What Causes Knee Injuries?
Knee injuries are likely to happen when you're engaged in sporting activities and during training or exercise programs. Injuries typically occur if you jump or land awkwardly, stretch too far, or stop, turn, or twist suddenly.
These actions all put immense strain on your knee joint, which is already supporting most of your weight. The result might be that the ligaments, tendons, and cartilage in your knee tear or rupture, or the bones break or dislocate.
Being inactive is no guarantee of avoiding knee injuries, though. Similar damage might arise from a simple trip or fall at home, at work, or from a traffic accident.
What Knee Injuries Might I Sustain?
There are numerous types of knee injuries you might sustain, but the most common include:
- ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tear
- MCL (medial collateral ligament) tear
- Meniscus tear
- Patellar tendinitis (runner's knee)
- Patellar dislocation
- Articular cartilage injuries
- Iliotibial band syndrome
Sometimes several injuries occur at the same time, for example, dislocation accompanied by a ligament sprain.
How are Knee Injuries Treated?
Knee injuries are relatively common, and most respond well to self-care. Avoid activities that aggravate your knee, take over-the-counter pain relief, and apply ice packs to the injured knee.
These treatments help reduce inflammation and allow your knee to heal. However, if your knee pain is severe and you can't bear putting weight on it, or the pain persists despite self-care measures, it's time to set up an appointment at NJ Spine and Wellness.
In many cases, their experienced multidisciplinary team can relieve your knee pain through nonsurgical techniques such as:
- Immobilization: A brace prevents your knee from moving so it can heal naturally.
- Physical Therapy: Specialized exercises help to restore function and strengthen the muscles that support your knee joint.
- NSAIDs: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can relieve pain and reduce swelling.
- Joint Injections: Joint injections contain a local anesthetic for immediate, short-acting pain relief and steroid medication to reduce inflammation and pain for a longer time.
- Lightforce® Therapy Lasers: LiteCure® Lightforce laser therapy is a noninvasive way to reduce pain and inflammation.
You might also benefit from complementary therapies like acupuncture and chiropractic.
Would I Need Surgery for a Knee Injury?
Wherever possible, the NJ Spine and Wellness team uses the least invasive approaches to treat knee injuries. However, surgery might be necessary for severe ligament or cartilage tears that can't heal any other way.
Surgeries for knee injuries include:
- Torn meniscus repair
- Meniscus replacement
- Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction
- Microfracture for stimulating new cartilage growth
- Patellar tendon repair
The NJ Spine and Wellness team specializes in minimally invasive arthroscopic techniques to repair knee injuries. An arthroscopy requires much smaller incisions than open surgery, causing less tissue damage and promoting faster healing.
If you suffer a knee injury, get prompt, expert treatment from NJ Spine and Wellness. Call one of the offices or book an appointment online today.
