Temporary knee pain is different from chronic knee pain. Many people experience temporary knee pain as a result of an injury or accident. Chronic knee pain rarely goes away without treatment, and it isn’t always attributable to one incident. It’s most often the result of several causes or conditions.

Physical conditions or diseases can cause knee pain, these include:

• Osteoarthritis: Pain, inflammation, and joint destruction caused by degeneration and deterioration of the joint
• Tendinitis: Pain in the front of the knee that is made worse when climbing, taking stairs, or walking up an incline
• Bursitis: Inflammation caused by repeated overuse or injury of the knee
• Chondromalacia Patella: Damaged cartilage under the kneecap
• Gout: Arthritis caused by the buildup of uric acid
• Baker’s cyst: A buildup of synovial fluid (the fluid that lubricates the joint) behind the knee)
• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA): A chronic autoimmune inflammatory disorder that causes painful swelling and can eventually cause joint deformity and bone erosion.
• Dislocation: Dislocation of the kneecap is most often the result of trauma.
• Meniscus tear: A rupture in one or more of the cartilage in the knee
• Torn ligament: Tear in one of the four ligaments in the knee — the most commonly injured ligament is the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
• Bone tumors: Osteosarcoma (second most prevalent bone cancer), most commonly occurs in the knee.

Factors that may make chronic knee pain worse:

• Injuries to the structure of the knee can cause bleeding and swelling and can create a chronic problem over time if not treated properly
• Sprains and strains
• Overuse
• Infection
• Bad posture and form when doing physical activity
• Not warming up or cooling down before or after physical activity
• Improperly stretching the muscles