FGPT Physio – Common knee injuries explained
March 10, 2010 by admin
Author: Greg Dea
In this latest injury related post, FGPT physio Greg Dea focuses on the knee. He explains basic anatomy, common injuries and how they occur. He also outlines the correct procedures you should adhere to for a full recovery.
The knee in isolation is often injured in sports, whether they be contact, non-contact, group or individual pursuit.
A knee injury can immediately be grouped into two groups – traumatic or atraumatic (or overload/overuse). In both cases, the injury can be acute, ie just happened, or chronic, ie several weeks to months or years old. So, you can have a new traumatic injury, such as a twisting or contact injury in a game or even that’s just happened. You can also have an old traumatic injury that still gives trouble. You can also have a new “overuse” injury, ie a pain that has popped up without really knowing why that is likely to have its cause in many different areas of training and biomechanics.
The common injuries include ligament sprains, such as cruciate or collateral ligament sprains, muscle strains and cartilage injuries, such as to the meniscus inside the knee, or the back of the knee cap (patella). Another injury common to jumping athletes occurs to the tendon underneath the knee cap, known as the patella tendon. It’s also worth noting that pain at the back of the knee can mean injury to muscles or ligaments deep in the knee, cartilage at the FRONT of the knee, or even significant injury in the hip or lower back! Thus its important to have these pains assessed, particularly if knee pain is causing a limp and the athlete is young.
A sprain is the word used when describing injury to the tissues holding a joint together, such as a ligament or joint capsule. This is different from the word “strain” which describes injury to muscles, tendons and other types of connective tissue. In both cases, sprain and strain, there is no difference in the use of this word and the words “tear”, “rip” or “rupture”, only in the degree of injury – for example if you grab a piece of tissue paper and tear it slightly, its still torn. Similarly with ligaments, capsule and muscle – the strain or sprain will be a tear, but its the degree of injury that determines the degree of disability and recovery time.
Ligament injuries occur when a joint is forced beyond its usual range of movement with usually high force at speed (such as another player falling across the outside of inside of a knee). They can also occur when the knee twists suddenly. The athlete often feels a strong pain, and may also hear or feel a pop or tearing. These injuries need to be treated with a high degree of suspicion and assessed by a qualified and experienced health practitioner such as a physiotherapist or sports doctor or orthopaedic surgeon. Minor knee ligament sprains often see a person require some supportive taping and/or bracing, rehabilitation and time away from training and competition before returning to full activity (with support) by approximately 4-6 weeks (sometimes less). Major strains or sprains often require surgical intervention to repair and may require many months to return to training and even more to return to competition. Many athletes do not make it back to full sport, and this is usually due to inadequate or incomplete rehabilitation.
A common knee injury in sports involving running is pain in or around the knee cap, but not including the tendon below the knee cap. This is thought to occur when the knee cap abnormally glides and slides around the bottom of the thigh bone. There are many possible causes, but it is nearly inevitable that there will be muscle imbalances, weakness or restrictions of movement at the foot, ankle and especially hip. Addressing or treating the knee without having the areas above and below assessed will likely see the knee injury persist. In some cases, knee cap pain can be removed by altering only the joints above and below. As you can see then, a proper assessment is required.
Patella tendon injuries often occur in sports involving jumping and running with change of direction. They are usually painful distinct spots of pain on the tendon and often disabling. The understanding of these injuries has advanced significantly in the past decade, and surgery is rarely required. It is definitely worth seeing a good sports physiotherapist and possible sports doctor to help rehabilitate these injuries. They often require management of training load for the rest of the athletes career, but usually allow return to full competition.
If you have knee pain, consult your preferred sports physiotherapist for a full assessment and a description of movements you can safely perform.
At Fitness Goal Personal Training we can work closely with your chosen physician to get you back in full action with an effective rehabilitation program.
Contact us for more information about our personal training and rehabilitation programs.
