What Are the Potential Causes of Inner Knee Pain?

Reviewed by Kenji Taylor, MD, MSc

Family Medicine

Inner knee pain can happen because of cartilage tears, irritated tissues, or nerve issues in the knee.

Explanation

There are a few reasons you might feel pain on the inside of your knee: Saphenous Neuritis:

This is when a nerve near the inner knee becomes inflamed.
The inflammation can cause pain and discomfort in that area.

Meniscal Tears:

The meniscus is a piece of cartilage that cushions your knee.
If it gets torn, it can cause pain and make it hard to move your knee.

Medial Meniscocapsular Separations:

This is when small tears happen where the meniscus connects to the knee.
These tears can lead to long-lasting pain on the inner side of your knee.

Medial Plica Syndrome:

Some people have extra tissue in their knee called a plica.
If this tissue gets irritated or thickened, it can hurt inside the knee.

If you are experiencing inner knee pain, it's important to talk to a doctor. They can help find out what's causing the pain and suggest the best treatment to make you feel better.

(References)

Hetsroni I, Lillemoe K, Marx RG. Small medial meniscocapsular separations: a potential cause of chronic medial-side knee pain. Arthroscopy. 2011 Nov;27(11):1536-42. doi: 10.1016/j.arthro.2011.06.025. Epub 2011 Sep 19. PMID: 21937194.
Bellary SS, Lynch G, Housman B, Esmaeili E, Gielecki J, Tubbs RS, Loukas M. Medial plica syndrome: a review of the literature. Clin Anat. 2012 May;25(4):423-8. doi: 10.1002/ca.21278. PMID: 22331585.
Morganti CM, McFarland EG, Cosgarea AJ. Saphenous neuritis: a poorly understood cause of medial knee pain. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2002 Mar-Apr;10(2):130-7. doi: 10.5435/00124635-200203000-00008. PMID: 11929207.
Raj MA, Bubnis MA. Knee Meniscal Tears. [Updated 2023 Jul 17]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK431067/

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