Knee Injurries

The knee is a very important part of human body. It is needed to bend or extend and to allow the body to perform many activities like walking, running, kicking and sitting.

The knee is more susceptible to twisting and/or stretching injuries when it gets directly hit. Such a hit would take the joint through motions more than it can tolerate.

If the knee gets stressed in a specific direction, then the ligaments trying to hold the knee in place against the force could get torn. Such ligament stretching or tear is more commonly called as sprain. Sprains are generally graded as first, second, or third degree based upon how much damage has occurred. Grade one strains are those strains that stretch the ligaments but do not tear them. In case of grade two sprains, the fibers of the ligament are partially torn, but the ligament remains intact, while in grade three sprains, the ligament is completely torn.

Twisting injuries to the knee generally put stress on the cartilage or meniscus and can squeeze it between the tibial surface and the edges of the femoral condyle causing tears.

Strains are injuries caused to the muscles or tendons that surround the knee because of too much bending or extension. Sprains also could be caused because of overuse too.

There could be inflammation of the bursas of the knee, which is more commonly known as bursitis, which is caused by direct blows or chronic abuse of the knees.

Acute knee injuries could be divided into two groups. In the first the group are those injuries that causes almost immediate swelling of the knees and the inability to bend the knees and to bear weight. In the second group, there is discomfort as well as there could be localized pain to one side of the knee, but there is very little swelling and there is not much difficulty in walking.

Acute knee injuries could be diagnosed when there is lot of pain and swelling of the knee with difficulty in bearing weights.

Longer term symptoms that would indicate a knee problem will include pain and swelling along with other complaints. Even minor activity might cause inflammation of the joints. These swellings could be of intermittent in nature, caused because of activity and may gradually abate with the decreasing of the inflammation.

Pain might not be felt immediately even when doing any activity but might be felt as the inflammation increases. Giving way or feeling of instability might be a symptom of knee injury.  

Knowledge about the causes that could damage our knees would enable a person to avoid those activities so that the knees could be used properly.