There are many types of knee injuries that can cause chronic pain from various parts of the knee joint including bones and cartilage, ligaments and tendons, and inflammation of the tendons and bursae, the small, fluid filled sacs that cushion your knee joint. Tears in the cartilage or ligaments can cause a great deal of swelling, inability to bear weight or inability to straighten the knee, and a sense of giving way, where the knee seems to slide out from under you while standing or walking. This giving way is a sign of a serious ligament tear and an orthopedic surgeon should be consulted immediately to determine if arthroscopy is required to repair or replace the torn ligaments. Hyper-extended knee injuries are common in high impact sports like football.

Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common culprit with joint pain, and it can cause aching and stiffness, especially when you get up in the morning or after periods of inactivity. There tend to be flare ups and periods of remission with this condition and it can lead to deformity of the knee joint. Prevention and self maintenance are important components to maintaining knee health to minimize chronic pain. Be sure to rest and elevate a sore knee, and ice the knee and take ibuprofen or some type of anti-inflammatory medication if injury has occurred.

Ligaments of the Knee Joint

There are several key ligaments that are sources of chronic pain in the knees. The menisci are two wedges of cartilage in your knee that cushion the thigh bone and the shin bone. The medial (inside) meniscus and the lateral (outside) meniscus help to distribute body weight across your knee to prevent damage to the bones and articular cartilage which caps the ends of the bone. Ligaments are tough bands of tissue that connect your thighbone (femur) to your lower leg bones (tibia and fibula). You have two collateral ligaments: the medial (inside) and the lateral (outside) collateral ligaments. There are two other ligaments inside the knee that cross each other as they stretch diagonally from the bottom of your thighbone to the top of your shinbone (tibia). The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) connects to the back of your shinbone, and the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) connects near the front of your shinbone.

Tendonitis and Bursitis

Another common sports injury is tendonitis or inflammation of the tendons, which are the thick, fibrous cords that attach muscle to bone. The patellar tendon connects the quadriceps to the lower leg bone. Swelling below the kneecap is common with this type of injury and there may be stiffness that will hinder the knee from being extended or straightened. Many cyclists and runners experience this form of chronic pain. Bursitis is the inflammation of the sacs that help tendons and ligaments move smoothly. The prepatellar bursa located over the kneecap can become infected and may need to be drained by a professional. The kneecap (patella) is the triangular bone the covers the knee, and it can become sprained and even dislocated, causing intense knee pain, swelling, and difficulty bending or straightening the knee.