Inner Knee Pains & Their Causes
Pain on the inner side of the knee is actually much more common than you might think. The underlying reason for such painful sensations can vary a lot and different kinds of knee injuries and/or conditions can be responsible for that. The inner part of your knee is called the medial compartment or medial knee and it is a part of your leg that remains closest to the other knee. Usually pains of the medial knee are caused by the deterioration of the cartilage. Sometimes blunt trauma or impacts and sports injuries can also cause painful sensations felt in this area. The knee joint has a complex structure and consists of several tendons, four ligaments, cartilage, and two menisci placed on the intersection of the four bones.
Usually, elderly people are more prone to develop pains of the inner knee area. However, even children, teens and adolescents can also develop inner knee pains. People normally develop inner knee pains after some kind of injury, a fall or increased physical activity. With children, the main factors leading to inner knee pains are patellar subluxation, Osgood-Schlatter disease and patellar tendonitis, also known as “jumper’s knee”.
Here is a list of the conditions that can lead to inner knee pains.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is one of the most common types of degenerative diseases that can break down the cartilage, thus causing the bones within the joints to effectively grind together. When you feel inner knee pain as you put pressure on the joint while walking, it can be an indication that you have osteoarthritis. The pain and other symptoms associated with osteoarthritis can become severe with every passing day.
Medial collateral ligament (MCL) injuries
The medial collateral ligament (MCL) plays a crucial role in stabilizing the knee joint by running along the outer part of the inner knee. An MCL sprain can develop when the ligament overstretches. The medial collateral ligament may also experience full or partial tearing. In many cases, injuries resulting from contact sports may lead to MCL injuries. Such injuries are associated with impacts to the outer knee. MCL injuries are characterized by symptoms such as swelling, locking knees, instability while walking or standing and a popping sound during impact.
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a type of autoimmune disease. Such a condition can even cause inner knee pains. Patients who have rheumatoid arthritis tend to suffer from joint inflammations that can lead to extreme inner knee pain during the morning hours as they wake up from sleep, with the pains decreasing gradually throughout the day.
Pes anserine bursitis
Pes anserine bursitis can be described as an inflammation affecting the bursa that is located between the shinbone or tibia and the three hamstring muscle tendons located at the inner part of the knee. The condition develops when the bursa gets irritated and generates an excess fluid that leads to swelling and excess pressure on adjacent areas of the knee. Treatment of the inner knee pains can be carried out by home remedies, medications, physical therapy, steroid injections, assistive devices and surgeries.
