Common Causes:

Knee pain usually results from:

• Overuse
• Poor form during physical activity
• Not warming up or cooling down
• Not enough stretching

Simple causes of knee pain often clear up on their own with self care. Being overweight can put you at greater risk for knee problems.

Knee pain can be caused by:

• Anterior knee pain
• Arthritis -- including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and gout
• Baker's cyst -- a fluid-filled swelling behind the knee that may occur with swelling (inflammation) from other causes, like arthritis
• Bursitis -- inflammation from repeated pressure on the knee, such as kneeling for long periods of time, overuse, or injury
• Connective tissue disorders such as lupus
• Dislocation of the kneecap
• Iliotibial band syndrome -- a hip disorder from injury to the thick band that runs from your hip to the outside of your knee
• Infection in the joint
• Knee injuries -- an anterior cruciate ligament injury or medial collateral ligament injury may cause bleeding into your knee, which makes the pain worse
• Osgood-Schlatter disease
• Tendinitis -- a pain in the front of your knee that gets worse when going up and down stairs or inclines
• Torn cartilage (a meniscus tear) -- pain felt on the inside or outside of the knee joint
• Torn ligament (ACL tear) -- leads to pain and instability of the knee
• Strain or sprain -- minor injuries to the ligaments caused by sudden or unnatural twisting

Less common conditions that can lead to knee pain includebone tumors.