The fat pad is a pad of fat that lies behind the knee cap and patella tendon. It can become inflamed and swollen and can cause pain by becoming trapped in the front of the knee joint when the knee is straightened. Hoffa’s Syndrome can arise after a specific injury or can arise without a specific injury. Diagnosis can be confirmed by typical changes seen on an MRI scan. Hoffa’s Syndrome Treatment sometimes be done by trimming the inflamed fat pad through key-hole (arthroscopic) surgery.