Do your knees “crack and grind” when squatting or using stairs

The patellofemoral joint is part of your knee involving the knee cap (patella) and the thigh bone (femur). The patella sits inside a grooved surface on the distal end of the femur. The patella should glide up and down in this groove smoothly, but can sometimes be misaligned and caused maltracking. The quadriceps muscle holds the patella and helps control the movement in the groove.

Clicking and pain in the knee may occur due to:
– cartilage damage behind the knee cap or in the femoral groove
– poor knee cap alignment
– poor quadriceps strength
– tight quadriceps
– tight lower back or ITB (iliotibial band in lateral thigh)
– weak gluteal muscles
– flat feet
– knocked knees

If you suffer from clicking and painful knees talk to your physio about your symptoms and what can be done about this. Identifying the cause of the clicking and pain is a step in the right direction to be able to rehabilitate your knees as best as can.