that,s the reason of my swollen knees pain,
espicially when I set for a long time and stand I can't walk right
away. It's hard also to get down the stairs.
Like · Reply · 20w
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Like Reply 20w

Shelleye McGuire
Bone degeneritive desease runs in the family. Im serously starting
to think this is really affecting my knees. Ive lost about 50 lbs and
almost to 200 lbs. My knees, especially my right one are hurting
really bad. It no longer an ache but a constant pain. My right knee
is to the point where i cannot straighten it completly. Now the left
knee is actally not giving me any problems right now. Though this
is the knee I dislocated over 7 yrs ago. Ive been to drs who have
told me I am too young for surgery. I want to know what I can do to
prevent this from getting any worse.
Like · Reply · 41w

Marguerite Schondebare
I have a hard lump on the inside of my knee a bit below the
kneecap. While it bothers me a bit during the day, it is so painful at
night that I wake up. This is especially so if that leg is resting on
the other.
Like · Reply · 1 · 45w

Justin M. Arter
I can't recall any injuries. I was skateboarding for the first time in
years when it first started to ache though.. I'm 32 and have been
skating stairs and rails since I was in elementary school. So, that
could have something to do with it. But I never specifically recall
injuring my knee. Mine is kind of a constant semi sharp ache that's
definitely on the inside, but doesn't seem to be related to the cap
in any way. I get it every day. Standing on it for lengths is the main
trigger. But sitting in low chairs with it bent is bothersome too. Oh
yeah, I almost forgot to mention that it's constan… See more
Like · Reply · 47w

Zelda Malander-English
i twisted my knee unexpectedly, just experienced a sharp pain at
the time. Now after a week I start to experience pain and
discomfort on the left inside of my right knee, and if I try to bend it
in any way. The worst is when I have been sitting for a while
driving of behind my desk; when getting up and try to walk, the
pain is excruciating. But as I walk it gets better, but still with that
throbbing soreness. My knee feels funny at times, as if a little
loose etc. I have checked google, and I seems like a grade1 or 2
MLC tear.??
Like · Reply · 3 · 1y

Lizzie Pimentel
I have the same issuse. did you evr find out what it is or
any treatment?
Like · Reply · 39w

Clare King
My daughter had a mild injury in January when doing a karate front
kick. She sat out for the rest of the session and we thought little of
it except that her knees began to give way and lock intermittently.
The leg would be in a straight lock and by manipulating the knee
on the medial side, I could get it to unlock but it would be sore
afterwards. Overtime, it got worse, the leg would lock more and
more, the pain was worse. The period of tine that the leg locked
got longer and longer. We went to our GP who arranged an X-ray
which showed nothing, we were referred to a paediatric consultant
in … See more
Like · Reply · 1y

Judi McDonough
Have been uffering with knee pain for the last 10 months, since
New Years Eve, Became worse after getting a cortisone short on
Sept 28, when ortho dr mistakenly injected cortisone into my tissue
rather than my knee joint. Suffered terribly when it crystallized &
felt like I was walking on glass. This feeling subsided to just painful
when walking then aching every night. Another cortisone shot in
knee two weeks later. Great effort but it seems cortisone doesn't
help my pain, aches, or walking. I don't feel any of these shots
have done a darn thing, other than when I use A5-35 or Voltaren &
Tylenol arthritis medication, at least 3 times a day.
HAS ANYONE EVER HEARD OF THESE SHOTS DOING
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ?
Like Reply 1y
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4/7/2019 Medial Knee Pain - Common Causes of Inner Knee Pain
Like · Reply · 1y

Dot Morgan
yes it is common for the shots to not do a thing my son
had similar happen and shot did nothing
Like · Reply · 48w

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