Sportsmen are most vulnerable to knee injuries due to high stress and pivoting. The knee can receive fractures, sprains, tears, dislocations, and other injuries if sportsmen do not engage in proper form and technique or do not wear the correct equipment for their sport.
Knee injuries due to sports are usually a combination of injuries to various structures of the knee joint and thorough assessment of every structure is needed to give the best outcomes.
Whether you are a runner or marathoner, bike racer, weight lifter, or compete in any other sports it is quite possible to get injured while playing or performing your favorite sport.
If you are highly-competitive sportsmen, you may be tempted to play or push through pain that arises during the course, especially if it is only mild. But if a real injury exists, this can result in more damage.
A few common knee injuries that can happen to sportsmen are Ligament Injuries, Cartilage Injuries, Meniscal Tears, and Patellar Tendonitis.
Sports injuries are challenging to deal with on your own because a proper assessment of the damage is very important which includes clinical examination by an orthopedic specialist.
If you are having some sports injury, schedule an appointment with us and we will suggest the treatments that work best for you.
Ligament Reconstruction:
Ligament injuries are very common in sportsmen. They usually get a pop during the injury. There may be mild to severe swelling depending on the severity. Sometimes the patient may have to be carried off the field. Patient will complain about instability and buckling of the knee joint. There will be difficulty in climbing/descending the staircase. Such a knee should not be ignored as it poses a threat of damage to the intact structures in the knee.
Ligament injury can happen to a single ligament or multiple ligaments. X-ray and MRi scans are helpful for further assessment. Intra- articular ligaments (ACL & PCL) are amenable to arthroscopic treatments. Arthroscopy magnifies the knee joint and helps in precise clearing of the damaged structures and getting the new ligaments right on spot. Since it is minimally invasive procedure, the outcomes are far superior to the open techniques.
Meniscus:
Meniscus are the shock absorbers of the knee joint and are extremely important to maintain the congruency of the knee joint structures. Meniscal injuries are usually very painful and sometimes the flap or the entire meniscus may get trapped inside the joint leading to a locking of the knee. The early treatment of meniscus injuries is beneficial to prevent further increase in tear. In early days, torn meniscus was usually trimmed, but due to advent of precise devices, the meniscus can be nicely repaired thereby leading to excellent knee preservation for the future.
Cartilage Injuries:
Cartilage is smooth coating on the joint surfaces. It is usually damaged as a part of injuries. Damaged cartilage exposes the underlying bone and is very painful. Cartilage procedures have been evolving and various new modalities are available to treat the damage and increase the life of knee.