aetiology of knee pain by age group

Last reviewed 01/2018

The possible causes of knee pain according to the age group includes:

  • children and adolescents
    • patellar subluxation
    • Osgood-Schlatter's disease and Sinding-Larsen-Johansson syndrome
    • jumper's knee (patellar tendonitis)
    • referred pain: slipped capital femoral epiphysis
    • osteochondritis dissecans
    • hypermobility syndrome
    • inflammatory conditions
    • tumors

  • adults
    • patellofemoral pain syndrome
    • trauma: anterior cruciate, medial collateral, lateral collateral ligamentous sprains, meniscal tear
    • inflammatory arthropathy: rheumatoid arthritis, Reiter's syndrome
    • septic arthritis
    • medial plica syndrome
    • joint hypermobility syndrome
    • referred pain from hip conditions
    • bursitis

  • older adults
    • osteoarthritis
    • Baker's cyst
    • crystal-induced inflammatory arthropathy: gout, pseudogout
    • referred pain from OA hip
    • inflammatory arthropathies (1,2)

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