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What is on the posterior side of the knee?

The popliteal fossa (sometimes referred to colloquially as the knee pit, or poplit) is a shallow depression located at the back of the knee joint. The bones of the popliteal fossa are the femur and the tibia.

What is the anatomy behind the knee?

Below the kneecap, there is a large tendon (patellar tendon) which attaches to the front of the tibia bone. There are large blood vessels passing through the area behind the knee (referred to as the popliteal space). The large muscles of the thigh move the knee.

What does posterior knee pain indicate?

Some of the most common causes of pain behind the knee (posterior knee pain) include, Baker’s cyst, arthritis, infection, injury, tumor, or deep vein thrombosis. Since the knee is the largest and most complex joint in the body, it makes sense that it might hurt sometimes.

Where is posterior knee pain located?

Posterior knee pain refers to pain located behind your kneecap (popliteal). Knee pain more commonly presents itself in the anterior, medial, and lateral aspect of your knee and less often in the posterior aspect of your knee.

How do you treat posterior knee pain?

Tips for quick relief

  1. Rest the knee until it heals.
  2. Hold ice on it for 20 minutes at a time, several times a day.
  3. Wear a compression bandage to support the knee, but make sure it’s not too tight.
  4. Elevate the injured knee on a pillow or several pillows.
  5. Use crutches or a cane to take weight off the knee.

How can I strengthen my posterior knee?

Knee-Strengthening Exercises

  1. Straight-Leg Lift. Lie on your back with one leg bent and the other straight.
  2. Single-Leg Dip. Place chairs on both sides of you for balance.
  3. Hip Raise. Lie on your back on the floor.
  4. Wall Squat. Stand with your head, back, and hips against a wall.
  5. Quadriceps Stretch.
  6. Hamstring Stretch.

What muscles do you use to bend your knee?

The knee is a hinge joint but it also has the ability to rotate slightly as it moves. The contraction of muscles at the front of the thigh (quadriceps) straightens the leg, while contraction of the muscles at the back of the thigh (hamstrings) allow the leg to bend at the knee.

What causes pain in the posterior?

There is a large variety of potential causes of posterior knee pain. These include soft-tissue injuries, tendon injuries, vascular, and neurologic causes. Injuries to the soft-tissues and tendons are more common while neurologic and vascular injuries occur less frequently [18].

How do you fix posterior knee pain?

Are stairs bad for knees?

This is because going down the stairs puts significant force on the knee and the patello-femoral joint located beneath the kneecap. This force is intensified for people who have weak quadriceps or thigh muscles, because there’s no muscle to absorb the force of each step. The entire impact falls on the knee joint.