The Most Common Cause of KNEE PAIN (Patello-femoral Joint Pain)

Updated March 13, 2026

Patello-femoral joint (PFJ) pain is the most common cause of pain that we help our patients with in the physical therapy clinic.

This type of pain is characterized by pain along the front of the knee, often described as pain underneath the knee cap (aka your “patella”).

In this video, I’ll explain what PFJ pain is, and I’ll explain the variety of factors that can contribute to this type of knee pain.

This includes the following factors:

– Quad muscle weakness

– Hip & core muscle weakness

– IT Band pain and tightness

– Foot/ankle pronation (flat feet)

– Underlying arthritis

Understanding the cause of your knee pain is the first step in eliminating your pain and returning to your active lifestyle!

I’ll make a follow up video soon discussing how to eliminate this type of knee pain, so stay tuned for that!

I hope this helps!

– Luke Gordon, DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy/Owner of Gordon Physical Therapy)

For even more tips and advice on how to eliminate knee pain for good, download my FREE report by visiting https://gordonphysicaltherapy.com/knee-pain-treatment/