For people living an active life, foot or ankle pain can easily be the underlying cause behind knee pain.  As our feet are the foundation of our bodies, foot and ankle problems can potentially affect EVERYTHING above and that includes your knees. Even though most knee injuries that are minor can be treated with home remedies and rest, sometimes the reason behind your pain is less obvious and may need more attention.


The Most Common Knee Problems


Many of the knee problems come from a natural aging process or stress on our knee joints. 


Without further ado, let’s see the most common causes of knee pain: 


  • Trauma and Injury

  • If you live an active lifestyle, your knee pain can easily be caused by a sudden move or injury.  Overuse, improper training and playing high-impact sports can all cause injuries.  Depending on the severity of the injury you may need to rest for a few weeks or even have a surgery. Dynamic stretching before high intensity workouts, keeping rest days and wearing appropriate shoes can all help to avoid injuries. 


  • Infections

  • Knee pain can be caused by infections such Cellulitis, Abscess, Osteomyelitis or the infection of the knee wound or sore. When you deal with knee infections, you will typically experience symptoms like fever, swelling, chills and nausea. If you experience symptoms of knee infections, reach out to your doctor as untreated it can cause severe complications. 


  • Neurological causes

  • Conditions that attack your nerves can lead to knee pain. The sciatic nerve is the nerve that starts in the lower spine and runs down the back of each leg. This nerve controls the muscles of the back of the knee and lower leg. If there’s an underlying condition that can attack and cause damage in this nerve you will experience knee pain as a result. 



  • Previous Injury

  • A knee injury can take much longer than we think to recover. If your knee was injured before, it is more likely that you’ll experience knee pain again.


  • Lack of muscle flexibility
  •  Muscle flexibility helps you to achieve a full range of motion. Lack of strength and muscle flexibility of your knees can significantly increase your likelihood of knee injury and pain.



    As you see, there could be several reasons behind knee pain. Many types of minor knee injuries respond well to rest and self-care. Try choosing shoes that give your body great support  throughout the day and observe how you feel. It may be all you need to get rid of the pain in your knees. If the pain doesn’t go away with time and rest, reach out to your doctor to investigate the causes behind.

    June 07, 2021 — Eszter Majoros