Deep knee pain inside the joint:
- Most commonly is from arthritis and/or bone bruising.
- Rarely, deep bone pain could be a symptom of cancer.
Pain on the outside of the knee (lateral):
- Osteoarthritis (link to above)
- LCL injury (link to above)
- IT band syndrome (link to above)
- Patellofemoral syndrome (link to above)
- Lateral meniscus injury (link to above)
- Tibiofibular joint pain or looseness
- Common peroneal nerve irritation (link to above)
- Biceps femoris tendinopathy (irritation of the tendon of the outside hamstring muscle)
- Popliteus tendinopathy
Pain on the inside of the knee (medial):
- Osteoarthritis or other types of arthritis (link)
- MCL injury (link)
- Patellofemoral syndrome (link)
- Medial meniscus injury (link)
- Pes anserine tendinopathy/bursitis (link)
- Semimembranosus tendinopathy (irritation of the tendon of one of the inside hamstring muscles) (link)
- Saphenous nerve irritation (link)
Pain on the front of the knee (anterior):
- Osteoarthritis or other types of arthritis (link)
- Patellofemoral syndrome (link)
- Quadriceps tendinopathy/tear (link)
- Patellar tendinopathy/tear (“jumper’s knee”) (link)
- Hoffa’s fat pad impingement (pinching of the fat pad below the kneecap by the patellar tendon)
- Osgood-Schlatter disease (pulling of the patellar tendon where it attaches to the shinbone causing a painful bump, most common in children/adolescents)
- Lumbar nerve root pinching or irritation (link)
Pain in the back of the knee (posterior):
- Osteoarthritis or other types of arthritis (link)
- Baker’s cyst: often associated with medial meniscus tear
- Hamstring or gastrocnemius (calf) muscle tendinopathy or tearing
- Popliteus tear or tendinopathy
- Pinched nerve in the low back/sciatica
