The knee joint is a complex system of bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons. These all work together in concert to create flexibility, stability and movement. Each part of the knee needs to perform for the knee to function. While there are four bones that come together at the knee, it is only the thigh bone (femur) and the shin bone (tibia) that form the joint itself. The stability of the knee joint is controlled by by four ligaments, thick bands of tissue that stabilize the joint. This is where the “alphabet cringe” for knee ligament tears come in: ACL, PCL, MCL and LCL. Knee joint injuries can be a result of overuse or trauma to the knee. Either will cause swelling, pain and redness.
Managing a Knee Torn Cartilage
Understanding a Torn Cartilage The menisci or “cartilage” of the knee remains a common source of knee pain for athletes of any age. The “C” shaped grisly structures assist in the congruent relationship between the femur, thigh bone, and the tibia or shin bone. The medial (inside) meniscus and lateral (outside) meniscus have a flat under [...]
Medial Meniscus Tears Made Easy
Assisting the efficient joint relationship in the knee, two cartilaginous menisci rest on the flat surface of the larger lower leg bone (tibia). The inner (medial meniscus) and outer (lateral meniscus) have a flat under surface that sits on the tibia bone and the concave (depressed) overlying surface of the menisci houses the convex (rounded) [...]
Tackling a Lateral Meniscus Tear of the Knee
Understanding a Lateral Meniscus Tear “I tore my cartilage” is the term most athletes use to describe the possible source of their knee joint line pain. About 40% of the time, they’re correct. Now ask them to identify culprit, aka “the cartilage”, in a police lineup and they’ll probably have the look of a cow [...]
The Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) is a thickening of the medial or inner knee joint capsule. The MCL is the stabilizing ligament between the medial distal femur (thigh bone) and the medial upper tibia (shin bone). The main function of the MCL is to reinforce the medial knee joint against excessive valgus stress or inward [...]
The evolution of sports has proved to be a fascinating and often amusing combination of creativity, science and hype. From the lightest of high-tech equipment to the craziest of celebrations, the world of athletics is changing every year. In the minds of those involved in sports, some aspects remain the same. One of those constants [...]
