Why Knee Pain From an Injured Hip?

Knee pain after a hip injury is very common.

Following a hip injury many people will begin to also feel pain in the knee. This may be attributed to several factors.

Referred Pain

Occasionally following injury a person may feel pain away from the site of the actual injury. This is called referred pain, which occurs as the result of injury to the central nervous system.

Compensation

Once a body part is injured it becomes difficult to use normally due to pain. Using the body part in an altered way leads to biomechanical changes throughout the body, which applies stress to other areas. After injuring your hip, it is common for more stress to be placed on the knee, resulting in pain.

Knee Injury

When a traumatic injury occurs it is common to focus on the most painful area and not on less serious pain. It is possible while injuring the hip the knee was also damaged but was not detected or recognized until later.

Swelling

Injuries cause swelling, which tends to travel down the leg due to gravity. If swelling travels from the hip to the knee, pain will occur.

Considerations

Injuries should be taken seriously and checked by a physician. Tell your physician if you develop pain in an area away from the site of injury so serious damage may be ruled out.

References

• "Examination of Orthopedic and Athletic Injuries"; Chad Starkey, Sara D. Brown, Jeff Ryan; 2009