The article by Jack Taunton and Michael Wilkinson on anterior knee pain1 covered most conditions seen at sports medicine clinics but omitted one frequently misdiagnosed condition, anserine bursitis, which is rare in athletes.
It is easily recognized in overweight, middle-aged or elderly women with anterior knee pain and well-localized tenderness, sometimes with puffiness, about 5 cm below the knee joint on the medial portion of the anterior tibia.2 Osteoarthritis of the knee is often present and distracts from consideration of anserine bursitis. Local injection of corticosteroids gives good relief with confirmation of the diagnosis.3