How can you avoid a knee injury?

Are you active in sports? If you are, then it is important that you know how to take care of your body – especially your knees since they are often the most used part of the body when playing a sport.

There are many injuries you can get from participating in any sport. ACL strains and tears is a common injury especially among football, basketball, and soccer players. This is usually due to sudden stops, a rapid change of direction, incorrect landing after a jump, and direct impact – all of which put pressure on the knees. Other causes are differences in lower leg alignment, ligament laxity, and pelvic alignment.

Sometimes, if the injury is severe, the patient may need to undergo an orthopedic surgery to regain complete knee functions after the injury. There are, however, many other treatments you can undergo. Surgery is not your only option. All you need to do is to consult with a sports medicine doctor who can check your condition and give you advice for treatment.

What you should know about meniscal tears in Asheboro NC

Meniscal tears are commonly caused by either traumatic injury, which is usually seen in athletes, or degenerative processes, which results brittle cartilage experienced by older patients. The most common mechanism of a traumatic meniscal tear occurs when the knee joint is bent and the knee is then twisted.

Symptoms of a meniscal tear

Individuals who suffer from a meniscus tear usually experience pain and swelling as their primary symptoms. Joint locking is also common, which involves the inability to completely straighten the joint.

The most common symptoms of a meniscal tear include:

• Knee pain
• Swelling of the knee
• Tenderness when pressing on the meniscus
• Popping or clicking within the knee
• Limited motion of the knee joint

Diagnosis of a meniscal tear

Patient who suffer from knee pain will be evaluated for a possible meniscal tear. Specific tests can be performed to detect such an injury. An x-ray can be used to determine if there is evidence of degenerative or arthritic changes to the knee joint. The MRI is useful at visualizing the meniscus. However, discovering a torn meniscus on MRI does not mean a specific treatment is needed.

Treatment of a meniscus tear

Treatment of meniscal tears depends on several factors, as not all meniscal tears require surgery. When a non-surgical option for treating a meniscal tear is inadequate, a surgical treatment is required where meniscal repair and transplantation may be necessary.

Your doctor can evaluate the extent of a meniscal tear injury and provide options for treatment. Your Asheboro orthopedic surgeons at Randolph Orthopedics and Sports Medicine can determine the most appropriate meniscal tear treatment and help you through a speedy recovery.