Anterior Knee Pain

Anterior knee pain is pain in the front of the knee. It is often felt with walking, stair climbing or running.

The pain usually comes from the joint where the knee cap (patella) makes contact with your upper leg bone (femur). It can occur when the knee cap has excess pressure on it.

Maltracking of the knee cap within the groove at the end of the upper leg bone can create this excess pressure. The maltracking can be caused by hip and knee muscle weakness that changes the biomechanics of the knee joint.

The good news? Research shows that a strength program for the quadriceps and the gluteal muscles improves this condition. Strengthening these muscles improve your biomechanics, correct the tracking of the knee cap, and absorbs the excess pressures.

The program within TrackActive Me will guide you through exercises for you to strengthen these muscles. You will need to stick to the exercises for several weeks to see a real change.

It is important while doing this program to reduce or avoid unnecessary activities that cause you pain. If you are doing painful activities like running, you may need to stop doing them until you have recovered. In the meantime, make sure you keep active with other exercises and activities that don’t cause you pain. Swimming and exercises that don’t put pressure on the front of your knee are a good idea. You can also choose from our library of pilates, stretching and upper body strengthening programs. Just select ‘Stay Strong and Healthy’ in the TrackActive Me chat feature.