Knee

Common sports injuries to the knee include cartilage tears, ligament trauma and joint problems. For example, on the inside of the knee, problems may include: medial meniscal (cartilage) tears and medial collateral ligament injuries, which are usually caused by bending and twisting movements. Symptoms include pain, swelling, loss of movement and power.

On the outside of the knee, there is a band of fibrous tissue which runs from the hip down the outside of the thigh and inserts onto the outside of the knee. It is called the ilio tibial band (ITB) and if it becomes tight, can cause problems by pulling the kneecap into an abnormal position, thereby causing pain.

Anterior knee pain (or pain on the front of the knee) can be caused by many factors, such as tight thigh muscles, tight hamstrings, tight calf muscles and the way you walk and run.

When you consult a physiotherapist for any of these conditions, they will assess the movement patterns of your trunk, pelvis and lower limbs and analyse how you walk and run, noting any muscle imbalances that may affect your movements and may possibly be causing you the problem in the first place.

Other causes of knee problems may be biomechanical, due to posture and the way you walk or run. Your knee can be affected either from the trunk down or from the feet upwards, or both! For example, how you move your pelvis and trunk area may adversely affect your lower limb movement. Likewise, the way you move your feet will affect the muscles and joints above them.

It may be that your injury will require further investigation, such as an MRI to identify cartilage tears and possible surgery. At PhysioActive we can help make the necessary referrals for you.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) ruptures.

Depending on the severity of the injury, an ACL rupture may require surgery. For the less severe ACL rupture, a conservative approach may be taken, which would aim to strengthen all the muscles affecting the knee, with gradual return to function or sport. This would require specialist rehabilitation by a sports physiotherapist.

A surgical approach would require a reconstruction of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), followed by a specialist rehabilitation programme. In the professional athlete, return to sport is around 6 months; while for most other people, recovery would take 9-12 months.