The knee joint is a complex part of your legs, and it allows you to move and pivot in certain ways. But because your knee joint has a lot of working parts, it’s susceptible to many different types of injuries. Knee pain isn’t something you want to let go, especially when it’s due to an injury of some sort.
Our team at Bay Oaks Orthopaedics specializes in many different types of orthopaedic issues, including knee pain and injuries. Our orthopaedic specialist, Dr. Anthony Melillo is an expert in treating knee injuries, no matter what the cause.
Your knee is known as a hinge joint, meaning it can move your lower leg back and forth, but not side to side. It’s the biggest joint in your body, making it very vulnerable to getting hurt.
The knee joint is made up of several different components, all of which work together to give you stable movement. There are four major components in your knee, and they include:
There are three separate bones that meet up to form the joint in your knee. Your thigh bone (femur) connects to your kneecap (patella), which connects to your shinbone (tibia).
Ligaments are what attach bones to other bones. Your knee joint has both collateral ligaments and cruciate ligaments. These ligaments are important for the stability of your knee.
Tendons are important, because they’re what anchors your muscles to your bones. In your knee, your quadriceps tendon and your patellar tendon are vital for you to be able to move your knee joint.
Both articular cartilage and your meniscal cartilage are present in your knee joint. The articular cartilage allows your bones to glide smoothly, while the meniscus absorbs shock within your knee joint.
With so many different components, it’s no surprise that knee injuries happen, and can sometimes lead to intense pain and disability.
Knee injuries can happen in a number of different ways. Whether you’re in a car accident or you get hurt playing sports, knee pain is no joke. While there are a number of different injuries that can happen to your knee, three of the most common include:
Your anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, is often injured during exercise or sports. A tear to your ACL usually occurs when you quickly change directions or don’t land correctly from a jump. Sports that see a high rate of ACL tears include soccer, basketball, and football.
This type of injury also is sometimes the result of playing sports, but it also occurs as a result of aging. This is especially true if you have a condition like arthritis, that leads to the breakdown of cartilage in your joints. In sports, movements like pivoting or twisting could be enough to tear your cartilage. As you get older, a simple movement could tear the meniscus, if it’s weak.
Dislocations happen when the bones in your joint aren’t aligned. This could be the result of a structural abnormality in the joint itself, or a dislocation could happen as the result of blunt force trauma. This could be due to a severe fall or car crash.
While these injuries are common, there are many other types of injuries to your knee that you could also experience, including fractures or sprains. The type of injury that you sustain depends greatly on how you got injured and what part of your knee was involved.
The type of treatment that Dr. Melillo recommends is based on what type of injury you’ve suffered and the severity. For instance, a minor knee injury may just need conservative measures for a few days to allow your knee to heal. Conservative treatments may include:
For slightly more severe injuries, Dr. Melillo may recommend joint injections to help with your pain. These injections include corticosteroid injections, hyaluronic acid injections, or regenerative medicine treatments. We offer both stem cell therapy and platelet rich plasma therapy for regenerative medicine.
In severe cases when nothing else has worked or your injury is severe, Dr. Melillo recommends surgery to repair the damage in your joint. This can be done using a minimally invasive approach, or a traditional approach, depending on your injury.
Don’t suffer from knee pain for too long — call us today at 281-223-1391, or book an appointment with Dr. Melillo using our convenient online booking tool.
