Your knees are complex and powerful joints that bear the responsibility of moving your legs as well as supporting the majority of your body weight when standing. It’s no surprise, then, that your knees are vulnerable to soreness and pain every now and then.
In many circumstances, all you need to do is rest and let your knees recover from whatever caused them to be sore. However, if you have ongoing or intense leg pain behind the knee, you may have a condition that requires professional treatment.
Here are some of the reasons you could have leg pain behind the knee:
Sore muscles
Simple overexertion during physical activity, such as running or hiking, can cause pain to develop in the leg behind the knee. You may even experience a cramp or spasm if the muscle is tired and stressed enough.
Sore muscles and cramps are usually no cause for alarm, but if they occur frequently, you may need to see a physical therapist for treatment.
Tendinitis
There are several tendons connecting muscles to your knees. Frequent use of the knee in physically exhausting activities can irritate one or more of these tendons. This irritation leads to the development of painful inflammation known as tendinitis.
Tendinitis is painful and makes it difficult to bend or straighten your knee. When it feels like there is leg pain behind your knee, you might have jumper’s knee, which is a form of tendinitis that affects the tendon behind your kneecap. You could also have biceps femoris tendinitis, which affects the tendon connecting your large hamstring muscles at the back of your leg to your knee.
Sprain
A motion that suddenly forces the knee to move in a direction it’s not supposed to, such as sideways or in a twisting motion, can sprain one of the ligaments that essentially hold the joint together and provide stability.
Usually, you notice a sprain right away. You’ll likely hear a popping sound and will notice pain and swelling and difficulty using your knee. However, some sprains are more mild, and you might notice them at first as leg pain behind the knee.
Arthritis
Arthritis is a condition that causes the cartilage in your joints to wear down. It commonly affects the knee joints, which can be experienced as pain in the back of the leg behind the knee.
Torn meniscus
Your menisci are small, flat, C-shaped discs of cartilage between the two large bones on the top and bottom of your knees. The menisci prevent friction between these bones and help absorb shock from physical activity. A forceful motion to the knee can cause a meniscus to tear.
When a meniscus tears, it can fold back on itself, which causes pain and difficulty bending or straightening your knee. Depending on where the tear is located, this may feel like leg pain behind the knee.
Visit SOL Physical Therapy today for knee pain treatment
Knee pain can occur for a number of reasons, but in many cases, physical therapy can help. Our team at SOL Physical Therapy can examine your knee and develop a personalized treatment routine to help you manage your condition. Contact our team today for more information about knee pain treatment or to schedule an appointment.
