6 Common Knee Injuries and How to Treat Them
Knee injuries are surprisingly common. When you consider that many of our daily motions involve our knee, you’ll start to see just how important it is to look after those joints and ensure that they’re being kept healthy. However, the knee isn’t a simple construct in our body. It’s made up of bones, cartilage, ligaments and tendons, all of which could be damaged in one way or another. Whenever we walk, sit, squat and jump, we put pressure on various parts of our knee in order for it to function.
However, as we work our knee and put a strain on these joints, we can end up damaging them if we’re not careful. As such, it’s incredibly important that you lookout for some of the more common injuries that could occur and how to treat them so that it doesn’t limit your movement for a long period of time.
- Fractures
Fractures can generally happen to any of the bones around the knee with the most common being the patella or kneecap. High-impact trauma, such as a car accident or fall, can typically cause fractures and usually result in pain and discomfort. People with underlying osteoporosis may even experience fractures just be stepping incorrectly or falling lightly.
- Dislocation
A dislocated knee means that the bones of the knee go out of alignment. This usually happens due to an accident, structural abnormalities or general trauma. A dislocated knee usually results in a popping sound when it happens and can cause severe pain if left untreated.
- Tendonitis
Also known as inflammation of the knee, tendonitis is an injury to the tendon that connects your kneecap and shinbone. Injury to this tendon can make it difficult for someone to perform basic physical activities such as running and jumping, hence why it’s often referred to as jumper's knee. It’s a common condition among athletes that make ample use of jumping, but it can affect anyone that is active.
- Ligament injuries
Collateral ligaments connect your thigh bone and shin bone, meaning that these injuries can often result from collisions with other people or an object. Services like Dr Slattery knee arthroscope are a great way to identify if you have a ligament injury and also to deal with it safely and efficiently and restore function to your knee.
- Meniscal tears
When there’s a torn cartilage in the knee, it’s often referred to as a meniscal tear. These can tear due to the natural ageing process, in which case it’s known as a degenerative meniscus tear. Alternatively, it can also happen due to sports activities, making this a rather common issue with athletes. If the meniscus suddenly tears, you may hear a pop sound or feel something in your knee.
- Tendon tears
In addition to inflammation concerns, our tendons can also tear if we overstretch them. This is surprisingly common in athletes and can also affect middle-aged people. The impact from a fall or collision can also cause tears in the tendon.