The most common reason for inner knee pain is meniscus issues or sometimes AC ligament injuries. If you have been ensured that neither of these are the underlying issues, then you might want to look at Vastus medialis. Vastus Medialis can become excessively tight or adhered to surrounding muscles. An excessively tight VM can lead to medial (inner) knee pain.
The Vastus Medialis (VM) originates along the medial (inside) surface of the Femur and inserts on the common Quadriceps tendon below.
The VM (coupled with the other quadriceps muscles) is responsible for knee extension. The most distal portion (closer to the knees), the Vastus Medialis Obliquus (VMO), is responsible for medial (inward) pull of the patella. To release excessive tension in VM you can try this foam roller exercise:
Lie on your stomach on the ground with the foam roller underneath the middle of your thighs. Place the elbows on the ground underneath the shoulders. Externally rotate your hips (turn your knees/toes out).
- From the starting position, press up and roll back and forth over the inside portion of your thighs.
- It may help to work from the bottom of the hip to mid-thigh, reposition, and then work from mid-thigh to just above the knee (versus using long, broad strokes to hit the entire VM at once).
- Roll for 30–60 seconds.
To increase the pressure, try taking your opposite leg off the roller and placing it on the floor.