The Most Common Ten Knee Injuries And What Are The Causes Of Each One?

The knee is a complex joint with multiple bones and ligaments. These structures allow the knee to bend and straighten, but they also help stabilize your knee when you walk or run.

Overuse knee injuries occur when too much stress is placed on the knee's structures (bones, ligaments and tendons) due to repetitive motions such as running, walking up stairs or playing sports like soccer, basketball and tennis.

Fractures

A knee fracture is a bone break in the kneecap or thighbone. This can be extremely painful and may also cause your leg to bend in an unnatural direction. Knee fractures are common injuries that occur from a fall, slipping on ice, getting hit by someone else while playing sports, or from other physical trauma.

They usually heal well with time and treatment, but the healing process can take several weeks depending on how severe the injury is.

Knee fractures are the most common type of broken bone, accounting for more than half of all fractures. What is a Knee Fracture? A fracture is an injury in which the ligaments and/or bones are broken.

The most common knee fracture occurs when one or both parts of your leg (tibia and femur) break due to extreme force applied to your knee joint.

This typically results from a fall onto the knee, which can cause significant pain behind or near your kneecap, swelling, bruising and deformity about your knee.

Anterior cruciate ligament injuries

occur when the knee is twisted, such as when changing direction quickly during a sport Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are some of the most common and serious knee injuries. ACL tears occur on average in up to 200,000 people each year.

ACL tears may occur without contact or with direct contact to the knee. An ACL injury can occur with no contact at all if someone's foot is planted and they pivot on their leg too quickly while running or performing another agility-based movement.

Dislocation

Dislocation or subluxation of the patella is usually caused by a direct blow to the knee which causes the patella to pop out of position Dislocation or subluxation of the patella is usually caused by a direct blow to the knee which causes the patella to pop out of position, sometimes sliding up or sideways. This can be excruciatingly painful.

A "pop" often heard at this moment may be due either to release from a tight ligament around a joint, or more commonly from tearing some part of the menisci (the cartilage discs between joints).

Knee dislocation symptoms are not always obvious, but it is important for you to be aware of possible signs and symptoms. Your knee may become swollen, bruised or painful after the injury.

You should also look out for nerve damage. Numbness or tingling in your foot may indicate nerve damage because your leg was jolted during the dislocation.

Also watch for muscle weakness in your leg that could occur if the nerves around your knee were damaged.

Mensical tears

MCL injuries are seen in many contact sports. The MCL is a strong band of fibrous tissue that connects the thigh bone to the shinbone above and below the knee joint. It helps keep your legs together, stabilizing them when you walk or run.

The most common mechanism for an MCL injury is hyperextension of the knee, which can occur during sports like football, soccer, skiing and basketball. Because this type of injury often occurs after landing awkwardly from a jump or fall, it's sometimes referred to as "jumpers' knee."

Tendonitis

Knee tendinitis symptoms include pain in the front of the knee, also called anterior knee pain. The pain occurs right above your kneecap, which is called patella. Pain can be sharp or dull and begin gradually or suddenly.

If you have knee tendonitis symptoms, it can feel like there's a knot at your patellar tendon when you touch it. This tendon connects to your quadriceps muscles and helps extend your leg straight out from your body when you bend your knee.

Knee tendinitis symptoms may appear with other injuries such as runner's knee or jumper's knee.

Bursitis

Symptoms Knee bursitis is an inflammation of the fluid-filled sacs located around your knee. This sac can fill with blood, causing a painful lump at the back of your knee.

Knee pain and swelling may limit your ability to perform everyday tasks such as walking, climbing stairs or squatting.

Tendon tears

This is an injury to the tendon, which is a thick cord of fibrous tissue that attaches muscle to bone. A tendon tear can occur in anyone at any age and it usually occurs as a result of an accident.

It can happen when you fall, or if your knee becomes jammed during physical activity such as running or playing football.

The knee is a complex joint that has to withstand forces from the side, from above and from below. Any of these forces can produce or worsen a tear in one of the key knee ligaments.

The two most common injuries are Anterior Cruciate Ligament tears (ACL) and Medial Collateral Ligament tears (MCL). Both injuries occur when the knee is subjected to a force that causes it to "give way". These include twisting, pivoting or excessive flexion.

Collateral ligament Injuries

Knee collateral ligament injuries can occur as a result of an acute injury or as a result of overuse. There are three major knee ligaments: the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL).

Iliotibial band syndrome

Knee iliotibial band syndrome is a condition where the iliotibial band becomes inflamed and painful. It occurs when the iliotibial band (ITB) rubs over the outside of your knee, causing irritation and inflammation.

You can develop this injury if you: wear your shoes too tight; have poor posture; or overpronate (roll inwards). The symptoms of knee ITB syndrome include: pain on the outside of your knees; tenderness around the side of your knee joint; and difficulty moving your knees at their full range.

Posterior cruciate ligament Injuries

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are commonly considered to be more severe than posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injuries, but the incidence of PCL injury is increasing among young athletes.

The timing of ACL reconstruction on results after PCL repair has not been investigated. This study compared outcomes for patients who underwent primary ACL reconstruction followed by secondary revision for recurrent instability to those who had primary PCL repair followed by secondary revision for recurrent instability within 6 months.

Summary

Knee joint is the largest joint in the body so it's more liable for Injuries and pain so take care and know how to move correctly.

By.dr.Fatma Ragab