Whilst Squatting With A Heavy Load I Heard A Pop And Experienced Sudden Pain Should I Go To My Gp
A popping or cracking sound on its own is not unusual and nothing to be worried about. However, if accompanied by sudden pain you may have damaged one of your knee ligaments , or torn a meniscus. You should consult your doctor. If the problem does not clear up I would be happy to see you and assess things further.
Pain Behind Knee When Walking: Top 10 Possible Underlying Causes
Pain is how your body communicates with you. A pain in your head might mean youre dehydrated, pain when touching a hot stove lets you know thats a bad idea, and pain in your joints could be an indication of injury or arthritis. But what does pain behind your knee when walking mean? This article details potential conditions that could be causing this leg pain so you can address the issue before it becomes chronic and debilitating.
How To Prepare For Acl Reconstruction
You will have appointments with your doctor and surgeon prior to surgery. Youll discuss treatment options, undergo several knee examinations, and make a decision about which type of anesthesia to use during surgery. During these meetings, its important to ask questions.
Discuss with your doctor where the surgically-implanted tendon will come from. Typical sources for these tendons include:
- patellar tendon: the tendon that attaches the bottom of your kneecap, or patella, to your tibia
- hamstring: the tendon that connects the long muscles in the back of your leg to the back of your knee
- quadriceps: a tendon from the front of the thigh. This type of graft is typically reserved for taller or heavier patients, or for people who have had previous unsuccessful grafts.
- cadaver: tissue from a dead body, which is called an allograft
While all cadavers are carefully screened for disease prior to surgery, some people have concerns about using dead tissue. Discuss any concerns you have with your doctor.
Your doctor will give you complete instructions for the day of your surgery. Instructions may include fasting for 12 hours prior to surgery and refraining from taking aspirin or blood-thinning medications.
Make sure to arrange to have someone come with you for surgery. Its helpful to have another person listen to post-operative instructions and to drive you home.
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Pain Behind The Knee: Causes And How To Treat Back Of Knee Pain
Jenny Hills, Nutritionist and Medical Writer Health
Pain behind the knee can have a serious impact on your daily activities. Sharp pain at the back of your knee can affect walking and cause discomfort when standing or walking up stairs. Pain and swelling behind the knee can also cause stiffness in your knee joint, inflammation, and possibly, a lump at the back of your knee.
There are many reasons for mild to severe pain behind the knee. For example, a ligament tear, a pulled muscle, fracture to a bone in your knee, or wear and tear can also cause varying degrees of pain behind the knee. The knee pain can cause you to limp, make it difficult to walk, or you may not be able to bend your knee at all.
Knowing how to treat pain behind the knee requires knowing what is causing it. However, usually, hot and cold treatments can help to restore mobility to your knee joint and ease the pain. In some cases, if the leg pain behind the knee is caused by blood clot or cyst, you need to get it checked out by a doctor.
In this article, you will learn about the various reasons why you could have pain at the back of your knee.
How The Pain In The Knee Appears When Bending Or Straightening

Knee pain can vary significantly depending upon many factors including the actual source of the pain, the severity of the injury, general health and level of activity. Lets take a deeper look at the various types of knee pain.
Knee Pain in General
Knee pain can be intermittent or constant. It can be stable, improving, or escalating. It can be localized in a specific area or radiate down or up the leg. It can be dull, sharp, throbbing, aching or burning. It can be associated with swelling and restriction in range of motion.
Pain with Joint Locking
Often times the knee will simply lock creating pain and immobility. You are walking one minute and the next the knee is stuck. The pain is abrupt and occurs when attempting to bend or straighten the knee. An injury to the meniscus or a loose body can cause this type of pain .
Pain Sensation Behind the Knee Cap
Pain can be localized behind the knee. Most often it is made worse with climbing and descending stairs. The pain can be dull or sharp and persists while descending from a hike. Knee pain behind the knee cap is typically due to misalignment of the knee, or cartilage loss.
Jolting Pain Behind The Knee
Pain on the Outside of the Knee
Pain on the Inside of the Knee
Popping Sound
Loss of Strength
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Pain Behind Your Knee From Popliteal Cysts Or Baker’s Cyst
This is a fluid-filled cyst that creates a bulge on the back of your knee or the area specifically called the popliteal fossa. This occurs when a problem with your join causes your knee to produce too much fluid. Any type of condition that causes joint swelling can lead to a popliteal cyst.
Symptoms of a popliteal cyst:
- Swelling behind knee and leg
- Knee pain
-
- Muscle imbalance between adductors and abductors
- Repeated stress on knee joints
A Popping Sensation Behind The Knee Or Pain And Stiffness At The Side Of The Knee
May be the result of a torn meniscus, particularly the posterior horn of the meniscus. This can often occur due to an impact or twisting sports injury, and is more likely as one gets older and the meniscus becomes worn. Pain might not be evident until some time after the injury occurred. RICE may temporarily alleviate the symptoms, but the tear will often require a surgical procedure.
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When Should I Get My Teens Knee Pain Evaluated By A Healthcare Provider
Make an appointment to see your healthcare provider if:
- Your teens pain has lasted longer than two weeks or anytime theres an increase in pain level.
- Your teens knee is red, swollen or warm to the touch.
- Your teen cant put weight on their leg they limp.
- Your teens knee locks and cant move.
- Your teens kneecap feels like it slides out of place or the knee looks twisted.
- Your teen has knee pain during or after activity.
- Theres painful popping or clicking sound in your teens knee.
- Your teens knee doesnt have strength or full range of motion.
- Your teens pain wakes them up at night.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 04/30/2021.
References
I Have A Pain Behind My Knee But I Also Feel Unstable On My Feet As If My Knee Is Looser What Should I Do Right Away
When Your Leg Locks and Wont Straighten by The Knee Pain Guru #KneeClubAn unstable knee results from a problem with the tissues that keep the knee stable. This could be a ligament injury, a meniscal tear, a patella injury or an injury to the knee capsule itself, or to the muscles which provide secondary stability. You should consult your doctor to get a proper diagnosis as soon as possible. If the problem does not clear up I would be happy to see you and assess things further.
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Posterior Knee Pain Exercises
Pain behind the knee can be quite debilitating, as we use our legs to walk every day. If you are unfortunate enough to suffer from knee pain, certain exercises may help.
Prone wall stretches While standing, lay your back flat on the surface of a wall. Place the heel of your injured knee on to the wall without bending the knee. Increase the stretch by moving your body closer to the wall and hold for 30 seconds. Then slowly move your body away from the wall, decreasing the stretch. Repeat this exercise about eight times.
Leg to chest maneuver While sitting upright in a firm chair, place both feet firmly on the floor. Now, slowly lift the leg with the contracted muscles off the floor and bend your knee as you lift your leg toward your chest. You can also place your hand behind your knee to increase the stretch. Hold this position for five seconds. This exercise will help to loosen your contracted hamstrings.
Upright wall stretch Stand about three feet from the wall as you open your palm and place them on to the wall at shoulder level. Now slowly lean forward, bending at your elbows and keeping the rest of your body straight. It is also important to keep your feet flat on the ground while doing this to stretch the calf muscles.
Managing Pain Behind The Knee
You can help yourself by keeping weight off your leg as far as possible, using an ice pack and taking painkillers, such as ibuprofen. If you cant put weight on your leg, you may need crutches.
Popliteal cysts often get better on their own and you may not need any further treatment. But its a good idea to see a doctor if you have pain behind the knee. It may be something more urgent . With posterior cruciate ligament injury, you can develop complications later if you are not treated. You should see a doctor if:
- you cannot put weight on the affected leg
- you have severe pain, even when not bearing weight
- your knee buckles, clicks, or locks
- your knee is deformed or misshapen
- your knee is hot, red or very swollen or you have a fever
- you have pain, swelling, numbness, tingling, or a bluish discoloration in your calf
- youre still in pain after three days
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I Have Just Injured My Leg And Have Severe Pain At The Back Of My Knee What Should I Do
A sudden, sharp, pain in the thigh or behind the knee may be a torn hamstring, or possibly a tear in the posterior part of the meniscus. Alternatively, if you have sudden pain and instability after an injury, perhaps accompanied by a popping sound, you may have damaged a knee ligament. It could also be a ruptured Bakers cyst. In these cases, whilst RICE is recommended initially, you should go to your doctor and have the knee clinically assessed.
Five Common Reasons For Inside Knee Pain
Pain on the inside of the knee can happen to anyone, whether youre a runner, footballer or casual gym-goer. Today, physiotherapist Matt looks in detail at five of the most common causes of medial knee pain. He also shares tips on how to avoid a knee injury and what to do if you it happens to you.
Medial Collateral Ligament Strain
The MCL is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. The others are the ACL , PCL and LCL . The role of these ligaments is to maintain the stability of the knee joint and prevent forces from moving the thigh and shin bones apart. The MCL runs vertically along the inside of the knee from the thigh bone , across the knee joint to the shin bone . Ligament injuries often occur due to an obvious mechanism of injury, such as a twist or a force hitting the outside of the knee . Dependent on the severity of the injury, there may be swelling, bruising and pain on the inside of the knee. You may also experience difficulty walking and a feeling of instability in the knee.
Medial Meniscus Injury
Wear and Tear
Pes Anserine Bursitis
Plica Syndrome
What can you do?
What can we do?
Need some support?
If you are in pain, and would like to consult a physiotherapist simply book in for an initial assessment online.
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What Causes A Baker’s Cyst
Knee damage caused by a sports-related injury or a blow to the knee can lead to a Baker’s cyst developing.
A Baker’s cyst can also sometimes occur if you have a health condition such as:
- osteoarthritis usually caused by age-related “wear and tear” of joints it particularly affects the knees, hips, hands and big toe
- inflammatory arthritis including rheumatoid arthritis, which is a less common type of arthritis and is caused by the immune system attacking the joints
- gout a type of arthritis that usually affects the big toe and is caused by a build-up of the waste product uric acid in the blood
Baker’s cysts are more common in women than men, probably because women are more likely to develop osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. They usually develop in people aged over 40, although can affect people of any age, including children.
Tendinopathy And Muscle Complex Injuries
Tendon injuries are associated with repetitive mechanical stresses that cause degenerative lesions. Hamstrings, gastrocnemius, and popliteus tendon typically cause posterior knee pain.
The hamstrings are frequently injured in sports that require sprinting. Semimembranosus tendinopathy usually presents as an aching pain localized to the posteromedial knee with tenderness on palpation inferior to the joint. Some of the possible risk factors for hamstring injury include body mechanics, flexibility, balance, hamstring strength, improper warm-up, fatigue, specific activities, running techniques, and psychosocial factors.
The gastrocnemius muscles superficial location and action across the knee and ankle make it susceptible to injury. Pain in the gastrocnemius occurs during knee flexion with resistance and during calf raises.
The popliteus muscle can also be a significant source of posterior knee pain. Both the muscular and tendinous aspects of the popliteus can be injured. Injuries to the popliteus may promote injuries to other structures in the postero-lateral complex and to ligaments of the knee. The mechanism of injury is thought to occur from direct stretch or when overused to maintain posterolateral stability. Guha et al. suggested that a stable knee with posterolateral pain and hemarthrosis on exam indicates a rupture of the popliteus tendon.
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Whats A Typical Treatment Plan
Treatment depends on the severity of your injury.
Conservative measures to reduce pain, rest your leg, and stretch and strengthen your leg muscles are generally the first line of treatment. Your doctor will usually advise a period of controlled rest, where you avoid activity that puts force on the knee.
I Feel Numbness Behind My Knee Is This Serious
Back of Knee Pain l What Causes Back of Knee Pain? by The Knee Pain GuruTemporary numbness may be because you have been sitting for a while in a position which has compressed the nerves in the back of your leg or reduced the blood flow. This is called paresthesia and will dissipate when you start walking around again. However, if the numbness persists it could be due to many different causes, for example it may be a sign of an underlying condition such as a back problem, diabetes or a nerve disorder. You should visit your doctor to discover the reason for the numbness.
Because your knees bear the bodys weight and are subject to movement in a number of planes they can be quite vulnerable to trauma and to conditions resulting from trauma and wear and tear.
There are a number of different types of condition which can cause pain to the back of the knee. These include strains or tears to the muscle or tendons, damage to the ligaments, damage to the cartilage within the knee joint, excess fluid in the knee or blood vessel problems.
The information given below will give you an indication of the problem you may be having, but is not intended that you diagnose yourself. Also this guide is intended for pain behind the knee itself if your pain is part of general joint pain there will be other reasons for this and you should consult a doctor.
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Pain Behind The Knee When Walking Or Running
The cause of pain at the back of the leg behind the knee could be hamstring tendonitis. This is caused by the tendons of the hamstring becoming inflamed, often due to overuse of the hamstring muscles, but the pain will subside after rest and first aid centred on the RICE method .
If you notice a sudden sharp pain in the back of the thigh when undergoing vigorous exercise this may be due to a pull, partial tear or tear of the hamstring, and is due to overloading the muscle. This type of injury is most often treated by a doctor. A similar pain in the calf may be due to gastrocnemius tendonitis.
A tenderness behind the knee, felt when rotating the leg inwards in the act of walking could denote an injury to the popliteus muscle. A cold pack applied for 10 minutes every hour for the first day after injury can alleviate the symptoms.
All the muscles at the back of the leg can be subject to cramp. This is a common condition and occurs when a muscle goes into spasm. The symptoms are a tightening of the muscle accompanied by pain. Amongst other causes, it could be due to dehydration, muscle fatigue or a restriction of the blood supply to the affected muscles. Cramp is not serious and can be relieved by relaxing, massaging and stretching the affected muscle.
Questions Your Doctor May Ask About Pain In The Back Of The Knee
To diagnose this condition, your doctor would likely ask the following questions:
- Is the knee pain affecting one or both knees?
- Do you often feel your knees buckling?
- Where is your knee pain?
- How would you explain the cause of your knee pain?
Self-diagnose with our free Buoy Assistant if you answer yes on any of these questions.
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