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Treatment
Evaluation
A thorough evaluation is important to rule out conditions which can mimic enigmatic anterior knee pain; these can include:
- disorders of the spine and hip,
- bone tumors,
- tendonitis of the quadriceps muscle both above and below the kneecap,
- iliotibial band syndrome,
- Osgoode-Schlatter’s disorder (repetitive use injury to the tibial spine growth plate),
- Arthritis (inflammatory and degenerative),
- Loose bodies,
- Osteochondritis dissecans (mechanical detachment of a portion of the knee joint cartilage and underlying bone),
- Neuroma (usually a reactive overgrowth of an injured nerve, producing a disabling, lancinating pain, often in the sapphenous nerve),
- Bursitis (may be in front of the knee cap, below the kneecap, or over the proximal, medial tibia).
Be aware that recovery, if it is to be successful, often requires requires 3-6 months of altered activity, and sometimes avoidance of the inciting cause.