Anterior Knee Pain (AKP)

In sports media and reporting, we’ll often read headlines of our favourite athletes and their courageous and successful return to the playing field after an ACL, PCL or meniscus injury. These athletes often undergo surgery and are put through rigorous rehabilitation. For these athletes and their fans, this process can be especially frustrating and grueling.

Everyone who follows or plays sport has either heard, read, or experienced one of these stories.

There is a little known and less sexy problem that is certainly more common in athletes and non-athletes alike – anterior knee pain. Anterior knee pain, or AKP is a broad categorization of various conditions where people report pain located at the front of their knee. While there is much less chance that these knees are unstable and pursue a surgical intervention, they can be equally painful, and the recovery can be equally lengthy.

Common diagnoses that come under the AKP umbrella include:

·       Patellofemoral pain (Kneecap pain)

·       Hoffa’s fat pad syndrome (No your knee isn’t overweight, so don’t look offended)

·       Patella or Quadriceps tendinopathy (Knee tendon injury)

·       Patellofemoral osteoarthritis (OA underneath the kneecap)

·       Intra-articular injury (trauma to the cartilage)

Symptoms can include:

·       Pain with ascending/descending stairs

·       Pain with walking/running/jumping

·       Difficulty with squatting and kneeling

·       Swelling at the front of the knee

As a physiotherapist, I can find it helpful to try to identify which structures may be contributing to the pain and/or swelling, as different structures will respond to interventions in their own way. However, physiotherapy interventions don’t have to be too specific. Common approaches will include:

·       Strengthening the quadriceps and gluteal muscles

·       Reducing or modifying aggravating activities

·       Increasing activity levels – especially in the case of OA

A helpful strategy is to figure out what amount of pain is safe to exercise or work with. Every person will have a certain amount of pain that they can safely continue exercising with, but figuring out the “ideal” amount can take some planning and persistence. I’ve seen many clients who have been dealing with AKP for multiple years, and often they’ve ceased playing sport or participating in activities they enjoy. Often the symptoms are accompanied by the feeling that they will never get better, or they feel the symptoms will get worse as they get older.

These lines of thinking are certainly ill-informed. Often, we can’t change the injury or pathology itself, but we can make changes to how the knee moves, how strong it is, and certainly how capable it is. If we can do this, and if I can help you feel more confident in doing the things you enjoy, clients will often experience and improvement in their knee pain. This comes down to the amazing and adaptable nature of our bodies, which takes patience, consistency, and time.

If you’ve been dealing with knee pain despite treatments, surgeries and lots of $$. Book an appointment at PhysioPM today.