Knee Injuries

More commonly known as the ACL, a sprain or tear of the anterior cruciate ligament is one of the most frequently occuring knee injuries. If you have a sprain or tear to your anterior cruciate ligament, it is likely you have damage to other parts of your knee as well. Cruciate ligaments in your knee cross each other to form an “X” and control the back and forth motion of your knee. The anterior cruciate ligament runs diagonally through the middle of your knee and provides stability to your tibia and your knee as a whole. Athletes are more likely to have ACL injuries than the rest of the population, as these injuries are often caused by direct contact, stopping or changing direction suddenly, or landing from jumping incorrectly. Symptoms may include a popping noise and your knee giving out from under you, swelling and intense pain, and an inability to walk. Surgery is the only way to repair a torn ACL, but nonsurgical options for elderly patients may also include physical therapy and bracing. Our doctors can help you understand your options for surgery and recovery!

Collateral ligaments are located on the sides of your knees and connect the femur to the tibia (medial collateral ligament) and to the fibula (lateral collateral ligament). These ligaments regulate the sideways motion of your knee joint and protect it from unusual or harmful movement. Athletes are more susceptible to collateral ligament injuries than the general population, as these sprains are typically caused by direct contact to the knee or hard muscle contractions (like changing directions suddenly while running). Pain on the inside or outside of your knee, as well as swelling and instability, may be signs of a collateral ligament injury. Depending on the severity of the sprain, bracing, ice, and physical therapy may be sufficient treatments, but occasionally surgery is required. We can give you a correct diagnosis and help relieve your pain!

There are four ligaments in your knee: the anterior cruciate ligament, the posterior cruciate ligament, the medial collateral ligament, and the lateral collateral ligament. Each of these four ligaments plays a vital role in the stability and movement of your knee joint. Injuring mutliple ligaments at once is a common and serious sports injury that can lead to a loss of blood supply to the leg and disruption of the muscle nerves. Symptoms may include intense pain, swelling, and instability, but a physical examination by a medical professional is required to accurately diagnose a combined knee ligament injury. Because these injuries are so severe, surgery is often recommended immediately after diagnosis. More than one operation may be needed. Our doctors can help you understand your options for treatment!

There are two rubbery pieces of protective cartilage in your knee known as meniscus and located between your thighbone and shinbone. They serve to cushion and stabilize your knee joint. When the menisci wear thin or tear over time as a result of aging, the bone nerves are exposed, and this results in pain, stiffness, and swelling. When an athlete twists their knee suddenly or experiences direct contact, their menisci may tear, and they may experience a popping sound, pain, swelling, and instability. Depending on the type of tear, you will most likely require surgery, but some meniscal tears do heal with rest and physical therapy. The doctors at Westchase Orthopedics & Rehabilitation can treat your mensical tear and relieve your pain!

The posterior cruciate ligament is one of the four knee ligaments that connect your femur to your tibia. This particular ligament is located near the back of your knee and keeps the tibia (shinbone) in place. Because it is the strongest knee ligament, and smaller, it is less commonly injured than the ACL. A powerful impact, like in a car accident or sporting event, is usually what injures the posterior cruciate ligament. Most often, this type of injury occurs in conjunction with another knee structure injury. Symptoms of a posterior cruciate ligament tear include pain, swelling, difficulty walking, and instability. Treatment options include immobilization, physical therapy, and surgery, if there are other injuries present. Our doctors can help you heal!

The patella is your kneecap. When the complicated interaction of joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments in your knee keep your patella in place, you can move, jump, run, sit, squat, walk, and run easily. When the kneecap slides out of place, either due to natural aging or to direct impact like a fall, accident, or sporting injury, your kneecap can be dislocated. You can experience pain, stiffness, swelling, your knee no longer being able to support your weight, and your knee catching during movement. The best course of treatment is typically reduction (returning the kneecap to its proper place), followed by physical therapy and bracing or surgery, depending on the nature of the patellar instability. The doctors at Westchase Orthopedics & Rehabilitation can stabilize your knee and return you to activity!

Osgood-Schlatter Disease (OSD) occurs when the growth plate at the top of the shinbone swells and becomes irritated due to quickly changing knee structures or knee structures changing at different rates. Children and adolescents can be diagnosed with this painful condition during growth spurts, and if they participate in athletic activities that put pressure on the bones, muscles, and tendons in their knee, they are more likely to experience this condition. Symptoms include pain, swelling, and tenderness below the kneecap that worsens with activity, and/or tight thigh muscles. This condition usually only requires rest, medication, or physical therapy for treatment, and will go away between the ages of 14-18. Our doctors can help relieve your child’s pain!

The term “runner’s knee” can be used to describe several conditions that cause pain around the kneecap, or patella. Examples include anterior knee pain syndrome, patellofemoral malalignment, chondromalacia patella, and iliotibial band syndrome, among others. While running, as the name suggests, can be a cause of runner’s knee, any activity that puts repeated stress on the knee (like walking, skiing, biking, jumping, cycling, and other sports) can cause this condition. Middle-aged women and people who are overweight are more commonly prone to this disorder. Symptoms of runner’s knee include a dull, aching pain around the kneecap, pain during activity, or a popping/grinding sensation in the knee. Treatment may include rest, compression, elevation, physical therapy, and surgery, depending on the severity of your condition. Our doctors can diagnose runner’s knee and help you return to your active lifestyle!

Shin splints occur when the muscles, tendons, and bone tissue around your shinbone (tibia) become inflamed due to vigorous exercise activity. Runners, dancers, military recruits, athletes, and people with flat feet are at high risk for developing shin splints. Symptoms include sharp or aching pain around your shinbone that occurs during or after exercise. Treatment may include rest, compression, custom orthotics, and flexibility exercises. The physicians at Westchase Orthopedics & Rehabilitation can help you understand the best way to relieve your pain!