“The knee, although a seemingly simple structure, can actually be a very complex joint that has to hold up to a lot of stress and provide shock absorption for the sports and activities that we do,” says Michael Kolosky, DO, orthopaedic sports surgeon at Mass General Brigham, Boston, in his latest research.

Knee pain is very common, especially among people who are active or athletic. That’s no consolation, though, when pain limits your ability to participate in the activities you love. Sometimes it can even affect your ability to complete simple daily tasks at home or at work. But how can you tell whether you’re experiencing a minor symptom or a bigger problem?

Dr. Kolosky is the medical director of the musculoskeletal program at Salem Hospital, where he cares for patients. “If you have certain types of knee pain, you should give your body time to heal. For other types of knee pain, you should talk to a doctor.

Dr. Kolosky suggests asking yourself certain questions to determine what’s causing your knee pain. “A lot of people will push through and say, ‘No pain, no gain.’” he says. “But you have to listen to your body because you could be doing more damage by trying to work through it.”

The knee is a joint in the leg that contains four types of structures:

Bones: The thigh bone (femur) and shin bone (tibia) meet at the kneecap (patella).

Cartilage: Cartilage is a substance that helps bones glide against each other when you bend or straighten a joint. It also helps absorb impact when you walk, run and jump.

Ligaments: Ligaments are strong bands of tissue that hold bones together and stabilize joints.

Tendons: Tendons are cord-like bands that connect muscles to bones.

Knee pain can occur when any of those structures are injured, overused or inflamed.

Causes of Knee Pain:

Many things can cause knee pain. The most common culprits in active individuals are:

Arthritis:With osteoarthritis, knee cartilage gradually wears away. This common condition causes chronic inflammation and stiffness in one or more joints. It often starts in our 40s or 50s, but it can happen earlier.

Injury:Any part of the knee can get injured, especially if you’re active. Common examples of knee injuries include sprained or strained ligaments or muscles. You can also tear cartilage.

Overuse:Repeated stress on the joint over time, as happens with frequent running or jumping, can cause pain. A common overuse condition is tendonitis, when tendons swell up and become painful.

Types of Knee Pain:

“If you have a sharp pain that is reproducible with a particular movement or activity, that is likely to be an injury. It’s your body saying, ‘Stop doing that. You’re making this worse,’” Dr. Kolosky says. “But a dull, low-grade, aching pain after activity often indicates a more chronic condition such as osteoarthritis or an overuse condition.”

To begin to understand the cause of your knee pain, ask yourself: Is the pain sharp, and does it occur when you do certain things? Or is it dull and chronic?

Location of knee pain:

Next ask yourself, where is the pain?

The location of the pain tells us quite a bit about what part of the anatomy could be potentially injured,” Dr. Kolosky says. For example, if the knee buckles or gives out when you change direction and it’s not stable, that could mean an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, a common issue in athletes. But if you have trouble twisting or moving side to side, feel the knee catching, and if the pain is along the joint line, that sounds like a possible injury to the meniscus, a C-shaped piece of cartilage in the knee.

Another common knee diagnosis is patellofemoral syndrome, sometimes called runner’s knee. Maybe you’re experiencing pain over the front of the knee. You might also feel some clicking, find that stairs are getting more difficult, or running downhill may be difficult.

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