“Knee Cap Pain?”

You may have a problem with the way your knee cap is tracking, or some arthritis on the underside of your knee cap. Another possibility is a bursitis. You should see a medical professional to evaluate- it can frequently be treated with exercise or physical therapy.

The next question to ask is, is the knee cap tender? Does it make the pain worse to put pressure on the knee cap and try to move the knee? If so, it may be chondromalacia.

Klee Bethel

Good morning. There are two major reasons for pain in the area of the kneecap. The first would be pain that’s outside of the kneecap itself. This would be applying to direct pressure over the front of the kneecap. This is due to what’s called a prepatellar bursitis. You may have some very mild swelling. You may feel like there’s a hard object or piece of Cartlidge or calcium in this area. But it will be painful to direct contact such as touching it hard or kneeling on the knee. The second major pain would be that which is actually being felt in the knee but as a result of abnormality in the interval between the kneecap and the thigh bone. This is usually due to chondral damage. If you are having swelling, catching, feeling of giving way or increasing noise within the knee. This is likely the problem. The first problem is treated by avoiding the activities causing the pain. This would mean using kneepads if you’re crawling on your knees not doing as much squatting and kicking or other things that add stress to the front of the knee. This usually resolves with time and occasionally a treatment with some ice or a possible injection of steroid. The second problem is treated with physical therapy initially and subsequently if there’s no improvement in MRI and possible surgical intervention. Good luck

Knee Cap Pain is very common amongst adolescents particularly when they participate in sports which require running and jumping. If the pain is on top it could be from inflammation of the bursa which is a lining on top of your kneecap. It could also be arising from inflammation of the kneecap itself. You should consult your family doctor, a physical therapist or athletic trainer for instructions on proper exercise and activity modification. Bracing sometimes helps. If the pain becomes more significant physical therapy can be helpful. If these measures do not help, you should consult a sports physician or a pediatric orthopedic surgeon for further evaluation and recommendations.