Other causes of knee pain

This section explores several other causes of knee pain, there may however, be reasons not included here, which can cause knee pain. Please consult your health care professional to determine the exact cause of your specific pain

• Rheumatoid arthritis

  Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that causes pain and swelling of the joints. This can become very painful, and causes swelling and stiffness that may eventually damage the joint’s cartilage and bone, and weaken the soft tissue around the joint, preventing the joint from working properly⁴.

  For more information about rheumatoid arthritis please visit https://arthritisaustralia.com.au/types-of-arthritis/rheumatoid-arthritis/

• Post-Traumatic Arthritis

  Post-traumatic arthritis can develop if, after an injury to the joint, the bone and cartilage don’t heal properly. When this happens, the joint is no longer smooth, which can lead to extra wear on the joint. Post-traumatic arthritis often follows serious injury to the knee, or repeated high impact or force to the joint. Injury to a joint, such as a bad sprain or fracture, can also cause damage to the articular cartilage. Once this cartilage is damaged, it doesn’t normally grow back. Instead, scar tissue replaces it, which doesn’t protect or cushion the bones in the joint as effectively.

  Post-traumatic arthritis is treated in a similar way to similarly to osteoarthritis.

• Sarcoma

  Sarcomas are very rare primary bone cancers that have not spread from cancer somewhere else in the body (e.g. from breast tissue)5. It is more common to see cancer in bone that has spread from another part of the body, however, these types of cancer are best treated like the primary cancer from which they spread5. Although a sarcoma can develop at any age, sarcomas most commonly appear in children and young adults⁵.

  Bone cancers form in the cells that make hard bone tissue. Cancers such as leukaemia, multiple myeloma, and lymphoma, which arise in cells produced in bone marrow, are not considered bone cancers, but they do affect the bone and may require orthopaedic management⁵.

  For more information on bone cancers please visit the Australian Cancer Research Foundation https://www.acrf.com.au/support-cancer-research/types-of-cancer/bone-cancer/

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