What Kind of Injuries Cause Knee Pain?
Article featured on Noyes Knee Institute
Are you someone that has been dealing with knee pain that affects you daily? Conditions like these can affect people at any time and age. Thankfully, you can benefit from the expertise of an orthopedic knee surgeon, no matter what your situation is.
Today, we’ll discuss some common injuries that can cause knee pain. We’ll also talk about when you should see a doctor to address this.
Meniscus Tears
When people talk about torn knee cartilages, they’re likely talking about a meniscal tear. The menisci are two pieces of cartilage that cover the end of your bones. They can either tear suddenly during sports events or slowly due to aging.
When the meniscus tears due to aging, medical experts refer to it as a degenerative tear. As for sudden tears, you may experience or hear a pop in the knee. Once the injury occurs, you may witness higher levels of pain over the next few days.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injuries
The ACL ligament runs diagonally down the front of the knee and provides stability to your joints. Injuries that occur in the ACL can be serious and even require surgery. ACL injuries can range from a Grade 1 mild sprain to a Grade 3 total tear.
ACL tears can occur as a result of these movements that occur in sports or non-sport events.
- Awkward jumps and landing
- Colliding with others
- Quick direction shifts
- Sudden starts and stops
Any ACL or other ligament injury can result in serious knee pain that may indicate the need for surgery.
Post Traumatic Arthritis (PTA) In The Knee
PTA is a form of arthritis that occurs as a result of serious knee injuries. Injuries such as broken bones or ligament tears can wear down your joint surface. That, in return, can also lead to arthritis as time goes by.
These injuries can lead to damage to your knee cartilages as you age and lead to pain, stiffness, and swelling. If you experience these symptoms, contact your orthopedic knee surgeon to discuss the right pain relief options for you.
Tendon Issues
Tendon injuries, such as tendonitis or tendon tears, commonly occur in athletes or mid-age people that participate in physical activities. Tendons are soft tissues that connect the knee cap to the shinbones. The most common tendon that receives injury is the patellar tendon. This tendon works with the front of the thigh so that a person can run and jump.
Tendonitis is also known as jumper’s knee since this condition is common amongst athletes who jump often. Other types of physically active people can develop this as well.
As for more serious tendon injuries, direct impact from hits or falls can cause a tendon tear. This can lead to severe knee pain, which can require treatment or even surgery.
When Should I See An Orthopedic Knee Surgeon?
It may be time to see an ortho doctor if you’re dealing with these conditions resulting from knee area injuries.
- Bone injury
- Chronic pain
- Muscle injury
Not only do they provide you with unique solutions to treat your condition, but they’ll also give you preventative advice.
The Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center of Oregon is an award-winning, board-certified orthopedic group located in downtown Portland Oregon. We utilize both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, spine diseases, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors and congenital disorders.
Our mission is to return our patients back to pain-free mobility and full strength as quickly and painlessly as possible using both surgical and non-surgical orthopedic procedures.
Our expert physicians provide leading-edge, comprehensive care in the diagnosis and treatment of orthopedic conditions, including total joint replacement and sports medicine. We apply the latest state-of-the-art techniques in order to return our patients to their active lifestyle.
If you’re looking for compassionate, expert orthopedic surgeons in Portland Oregon, contact OSM today.
Phone:
503-224-8399
Address
1515 NW 18th Ave, 3rd Floor
Portland, OR 97209
Hours
Monday–Friday
8:00am – 4:30pm
