Knee pain is a fairly common orthopedic symptom.  In addition to pain you may also have other symptoms like swelling (inflammation) and instability of the joint.  It is important to look at the whole picture when evaluating knee pain to identify the underlying cause.

Remember, the knee is made up of a variety of ligaments; and several muscles as well as ligaments control the motion of the knee and protect it from damage.   Because the knee is a weightbearing hinge joint, the strength and coordination of its controlling muscles are major determinants of the stability of the knee, and thus ultimately its usefulness and its vulnerability to wear and tear.

Knee pain may be caused by:

Sprains and tears of the ligaments - these injuries frequently occur during athletic activity or with other abrupt movements and can cause instability and a lot of discomfort or pain. 

The primary types of ligament injuries relate specifically to several of the ligaments of the knee: 

• Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury,
• Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) injury and,
• Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) injury. 

MCL injuries are something you may have heard about in the news of late as San Diego Charger Quarterback Phillip Rivers sprained his left MCL in the December 9th game again Tennessee and then sprained his right MCL in the Bolts-Colts game January 13th.

Cartilage injuries and meniscus tears - the covering of the bone within the joint and the meniscus (there are two menisci in each knee) are both made of cartilage. 

When someone mentions a cartilage tear they are using referring to the meniscus.  When someone is talking about arthritis or wear of the cartilage they generally mean the cartilage on the end of the bones.

Patellar tendonitis - the patellar tendon connects your knee cap (patella) to your shin bone. Patellar tendonitis occurs when the tendon and surrounding tissue become inflamed and irritated, often from over use.  Are you a "jumper" type athlete for example - involved in basketball or volleyball?  This is a common overuse injury with these types of activities.

Arthritis - one of the most common causes of knee pain.  There are many treatments available and microcurrent therapy can reduce the pain and inflammation of arthritis quickly.

Chondromalacia  - also sometimes called runner’s knee.  This is an irritation of the undersurface of the knee cap (your patella). 

Over time we will discuss each of these types of injuries and conditions in detail.  In the mean time, if you would like to discuss the treatment of any of these conditions - whether acute or chronic with our practitioners please give us a call.