Leg Pain Behind Knee

Knee joints pain cause discomfort in the area around our legs and restrict mobility. Though most of us are aware of knee pain, not much is known about leg pain behind knee, a painful and inflammatory condition that exists in the knee. Pain behind the knee is commonly observed in people involved in rigorous physical activities such as running, cycling, soccer, etc. In these activities, people tend to overuse their knees, which exerts undue stress and pressure resulting in pain. The following text provides you an overview of some important aspects associated with leg pain behind knee, its causes, symptoms and treatment measures.

Causes
Leg pain behind knee mainly occurs when the kneecap rubs against the lowermost end of the femur (thigh bone). For efficient movement of the knee, the kneecap has to actually glide over the femur. However, in this condition, instead of gliding, it starts rubbing and the friction thus produced damages the cartilage present beneath the kneecap. This friction further intensifies and results in pain. Another important cause of leg pain behind knee, is being overweight or obese.

Your upper body weight actually tends to exert a lot of stress on your knees, which affects the frontal as well as the rear portion of the knee, causing pain. The bending of knees is possible because of the hamstring muscles and quadriceps. However, overuse and excessive stress on the knees can result in the weakening of hamstring muscles. Other important reasons leading to leg pain behind knee are injuries, fractures, weakness in muscles, trauma, fault in the structural alignment, aging, etc.

Symptoms
The most common symptom is pain and inflammation behind the knee. However, in severe conditions, where the pain has persisted for a longer time and the damage to the cartilage has intensified, structural abnormalities in the cartilage surface can take place. In traumatic cases, a blow to the kneecap can be serious enough to tear off a part of the bone or the articular cartilage.

Treatment
Low-impact stretching exercises, working out on an exercise bike, swimming, are a few remedies for leg pain behind knee. These exercises will not only help relieve the pain, but will also strengthen the knee muscles and prevent occurrences of such pain in the future. Using shoes with additional arch support while walking or running and using knee braces are other good options for getting relief from the pain. Sometimes, anti-inflammatory drugs or over-the-counter pain relievers are also found to be effective in treating the pain. If obesity is the cause for it, then losing weight is the suggestive remedy to treat leg pain behind knee.

How to Stop the Condition from Getting Worse?
The pain can intensify and cause more damage, if you ignore it or continue with your rigorous physical activities. Therefore to prevent worsening of the condition, you need to take enough rest and avoid activities that may aggravate your pain, like taking the stairs often, running and jogging exercises and all those activities that may put pressure on the knees and the area behind it.

In some cases, leg pain behind knee may not be a very serious condition. Therefore regular pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs will help cure the condition. However, in extreme cases, if the pain doesn't subside, it is wise to treat the pain with proper medical intervention.