Knee injuries

Discover the causes and symptoms of knee injuries so you can take care of your joints. If you injure your knee, visit Montage Orthopedic and Sports Medicine for urgent care.

Arthritis

Knee arthritis can make it hard for you to walk and do everyday activities. If you have knee arthritis, you feel worsening pain, swelling, and stiffness. Each type of arthritis affects the knee differently. Learn more about arthritis.

Treatments

You may need to change your lifestyle by losing weight and doing light exercise to prevent your arthritis from worsening. Other treatments include:

• Medications
• Physical therapy
• Cortisone and hyaluronic acid injections

If your arthritis doesn’t improve with nonsurgical treatments or gets worse, you may need knee replacement surgery.

ACL and MCL knee injuries

Two of the most common knee injuries are a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and torn medial collateral ligament (MCL.) An ACL injury is more serious and usually happens when you:

• Slow down suddenly
• Overextend your knee
• Twist your knee while pivoting

You may feel pain, hear a popping sound, notice swelling, and be unable to put weight on your knee.

MCL injuries can happen when something hits the side of your knee. You may feel pain, see bruising, notice swelling, and feel like your knee is unstable.

Diagnosis and treatment

Your provider can diagnose both injuries using a physical exam, X-rays, and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.

For an ACL injury, you may need rehabilitation to strengthen your hamstring. Surgery might also be necessary.

The treatment for an MCL injury includes:

• Rest
• Knee brace
• Medication

Sometimes, you may need physical therapy after your MCL heals.

Broken kneecap

Breaking your kneecap (patella), the bone that covers the knee joint, is a serious injury. A broken kneecap usually happens from a fall or another injury like a hard blow to your knee or a collision. Learn more about broken bones.

If you break your kneecap, you’ll probably feel sharp pain right away, and you won’t be able to walk. You may also notice severe swelling, bruising, and possibly a deformed look.

Diagnosis and treatment

Your provider can diagnose a broken kneecap through a physical exam or X-ray.

Depending on how and where your kneecap breaks, you’ll wear a cast or splint to help heal bones in the proper positions. If you have a more serious break, your bones may need surgical repair.

After your kneecap heals, you’ll need physical therapy. It strengthens your muscles, reduces stiffness, and improves movement.

Knee ligament strains

Ligaments are the tissues that connect bones and keep joints stable. You can strain your knee ligaments by:

• Increasing your activity suddenly, like running or walking more than usual
• Experiencing a direct impact or injury

You’ll feel sudden pain, have trouble putting weight on your knee, and experience swelling within 24 hours of an injury.

Diagnosis and treatment

Your provider can diagnose your condition using a physical exam, X-rays, or MRI scans.

If your strain is mild, treatment could include:

• Ice to reduce swelling
• Knee compression
• Joint brace

If your strain affects a crucial ligament, you may need surgery.

Knee meniscus tears

Your meniscus is thin cartilage between the ends of bones that meet in your knee. Meniscus tears can happen from a sudden knee injury or gradual wear and tear as you age. When your meniscus starts to wear thin, there’s more risk of tearing it.

You may have a meniscus tear if you notice pain or stiffness when flexing or extending your knee.

Diagnosis and treatment

Your provider can diagnose a knee meniscus tear through a physical exam, X-rays, or MRI scans.

If you have a mild tear, your treatment will likely include:

• Resting your knee
• Applying ice packs
• Attending physical therapy

If the tear is severe, you may need surgery.

Runner’s knee

Runner’s knee (patellofemoral pain syndrome) can affect anyone, even if you don’t run or jog. It refers to several conditions that cause pain around your kneecap.

You can develop runner’s knee from repeated knee bending during high-impact exercises or a sudden impact to your knee. Other causes include leg misalignment, flat feet, and weak thigh muscles.

The main symptom is pain around your knee, along with a popping sound and swelling.

Diagnosis and treatment

Your provider can diagnose runner’s knee through a physical exam or X-ray.

Treatment includes:

• Resting the knee
• Applying ice
• Wrapping the knee with an elastic bandage
• Taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

Physical therapy and light stretches can also help.

Shin splints

When you feel pain or discomfort along your shin bone (tibia), you might have shin splints. This common condition happens due to overuse of muscles, tissue, and tendons around your shin bone. Most shin splints are an exercise-related problem.

The main symptoms you feel are pain and swelling on the inner part of your shin bone.

Diagnosis and treatment

To treat shin splints, you should:

• Rest
• Apply ice
• Avoid putting pressure on the shinbone

If your pain and discomfort don’t go away, see a provider to prevent shin splints from leading to a stress fracture.