Is every knee pain arthritis? Not necessarily. If you’ve been told your knee pain is "just arthritis" or worse, your MRI came back completely normal but you're still hurting, this one is for you. The location of your pain actually provides the first clue to what’s going on. Pain around the knee can originate from a variety of structures, not just worn-down cartilage: ✔️ Tendons (muscle-to-bone connectors) ✔️ Ligaments (bone-to-bone stabilizers) ✔️ Bursae (fluid-filled frictio