Abstract
Anterior knee pain is a common complaint and reason for people to seek orthopedic medical care, in either a general or sports medicine practice. It affects a wide range of patients, from highly competitive athletes to the aging population. Despite its prevalence, however, anterior knee pain remains a poorly understood entity that has not been well studied in the literature. “Anterior knee pain” is a nonspecific term that can result from a host of etiologies, including malalignment, muscular imbalance, overuse, trauma, and biochemical substance changes. Although these are all reasonable causes of pain, we have found that unilateral anterior knee pain can oftentimes simply be attributed to asymmetry between the knees.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Blackburn JS, Peel TE. A new method of measuring patellar height. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 1977;59-B:241-242.
DeCarlo MS, Sell KE. Normative data for range of motion and single-leg hop in high school athletes. J Sports Rehabil. 1997;6:246-255.
Merchant A. Patellofemoral malalignment and instabilities. In: Ewing JW, ed. Articular Cartilage and Knee Joint Function: Basic Science and Arthroscopy. Raven Press: New York; 1990:79-91.
Norkin CC, White DJ. Measurement of Joint Motion: A Guide to Goniometry. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: FA Davis Co; 2003.
Rosenberg TD, Paulos LE, Parker RD, Coward DB, Scott SM. The forty-five degree posteroanterior flexion weight-bearing radiograph of the knee. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1988;70:1479-1483.
Shelbourne KD, Adsit WS. Conservative care of patellofemoral pain. In: The Patella. New York: Springer; 1994:1-15.
Shelbourne KD, Biggs A, Gray T. Deconditioned knee: the effectiveness of a rehabilitation program that restores normal knee motion to improve symptoms and function. North Am J Sports Phys Ther. 2007;2:81-89.
Shelbourne KD, Freeman HE. Nonoperative management of acute medial collateral ligament injuries. Tech Knee Surg. 2007;6(2):93-98.
Shelbourne KD, Klotz C. What I have learned about the ACL: utilizing a progressive rehabilitation scheme to achieve total knee symmetry after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. J Orthop Sci. 2007;11:318-325.
Shelbourne KD, Patel DV, Martini DJ. Classification and management of arthrofibrosis of the knee after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Am J Sports Med. 1996;24: 857-862.
Urch SE, Shelbourne KD. Treatment algorithm for patellar dislocation or malalignment. Indiana Orthop J. 2008;2:86-91.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer-Verlag London Limited
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Shelbourne, K.D., Krodel, E.E. (2011). Unilateral Anterior Knee Pain as a Sign of Knee Asymmetry. In: Sanchis-Alfonso, V. (eds) Anterior Knee Pain and Patellar Instability. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-85729-507-1_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-85729-507-1_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-85729-506-4
Online ISBN: 978-0-85729-507-1
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)