KNEE PAIN

There are commonly two types of injuries which can cause knee pain; acute injuries (such as ligament and/or meniscus tears) and chronic (overuse) injuries. As podiatrists, we usually deal with chronic injuries. Chronic injuries to the knee can be a result of poor footwear, inappropriate training surfaces (eg. bitumen, soft sand, cambered surface, etc.) or abnormal alignment of the foot and the leg.

With flat or excessively pronated feet, the lower leg is internally rotated at the same time the upper leg is trying to externally rotate, due to forces produced during walking. The knee has to absorb these “twisting” forces resulting in repetitive injury and eventually pain and possible cartilage loss. Flat feet can also result in a valgus (knocked kneed) position, which causes various associated muscles to exert their pull in an incorrect direction.

High arched feet, known as Pes Cavus or supinated feet, do not allow the normal shock absorption needed during walking. The knee therefore takes too much force leading to overuse injuries.

Some common knee injuries include Patellofemeral Pain Syndrome (PFPS), Iliotibial Band (ITB) Syndrome and Osgood-Schlatter Disease (OSD).