Knee Injuries and Issues

What is the most common knee injury?

ACL tears

Who is most likely to tear their ACL?

soccer, football and basketball players

How many grades are there in an ACL tear?

3, grade 1 - ligament mildly damaged, slightly stretched, grade 2 - stretches ligament becomes loose, partial tear, grade 3 - complete tear, torn in half/pulled directly off bone

What causes ACL tears?

changing directions rapidly, stopping suddenly, slowing down while running, landing incorrectly from jumping, direct contact/collision

What are the symptoms of ACL tears?

pain and swelling, within 24 hours knee with swell, loss full range of motion, tenderness along joint line, discomfort while walking, instability

What is the difference between a partial patellar tendon and complete patellar tendon rupture?

partial - many tears not completely disrupted tendon, complete - torn, seperated from kneecap

What movement can’t be done with complete patellar tendon rupture?

straightening of knee

What can happen during a patellar tendon rupture?

piece of bone can break off with tendon

What causes a patellar tendon rupture?

falls, jumping, tendon weakness, chronic patellar tendinosis

What is a patellar dislocatoin?

patella dislocates

Who are usually at risk for patellar dislocation?

kids - looser ligaments, cerebral palsy/down syndrome - imbalance and muscle weakness

What can cause patellar dislocation?

shallow/uneven grove in femur

What is patellar tendinitis known as?

jumper’s knee

What is patellar tendinitis?

tiny tears of tendon, body attempts to repair but tears multiply and cause pain and inflammation and weakening of tendon

What are the symptoms of patellar tendinitis?

pain and tenderness around patellar tendon, swelling, pain with jumping runnning or walking, pain when bending or straightening leg, tenderness behind lower part of knee cap

What can cause patellar tendonitis?

overuse

What is patellar femoral pain syndrome?

PFPS broad term to describe pain in front of knee around patella (kneecap)

Who is PFPS common in?

people in sports particularly female and young adults

What contributes to development of PFPS?

problems with alignment of kneecap and overuse

How are symptoms of PFPS treated?

changes in activity levels or therapeutic exercise program

What causes PFPS?

overuse, patellar malalignment, muscular imbalances or weakness especially in quadriceps muscles - knee bends and straightens quads keep knee cap in trochlear groove

What can patellar malalignment cause?

kneecap shift too far toward outside/inside of leg or too high in trochlear groove (patella alta)

What are the symptoms of PFPS?

pain beneath around kneecap, clicking/grinding in knee, knee giving out, pain maintianing sitting psotion for period of time, swelling, tight feeling in calves and thighs

What are the symptoms of meniscus tears?

pain at knee joint (usually medial, outside and posterior), swelling, catching or locking, inability to fully extend or bend, limping

What is ITB tendinitis?

iliotibial band syndrome where tendon gets irritated or swollen from rubbing against knee/hip bone

What does the ITB commonly rub against?

lateral femoral condyle (at knee) and possibly greater trochanter (at hip)

What causes ITB?

not streching/warming up/colling off properly, overuse, wearing worn out shoes, running uneven ground/downhill

What are copers and non-copers?

copers - people tear their ACL and never get it fixed fine and returned normal without ACL, non-copers - people tear ACL and need surgery to be fixed

Why is the medial aspect of the tibia thicker?

because 90% of body weight is on medial aspect of knee

Which direction do kneecap dislocations always go?

laterally

Where do runners tend to feel in ITB tendonitis?

the inferior aspect