What is Knee Cap Pain?
Knee cap pain is a knee condition that can affect both young and old. The knee cap, or patella, forms a joint with the femur termed the patella femoral joint. Pain in the front or anterior aspect of the knee can be related to dysfunction around the patella femoral joint called patella femoral syndrome (PFS). Most commonly PFS occurs when the underside of the patella becomes irritated secondary to abnormal movement of the patella in the femoral groove. From an anatomical standpoint, the patella sits in the femoral groove. The quadriceps muscle attaches to the patella from above and continues on to form the infra patella tendon below. Additional soft tissue structures attach to the patella including the medial retinaculum on the inside and the lateral retinaculum on the outside.
