3 Common Ways Your Hip Can Cause Your Knee Pain?

1. Arthritis (referred pain)

a. Referred pain is a common occurrence in osteoarthritic hips. Referred pain is pain that occurs away from the actual site of arthritis. So hip arthritis can refer pain into the knee on the same side.

b. Research supports this belief: Khan et al looked at 60 patients scheduled to undergo hip arthroplasty. Of these patients’ 69 percent had pain on the front of the knee of the same leg. Furthermore, 47 percent also reported pain below the knee.

c. In another study, Wang et al studied 255 patients with hip (pain) disease AND knee pain on the same leg. After hip arthroplasty the knee pain commonly improved.

How to tell if you have arthritis in your hip:

The number one sign of arthritis in the hip is a lack of hip internal rotation. Sit on bench hang knees over edge. Swing ankle out and compare movement from left leg to right leg. A decrease in internal rotation may indicate arthritis is present in the hip.

2. Weakness

a. Often, knee pain is caused by what is going above the knee and below the knee. Weakness in the muscles of the hip and buttock (specifically the Gluteus Medius, or the gluteus maximus can cause the thigh bone to rotate inward. This inward rotation can lead to increased stress around the knee joint. Specifically, it can lead to patellofemoral stress syndrome, Iliotibial band friction syndrome, patellar stress tendonitis, or pes anserine bursitis.

3. Tightness

a. As an example, when you step forward with your left foot, the right hip goes into internal rotation. If the right hip lacks internal rotation that leg will try to make up for the lack of movement somewhere further down the (what is known as the kinematic chain). So, a lack of movement at the hip results in MORE motion at the knee. If this excess motion continues day afterday it may result in knee pain. Your rectus femoris and IT band (Tensor Fascia Lata) both attach to your knee cap. Both originate in the hip and when tight can cause the knee to get squished against the thigh bone - resulting in knee pain.

Check out the full Knee Pain Relief Program series of videos, along with downloadable guide sheets, here: https://www.bobandbrad.com/health-programs/knee-pain-relief-program