I have knee crack pain when am working on stairs.

Knee pain:
* Knee pain, when on the stairs, is a complaint shared by many people who usually feel fine while walking.
* But pain begins either suddenly, or happens each and every time while they are on the stairs, with some days being less intense than others.

Patellar tendinitis:
* The patella (kneecap) is the small bone in the front of the knee.
* The patellar tendon is a thick band-like structure that connects the bottom of the patella to the top of the large shin bone (tibia).
* The muscles on the front of the thigh, the quadriceps muscles, straighten the knee by pulling at the patellar tendon via the patella.
* This makes the patellar to glide up and down the groove in the thigh bone (femur) as the knee bends and straightens. * Patellar tendonitis is the condition that occurs when the tendon becomes inflamed and irritated.

causes patellar tendinitis:
* Activities that subject this tendon to large amounts of stress will inevitably cause “micro tears” leading to inflammation and pain as well as degeneration in the tendon tissue.
* In athletes, the most common of such activity is jumping, therefore patellar tendinitis is also known as ‘Jumper’s Knee’. * Running, walking or cycling may also place repetitive stress on the patellar tendon.
* In non-athletes, patellar tendinitis can also be caused by problems with the way your hips, legs, knees or feet are aligned.
* Having wide hips, being knock-kneed, or having flat feet, can be predisposing factors for patellar tendonitis, because such body mechanics will place more stress on the tendon during normal activities.

Precaution:
* Until the pain subsides, protect your knees from further damage and unnecessary aggravation.
Bouncing up and down the stairs puts more stress on the kneecaps. When ascending stairs, the top leg carries more of * the weight, so go up with the stronger leg leading.
* Whereas, when descending, the leg on the lower level carries less weight.
* Therefore, you should come down with the more painful leg first; and pointing your toes down gives couple of inches to reduce the stress on the knees.
* Hold on to the handrails for added support.
ref- punchng.com
Regards
Gracie Allen

Hello Anonymous,

I would like to welcome you to the EmpowHER community and thank you for reaching out to us.

If I understand your post, you are experiencing knee pain and a cracking sound when you climb stairs. Am I correct?

It is possible that you may have a meniscal tear, which is an injury to the cartilage located on your knee. Meniscus are two wedge shaped pieces of cartilage located between your thighbone and shinbone.

Other possible causes include patelllar tendinitis, which is inflammation of the tendon which connects the knee cap, and bursitis, which is inflammation of a bursa, that is a fluid-filled sac near the knee joint.

Anonymous, did these symptoms come on suddenly or have you been experiencing the pain for some time?

Regards,

Maryann