The top 3 causes of burning pain in the knee

March 14, 2022

Burning pain in the knee can occur suddenly or gradually over time. People who play sports and spend long hours on their feet are more likely to experience this type of pain. These activities put pressure on the muscles and joints of your body, thereby affecting your knees. The pressure can lead to underlying problems that trigger burning pain in your knees. Fortunately, you can seek help from a physical therapist if you develop burning pain in the knee. This is a particularly good idea if your pain persists for several weeks or months.

3 common causes of burning pain in the knee

Burning pain in the knee is usually a symptom of an underlying condition. A few conditions that may be behind your pain include:

Meniscus tears — A meniscus tear is an injury to your knee’s cartilage. It’s a common sports injury that often happens when you forcefully twist or rotate your knee while putting weight on it. Its symptoms include pain, swelling, stiffness and giving way of the knee.

Bursitis — When the fluid-filled sacs around your knee joint become inflamed, you have bursitis. You may experience pain, swelling and stiffness with this condition. Bursitis is often caused by repetitive motion or prolonged kneeling.

Osteoarthritis — It is the most common form of arthritis in the knees. It causes pain, stiffness, and swelling and is more common in older adults. You may be at greater risk of osteoarthritis if you have a family history of the condition or have injured your knee in the past.

Physical therapy methods to help burning pain in the knee

Your physical therapist can help determine the right treatment plan for your knee. Your treatment plan may include PT methods like:

Therapeutic exercises — Physical therapists use therapeutic exercises for knee pain to help patients improve the strength and flexibility of their leg muscles. Achieving these goals can help increase knee joint support and ease pain.

Cupping — This is a treatment where a physical therapist places specialized cups onto your skin for a few minutes. The cups create suction that can help in many ways, such as helping with pain, inflammation and blood flow. Physical therapists can also use the cups to perform a type of soft tissue mobilization that can increase calmness and well-being.

Movement pattern reeducation (MPRE) — MPRE is a physical therapy treatment that may be prescribed to you after a knee injury. It can also be used to address chronic knee pain. The goal of MPRE is to teach you how to move your body in ways that reduce knee stress and relieve pain.

There are many causes of knee pain, and the symptoms of each can be similar. The primary way to address knee pain is to determine what is causing it. If you are dealing with a burning pain in your knee, consider seeing a physical therapist to get to its root cause.

Turn to Franklin Rehab to diagnose and treat the burning pain in your knee

Franklin Rehabilitation has expert physical therapists who can help you reduce the burning pain you feel in your knee. We can arrange a free screening to determine the cause of your knee pain. Our therapists can then design a customized physical therapy plan for you that focuses on reducing your pain, helping speed up recovery and helping you get back to your daily routine.