Why might knee issues cause difficulty walking down stairs?

When you have knee problems like osteoarthritis or patellofemoral pain syndrome, your knee joint can hurt and become stiff. This pain can make it harder for you to bend your knee and support your body weight properly when stepping down. Walking down stairs is more demanding than walking on flat ground because your knee and surrounding muscles must control the drop while keeping you stable.

If you change your gait due to chronic pain, it may lead to a less stable gait; this may make walking down the stairs difficult. All these factors add up so that descending stairs becomes a difficult task, and taking extra care, using handrails, or even limiting stair use might be needed to stay safe.