Knee pain can show up when you walk, bend, or stand. Even small imbalances in your feet can add pressure — the right support helps realign your body and ease the strain.
What’s Causing Your Knee Pain?
Your knees are the shock absorbers of your body, so it’s no surprise that the parts of the knee can wear down over time. That’s why knee pain is more common as we age, although it can happen to anyone, especially if you’re very athletic or you’re carrying some extra weight. Common causes of knee pain include:
• Everyday “wear and tear”
• Ligament tears
• Tendinitis
• Arthritis
• Inflammation
• Injuries
Knee Pain Location Chart: Pinpoint Your Pain
The knee is the most complex joint in the body, so pinpointing knee pain can be a challenge. Use this knee pain location chart to help you.
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Where Is Your Knee Pain?
- Outer Knee Pain
- Pain Above Or Behind Your Knee
- Pain Below Your Knee
- Inner Knee Pain
- Knee Pain In Your Cartilage Bones
- Radiating Knee Pain
Outer Knee Pain
Pain on the outer side of your knee could be caused by:
- Lateral meniscus tear, which happens when you tear the cartilage on the outside of your knee. It’s common in basketball, skiing, and other sports where you twist your knees.
- Lateral collateral ligament tear, or LCL tear, a tear to a ligament on the outside of your knee. It usually happens because of a high-impact blow to your knee.
- Iliotibial band syndrome, an injury to a group of tissues that runs from the hip to the outer thigh. It’s most common among marathon runners and cyclists.
Pain Above or Behind Your Knee
Pain at the top or back of your knee is often due to the muscles, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments, including:
- Meniscus injuries, which cause damage to the cartilage that cushions your knee joint. In addition to knee pain, you might hear a “popping” sound.
- Hamstring injuries, which damage a group of three muscles at the back of the knee. These injuries are common in sports like soccer, tennis, and hockey.
- Baker's cyst is damage to a fluid-filled sac at the back of the knee. You might feel knee pain, stiffness, swelling, and a clicking sensation.
Pain Below Your Knee
Knee pain just below your kneecap can indicate a variety of conditions, including:
- Jumper’s knee (patellar tendinitis), which is damage to the tendon that connects your kneecap and shin.
- Patellofemoral instability, a general term that refers to instability in the kneecap that causes slipping and dislocation.
- Osgood-Schlatter disease, an inflammation of the tendon between the kneecap and shin that’s common in children, especially during growth spurts.
- Sinding-Larsen-Johansson syndrome, another common condition in children that happens when the growth plates in the knees become irritated.
Inner Knee Pain
Pain on the inside of your knee is usually due to an injury caused by overuse or sudden trauma, like:
- Medial meniscus tear, which happens when you tear the cartilage on the inside of your knee. It’s common in sports where you change direction quickly, like basketball.
- Injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), a long band of tissue that connects your thigh and shin.
- Injury to the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), another ligament that connects your thigh and shin. This injury usually happens during high-impact contact sports.
- Injury to the medial collateral ligament (MCL), one of the most common inner knee injuries.
Knee Pain in Your Cartilage and Bones
If you have stiff knees or feel like your knees are “popping” or “crackling,” your knee pain could originate in your cartilage or bones due to:
- Runner’s knee, a general term that usually refers to the breakdown of the cartilage behind the kneecap. The pain typically occurs when walking up or down stairs, squatting, or kneeling.
- Chondromalacia, when the cartilage in your knees breaks down, usually due to age. The bones then scrape against one another, causing knee pain and crackling sounds.
- Arthritis, a disease that causes the cartilage of the knee to wear away. There are several different types, but osteoarthritis is the most common.
Radiating Knee Pain
If your knee pain feels like a warm, sharp sensation or tingling and radiates to or from other parts of your body, it could be due to nerve problems like:
- Spinal nerve compression, which can cause radiating pain anywhere in the leg, including the knee.
- Myelopathy, a type of nerve compression in the neck that can cause weakness and pain in the legs and feet.
- Sciatica, another type of nerve compression in the nerve that runs from the lower back to the legs.
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Common Knee Injuries
Think about all your knees do for you: They’re involved in nearly every movement, not only carrying the weight of your body, but also allowing you to bend, flex, lift, and turn on a dime. That’s also why knee pain and injuries are so common, especially for athletes. Being aware and taking proper precautions, like wearing a supportive brace, can help you avoid these common knee injuries:
- Ligament and muscle sprains and strains
- Ligament and cartilage tears
- Inflammation of the tendons from repetitive movements
- Tears in the tendons due to the force of running
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Concerns & Conditions
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Frequently Asked Questions
When your arches collapse or your feet roll inward, it throws your knees out of alignment — increasing stress on joints and ligaments.
By supporting all four arches, they realign your feet and legs, reducing the strain that contributes to knee pain.
Yes. Consistent use can improve lower-body alignment, which helps reduce chronic knee discomfort and prevent future flare-ups.
Yes. They provide non-invasive, gentle support that works in conjunction with existing treatments or rehabilitation programs.
Many customers feel less pressure and improved stability within a few weeks of consistent wear.
Start gradually, then increase wear time. The more consistently you wear them, the better the alignment and knee comfort you’ll experience.