Patient: Ms Liu, 52, works in an office-based role.
Main concern: For over a year, she had been experiencing persistent pain in her right knee. The problem became most noticeable when going downstairs.
She described a sense of weakness and instability, often needing to slow down or hold onto the railing.
She had previously been told this was likely age-related joint degeneration and was advised to manage the pain with medication.
However, the symptoms did not improve in a sustained way.
During consultation, several key observations were made:
On palpation, there was marked sensitivity around the posterior knee tendons.
Further examination showed:
This pattern is more commonly associated with:
Soft tissue tension around the medial knee and surrounding tendons
Additional symptoms were noted during assessment:
From a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, these findings may be associated with:
Reduced lower body circulation, cold and damp accumulation, and lower overall recovery capacity.
Taken together, the presentation suggested that the issue was not purely structural joint degeneration, but involved:
This type of presentation is commonly seen in clinical practice but is often initially labelled as “degenerative change”.
In the first two weeks, changes were minimal:
By the third week, the patient reported:
As soft tissue tension eased and circulation improved, functional movement gradually became more comfortable.
Not all knee pain is primarily due to joint degeneration.
In many cases, contributing factors include:
When management focuses only on pain relief, symptoms may persist.
A broader approach that addresses both local tension and overall physical condition can support more stable, long-term improvement.
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