Question
I am 15 years old and I have had a knee problem on and off for about three years now. I heard that ballet can be hard on your knees and I take at the least 5 classes a week. What happens is that when I am doing certain moves where I have to lift and then extend my leg I get a tolerable pain around the lower and inner side around my knee cap and through out the class it gets worse. After class I will ice it and then the next day it feels fine, but it is beginning to annoy me and is happening more often. Should I get this checked out and are there any good web sites where you can learn about the anatomy of the knee that you know about? Thank you for your time.

Answer
Hi April,

Yes, you should get this checked out.  The doctor will be able to tell you what is causing the pain, and help you avoid damaging your knees so you can continue to be active.

These are some good sites with information on the knee:
www.kneeguru.co.uk/
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/kneeinjuriesanddisorders.html
www.scoi.com/kneeanat.htm

I hope you feel better soon!
Jenny