What You Need to Know About Knee Pain

Knee pain is more likely to develop in children who participate in sports involving jumping and running, such as basketball and volleyball. Pain can emerge behind the kneecap or in front of the knee, and it typically stems from a muscle imbalance that affects the way the kneecap absorbs the stress of movement, often due to lack of flexibility and strength in the hips and thighs. Other symptoms associated with knee pain may include a cracking sound when the knee bends and pain during the night.

Female athletes are at greater risk of experiencing knee pain because of the way they jump and land. However, overuse injuries are also common causes of knee pain.

“Athletes who participate in more than one sport in a season or play the same sport year round are more prone to overuse injuries,” says Katherine Kreusser, MD, community pediatrician at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. “General guidelines recommend that children limit athletic activity to one game or practice per day.”

Strength’s the Word
Most pain can be treated at home with RICE, or rest, ice, compression and elevation. If your child’s knee pain continues for more than one or two weeks and grows worse after returning to physical activity, consult your child’s pediatrician.

At St. Louis Children’s Hospital, the Sports Medicine Program works with children to create personalized rehabilitation plans, complete with flexibility and strengthening exercises.

“Many athletes assume that simply participating in their respective sports will keep them strong,” says Mark Halstead, MD, pediatric sports medicine specialist at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. “Actually, the best way to develop the kind of strength necessary to prevent knee pain is through resistance training, which is typically separate from practices and games.”

For an appointment with a sports medicine specialist at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, call 314.454.KIDS (5437) or toll-free 800.678.KIDS.