What Causes Knee Pain When Sitting?
Underlying causes of knee pain while sitting
The discomfort you feel in your knees when sitting could indicate underlying causes, such as arthritis or patellofemoral pain (PFP).
Arthritis
When you haven’t moved your knees for a while and start to feel stiffness and pain, it might be osteoarthritis, according to Harvard Medical School. Osteoarthritis may also cause knee discomfort when you stand up from a sitting position.
A chronic joint inflammation, osteoarthritis typically affects people over age 50, but it can also appear in younger people. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 23 percent of American adults have arthritis.
Treatment of osteoarthritis in your knees may include:
Patellofemoral pain (PFP)
According to a 2016 study, about 50 percent of people with PFP have problems with prolonged sitting with bent knees. People with PFP, also known as runner’s knee, also commonly experience knee discomfort when squatting and walking up and down stairs.
PFP is associated with:
Treatment of PFP may include:
