Close look on pes anserinus conditions

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The pes anserinus is the region on the interior of the knee where the tendons for the sartorius, gracilis and semitendinosus muscle attach. A bursa is found under these tendons which is vital in minimizing the friction amidst the tendons and bone.

Pes anserinus tendonitis involves inflammation of the gracilis, semitendinosus and sartorius tendons. As for bursitis, there is inflammation of the underlying bursa. Due to their close relationship, these conditions often develop simultaneously.

What are the causes?

pes-anserinus
Knee pain especially in the inner region during straightening and bending of the knee as well as moving up or down the stairs.

Various factors that can trigger pes anserinus conditions generally include:

  • Activities or sports that involve repeated use of the semitendinosus, sartorius and gracilis tendons such as dancing, running and sports that involves a lot of directional changes
  • Underlying knee conditions such as osteoarthritis
  • Abnormal knee, hip or ankle biomechanics
  • Muscular imbalances
  • Poor warm-up and stretching before and after exercise
  • Using inappropriate footwear
  • Abrupt increase in the activity level or training

Indications

If an individual has pes anserinus bursitis or tendonitis, he/she might experience one or several of the following:

  • Knee pain especially in the inner region during straightening and bending of the knee as well as moving up or down the stairs
  • Swelling over the interior aspect of the joint
  • Weakness or feeling that the area around the knee is about to “give away”

In most cases of individuals with pes anserinus tendonitis and bursitis, they can fully recover with the help of conservative measures. In some cases, an injection directly into the site of the inflammation is oftentimes needed to decrease the inflammation and pain.

Preventive measures

There are various ways to lower the risk for developing pes anserinus tendonitis or bursitis such as:

  • Correcting any irregularities in the exercise technique
  • Gradual increase in the intensity of training
  • Using incorrect footwear during exercise
  • Correcting any muscular imbalances
  • Perform proper warm-up and cool down exercises before and after activity

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