Aching hips and knees: A Common Cause of Knee and Hip Pain and How to Treat It

28.06.202322.06.2023 by alexxlab

Possible causes and when to see a doctor

Various conditions, such as osteoarthritis and flat feet, may cause a person to experience hip and knee pain together.

If a person has pain in their hip and knee at the same time, it may interfere with their everyday life. Pain in these joints may be constant or occur only during certain activities, such as walking.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1 in 4 adults in the United States have an arthritis diagnosis. The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis, which is a common cause of hip and knee pain.

This article explores some possible causes of hip and knee pain, as well as their symptoms and treatments.

Share on PinterestDesign by MNT; Photography by Makiko Tanigawa/Getty Images & Cavan Images/Getty Images

Healthcare professionals use the term “arthritis” to describe conditions that cause inflammation and swelling in a person’s joints. Osteoarthritis and gout are two such conditions.

Osteoarthritis occurs when cartilage covering a joint begins to wear away. Cartilage is smooth tissue on the ends of bones that form joints. It allows the joint bones to move smoothly over each other.

The condition mainly affects people’s hips, hands, and knees.

Symptoms

The Arthritis Foundation notes that osteoarthritis symptoms generally build over time rather than begin suddenly.

Symptoms of osteoarthritis may include:

pain or aching in joints during or after activity or at the end of the day
joint stiffness that usually occurs in the morning or after sleeping or resting
limited range of motion that may go away with movement
clicking or popping sounds when bending joints
swelling around joints
muscle weakness around joints
joint buckling or instability

If a person has osteoarthritis in their hip, it may cause pain in the groin area, the buttocks, or the inside of the knee or thigh. A person with osteoarthritis in the knee may experience a grating or scraping feeling when they move their knee.

Treatment

Healthcare professionals cannot cure osteoarthritis. However, they may recommend treatments such as the following to help ease symptoms:

pain relievers and anti-inflammatory medications, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and analgesics
exercise
weight loss, in some cases
surgery to replace or fuse damaged joints
physical therapy

Sciatica is pain that results from an issue with a person’s sciatic nerve, which extends from the lower back to below the knee. Injury or compression of the sciatic nerve may cause pain anywhere along the nerve This can affect the:

lower back
hip
back of the thigh
leg, possibly including the knee

Symptoms

Symptoms of sciatica may include:

a bad leg cramp that may last for weeks
sharp or “electrical” pain
pain along the sciatic nerve when moving, coughing, or sneezing
weakness or numbness in the leg
a “pins and needles,” or burning or tingling, sensation down the leg

Treatment

Generally, sciatica clears up with time and rest. Treatment for symptoms may include:

NSAIDs
heat or cold treatments
movement
spinal injections with a cortisone-like drug
stretches
surgery

Injuries to the hip and knee may cause pain and tenderness. A person may injure their hip and knee in many ways, such as by:

falling
having an accident, such as a car accident
playing sports
overusing the joints during certain activities

Doctors refer to injuries that happen during activity as sports injuries. They can be acute or chronic. Acute injuries are those that occur suddenly, such as a fall. A chronic injury develops over time due to overuse of the body part.

Symptoms

Symptoms of a hip and knee injury can vary depending on the cause. Possible symptoms of an acute injury include:

sudden, intense pain
extreme swelling or bruising
an inability to put weight on the leg
an inability to move the joint as usual
extreme weakness in the leg
visible displacement of a bone or joint

Symptoms of a chronic injury may include pain during activity or swelling and aching during rest.

Treatment

Treatment for hip and knee injuries depends on their severity. People may treat minor injuries at home by:

resting
applying ice packs
putting pressure on the injured area
elevating the leg
taking over-the-counter pain relievers or anti-inflammatory medications

A healthcare professional may treat more severe injuries by immobilizing the leg using a cast or a splint. In some cases, a person may need surgery.

A person should speak with a doctor if they are unsure about the severity of their injury. If a person experiences a serious hip and knee injury, they should call 911.

Learn about the RICE method for injuries.

Having flat feet, or pes planus, means that the arches of the foot are very low. This is a relatively common condition. Having flat feet may put strain on a person’s hips and knees.

Symptoms

Flat feet usually do not cause any symptoms. When symptoms or complications occur, they may include:

pain in the feet, lower leg, knee, hip, or back
altered gait
ankle sprains
rigid feet, meaning that a person’s feet have no arches when they sit or stand

Treatment

Children generally do not need treatment for flat feet. However, a healthcare professional may treat a child’s flat feet using foot orthotics or surgery.

To address flat feet in adults, healthcare professionals may recommend:

NSAIDs
foot orthotics
motion control shoes
weight loss, in some cases
rest
exercise
surgery

A person should consult a doctor if their hip and knee pain does not go away or interferes with their daily life. A healthcare professional can diagnose the cause of a person’s pain and recommend appropriate treatment.

The Arthritis Foundation notes that a person should see a doctor if they have joint pain lasting 3 or more days. Additionally, people should see a doctor if they have several joint pain episodes per month.

If a person has a serious hip and knee injury, they should seek immediate medical attention.

Various conditions, such as osteoarthritis and flat feet, can cause hip and knee pain. A healthcare professional will recommend different treatments depending on the cause of the pain.

A person should consult a doctor for diagnosis and appropriate treatment of their hip and knee pain.

Possible causes and when to see a doctor

Various conditions, such as osteoarthritis and flat feet, may cause a person to experience hip and knee pain together.

If a person has pain in their hip and knee at the same time, it may interfere with their everyday life. Pain in these joints may be constant or occur only during certain activities, such as walking.

This article explores some possible causes of hip and knee pain, as well as their symptoms and treatments.

Share on PinterestDesign by MNT; Photography by Makiko Tanigawa/Getty Images & Cavan Images/Getty Images

Healthcare professionals use the term “arthritis” to describe conditions that cause inflammation and swelling in a person’s joints. Osteoarthritis and gout are two such conditions.

The condition mainly affects people’s hips, hands, and knees.

Symptoms

The Arthritis Foundation notes that osteoarthritis symptoms generally build over time rather than begin suddenly.

Symptoms of osteoarthritis may include:

pain or aching in joints during or after activity or at the end of the day
joint stiffness that usually occurs in the morning or after sleeping or resting
limited range of motion that may go away with movement
clicking or popping sounds when bending joints
swelling around joints
muscle weakness around joints
joint buckling or instability

Treatment

Healthcare professionals cannot cure osteoarthritis. However, they may recommend treatments such as the following to help ease symptoms:

pain relievers and anti-inflammatory medications, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and analgesics
exercise
weight loss, in some cases
surgery to replace or fuse damaged joints
physical therapy

lower back
hip
back of the thigh
leg, possibly including the knee

Symptoms

Symptoms of sciatica may include:

a bad leg cramp that may last for weeks
sharp or “electrical” pain
pain along the sciatic nerve when moving, coughing, or sneezing
weakness or numbness in the leg
a “pins and needles,” or burning or tingling, sensation down the leg

Treatment

Generally, sciatica clears up with time and rest. Treatment for symptoms may include:

NSAIDs
heat or cold treatments
movement
spinal injections with a cortisone-like drug
stretches
surgery

Injuries to the hip and knee may cause pain and tenderness. A person may injure their hip and knee in many ways, such as by:

falling
having an accident, such as a car accident
playing sports
overusing the joints during certain activities

Symptoms

Symptoms of a hip and knee injury can vary depending on the cause. Possible symptoms of an acute injury include:

sudden, intense pain
extreme swelling or bruising
an inability to put weight on the leg
an inability to move the joint as usual
extreme weakness in the leg
visible displacement of a bone or joint

Symptoms of a chronic injury may include pain during activity or swelling and aching during rest.

Treatment

Treatment for hip and knee injuries depends on their severity. People may treat minor injuries at home by:

resting
applying ice packs
putting pressure on the injured area
elevating the leg
taking over-the-counter pain relievers or anti-inflammatory medications

A healthcare professional may treat more severe injuries by immobilizing the leg using a cast or a splint. In some cases, a person may need surgery.

A person should speak with a doctor if they are unsure about the severity of their injury. If a person experiences a serious hip and knee injury, they should call 911.

Learn about the RICE method for injuries.

Having flat feet, or pes planus, means that the arches of the foot are very low. This is a relatively common condition. Having flat feet may put strain on a person’s hips and knees.

Symptoms

Flat feet usually do not cause any symptoms. When symptoms or complications occur, they may include:

pain in the feet, lower leg, knee, hip, or back
altered gait
ankle sprains
rigid feet, meaning that a person’s feet have no arches when they sit or stand

Treatment

Children generally do not need treatment for flat feet. However, a healthcare professional may treat a child’s flat feet using foot orthotics or surgery.

To address flat feet in adults, healthcare professionals may recommend:

NSAIDs
foot orthotics
motion control shoes
weight loss, in some cases
rest
exercise
surgery

If a person has a serious hip and knee injury, they should seek immediate medical attention.

Various conditions, such as osteoarthritis and flat feet, can cause hip and knee pain. A healthcare professional will recommend different treatments depending on the cause of the pain.

A person should consult a doctor for diagnosis and appropriate treatment of their hip and knee pain.

How weak hip muscles can affect knee pain

Center for Sports Physiology and Biomechanics

Moscow, st. Krylatskaya, 10
(Velotrack building)

+7 495 374 94 22

The knee is a complex multifunctional joint. It bears the load from running, walking, any movement of the body.

Knee pain can catch you during a workout, during exercise, after a workout, or when you are just spending time with your family.

If you have a knee pain, pay attention to the work of the thigh and the strength of its muscles.

Why? Because the thigh muscles, including the gluteal muscles, control the position of the knees in any movement.

Knee pain is a problem that often requires the help of a rehabilitation therapist or physiotherapist. It can be caused by arthritis of varying degrees, a fresh injury or the consequences of an old one, as well as repetitive stress (regular exercise with insufficient recovery). Pain may only occur while running, but over time it can even limit your ability to walk normally or climb stairs.

Hip Anatomy

To understand the connection between knee pain and thigh muscles, let’s delve a bit into basic anatomy.

The hip joint is a ball and socket joint, the main weight-bearing joint in the body. Around it are ligaments that stabilize the position of the thigh.

Muscles are the next layer. Their main task is to control the movement of the joint and the leg as a whole.

If you have a knee pain, then to understand the cause, pay attention to the muscle group of the thigh, in particular, the gluteus medius.

Gluteus medius is responsible for hip abduction.
It also rotates your hip outward when you sit and helps other muscles to rotate your hip in when you stand. When you are standing or walking, the gluteus medius actively supports the pelvis so that it does not tilt.

Thigh Weakness

Without proper training and exercise, especially in a sedentary lifestyle in office work, you may develop weakness in the gluteal muscle.

Rarely, this may be due to injury. Most often this happens without any apparent reason or injury.

It is believed that increased tightness of the hip flexors (contracted state in the front of the thigh) can lead to weakness of the gluteal muscles in the back and side of the thigh. This is sometimes referred to as “cross syndrome” or “gluteal amnesia”.

When the gluteus medius becomes weak, it allows the hip to rotate more freely and to twist inward abnormally. This is called “collapsing kinetic chain”.
This malposition of the hip can cause excessive stress on the knee joint and the patella (patella).

Collapsed kinetic chain is often cited as an indirect cause of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. During physical activity, the athlete runs or jumps, his knee makes a displaced and uneven flexion (possibly due to weakness in the gluteal muscles), which causes a rupture of the ACL.

Weak thigh muscles can cause:

• patellofemoral syndrome
• iliac friction syndrome
• patellar tendinopathy
• crow’s foot inflammation.

Hip Strengthening

A thorough assessment of your condition, analysis of your gait, as well as running dynamics, lower limb strength (including hip strength), flexibility and range of motion will all help guide your recovery path.

If weakness in the gluteal region is observed after a walking or running analysis, then it is possible to choose an exercise program aimed at specific thigh muscles without spraying on a versatile load.

Sometimes you can do basic glute exercises. But more often, more focused single activation exercises are needed to develop and strengthen the gluteus medius. A fairly simple exercise, such as lowering the pelvis, can also be effective in strengthening the gluteal muscle.

As the next step, it is worth considering the exercises that are performed on the balancing platform. At the initial level, wooden simulators will be considered here – a disk, a swing.

Advanced rubber platforms that can also be inflated: Bosu platform, round or square cushions.

Balance exercises help regain normal hip control and position. Gradually, this helps to strengthen the entire lower limb, the leg is placed in the optimal position, the tension is removed from the knee.

Article prepared by: MySportExpert Running Biomechanics Expert Denis Titov.

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How to run correctly – without pain in the joints and tendons

Sports and fitness

April 21, 2022

Don’t go to extremes and learn to listen to your body.

Iya Zorina

Author of Lifehacker, athlete, CCM

Many runners, especially beginners and those who return to training after a long break, experience pain in the knees, hips and feet. Most often, discomfort comes from overload, and they can be easily avoided if you choose the right running volume and intensity of training.

Below we’ll show you how to do this so that you can enjoy your workouts.

Find your adaptation zone and stay there

The website of the Running Clinic, an organization that specializes in running injuries, says that the main cause of injury is lack of time to adapt.

When you run, bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments, cartilage and connective tissue are stressed and adapt to it.

Adaptation zone. Source: The running clinic

If the load is too much, there is pain during and after training, stiffness in the morning. If there is not enough stress, the body has no need to adapt, and it becomes weaker.

Physiotherapist, runner and triathlete Matthew Boyd did a great job explaining this concept with a runner with knee pain. For three weeks the last one (let’s call him Dima) was on vacation and hardly ran. His knees were not getting stress and were getting weaker.

Minimum stress level. Source: The running clinic

When the weekend was over, Dima remembered that he had a marathon soon, decided to catch up and ran 20 km. After that, his knee hurt.

The level of stress exceeds the ability to adapt. Source: The running clinic

The pain came about because 20 km of running put too much stress on his kneecap, more than it could bear. He endured a couple of days, and then went to the doctor.

Reduced stress due to injury. Source: The running clinic

The doctor explained to Dima that he needed to reduce his running volume, but not stop training. Because complete rest will lead to further weakening of the structures of the knee, and the right load will help you adapt to stress and become stronger.

In the next few weeks Dima ran four times a week and learned to listen to his body. The doctor advised him to stop running only if the pain gets worse during activity or if he gets worse the next day.

Stress level ideal for adaptation. Source: The running clinic

Thus, Dima found his adaptive zone – an activity that allowed the body to get used to the loads, become stronger and more resistant to mechanical stress.

Gradually, the threshold of the adaptive zone increased, and Dima’s kneecap could bear more load than before.

Opportunities for adaptation have increased. Source: The running clinic

After a few weeks, Dima was already running 30 km and did not experience any discomfort in his knees.

The increased stress did not exceed the ability to adapt. Source: The running clinic

Thus, your main task is not to fall out of your adaptive zone. Here are some tips on how to do it:

If you haven’t run for a long time, moderate your ambition and alternate between walking and running. Here is a good plan for beginners.
Do not increase your training volume by more than 10% per week. For example, if you ran a total of 15 km this week, next week you can safely master 16.5 km.
Run regularly – 3-4 times a week. This amount of activity will allow your body to both adapt and recover.
Listen to your body and watch for warning signs. If the pain in the joint is sharp and throbbing, does not go away within 2-3 days, and is accompanied by fever and swelling, stop exercising and go to the doctor.

Also keep in mind that not all doctors are familiar with sports injuries and modern methods of rehabilitation. Of course, this does not mean that you have to go for a run, ignoring the instructions. But if the surgeon in the clinic forbade you any physical activity, you should look for a sports rehabilitation doctor and ask his opinion on this matter.

Don’t change your running technique

Articles on correct running technique often advise you to put your foot on the front instead of the heel. Moreover, landing on the heel is called dangerous and unnatural. After reading this, you can rush to change your technique. And in the end, not only will you not get an advantage, but you will also earn a running injury.

One of the popularizers of ball landing was the famous British stayer Gordon Peary, Olympic silver medalist and holder of five world records. He believed that landing on the heel dissipated energy and created a strong shock wave that propagated up the bones and eventually led to injury.

This opinion is supported by many runners, but not by all. For example, the famous trainer Arthur Lydiard believed that landing on the pad overloaded the muscles of the lower leg, and advised to go down to the outside of the heel with a soft roll over the entire foot.

Landing on the forefoot is often argued for by the fact that this is how barefoot people run. So, our legs are “sharpened” for this. However, in a study of Kenyan running technique, they noticed that when moving at a comfortable pace, in 72% of cases, barefoot runners put their foot on the heel, and only 24% – on the middle of the foot.

In 2020, there was a review of 53 scientific papers on the topic, and scientists did not see the benefits of landing on the forefoot for those who are used to running from the heel. It didn’t improve running economy at any speed, and it didn’t reduce the risk of injury.

Another meta-analysis noted that landing on the heel placed more stress on the knees, while landing on the pad placed more stress on the ankle and Achilles tendon.

Thus, changing running technique (especially without reducing running volume) can overload the muscles, ligaments and tendons that are not accustomed to the new way of placing the foot. And this can result in overload and injury.

Learn to recognize your stress level

Your body’s ability to adapt to stress depends not only on the volume of running training, but also on many different factors in everyday life:

the amount and quality of sleep;
food quality;
psychological stress levels;
moods.

In an ideal world, you will always sleep 8 hours a night, eat healthy food with the right percentage of macronutrients and vitamins, and fight stress with breathing and meditation.

But in life you can get upset and offended, sleep four hours a night because of the heat or stress, eat fast food or forget to eat, get depressed and hate your life.

The same Gordon Peary mentioned in his book that athletes and coaches should adjust the training process to the factors of everyday life.

Gordon Peary

Excerpt from the book Run Fast and Without Injury.

If an athlete has had a tough day at work or school, the coach should reduce the amount of effort… Steadily following the intended program can set training back a week.

Aching hips and knees: A Common Cause of Knee and Hip Pain and How to Treat It

Possible causes and when to see a doctor

Symptoms

Treatment

Symptoms

Treatment

Symptoms

Treatment

Symptoms

Treatment

Possible causes and when to see a doctor

Symptoms

Treatment

Symptoms

Treatment

Symptoms

Treatment

Symptoms

Treatment

How weak hip muscles can affect knee pain

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How to run correctly – without pain in the joints and tendons

Find your adaptation zone and stay there

Don’t change your running technique

Learn to recognize your stress level

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