What exactly causes knee pain?
There are number of different causes for knee pain. With age wear and tear occurs in the knee joint. Also over-use causes knee problems (for example in rugby/football players, and in tradespeople such a carpenters, bricklayers etc). Over time softening of the cartilage beneath the knee cap (the patella) will result in tissue breakdown and pain in the knee joint. Instead of gliding smoothly over the knee the knee cap grinds against the thigh bone when the knee moves. In turn this may result in heavy erosion of the cartilage. Apart from age and over-use the third most common cause of knee pain is faulty gait (i.e. the way we walk). Overpronation (=rolling inwards of the feet and lowering of the arches) is a major contributing factor to knee pain. Here’s why… The knee joint forms the link between the upper and lower leg. It is a hinge joint, which means it is only designed to flex and extend the lower leg, and not to rotate it. Unlike for instance your elbow joint which allows your unde
