Knee Joint Injuries

Knee joint injuries are the most common of all joint injuries. We bang our delicate knees around quite a bit!

To better understand the nature of injuries to the knee joint, it's useful to have an idea of how the knee is put together.

For starters...

Our knee joint, the largest joint in our body is made up of the..

• Femur, which is the large bone in the thigh,
• Tibia, also known as the shin bone
• Patella, referred to as the kneecap

The thigh bone meets the shin bone forming the main knee joint, and the kneecap joins the thigh bone creating the patellofemoral joint.

Ligaments, which are bands of tissue, connect the thigh and shin bones, providing strength and stability to the knee joint and basically holding it together.

The quadriceps, which are the long muscles on the front of the thigh and the hamstring muscles on the back of the knee, help in strengthening the knee.

The articular cartilage is a smooth substance that acts as a cushion between the bones, covering the surface of the bones where they connect with each other within the joint.

The remaining surfaces of the knee joint are covered by fluid filled sacs, the bursae, which act as a lubricant.

You may also be interested in:
Arthritis and Knee Pain, Knee Pain Exercise, Knee Stretching Exercise, Leg Pain

Knee Joint Pain Causes

Because the ligaments, muscles, cartilage and bones which make up the knee joint are so intricately connected we are easily afflicted with pains in the knee joints.

Although there are numerous of causes for knee joint pains most often they are related to:

• knee strain or knee sprain
• dislocated patella
• torn ligament
• kneecap fracture
• femur or tibia fracture
• knee joint arthritis, most commonly osteoarthritis
• knee overuse
• knee infection
• prior knee injury
• knee tendinitis or bursitis

If you are having a knee joint problem or leg pain, do not self-diagnose. Ask your health care provider to access your condition and be sure to closely follow their recommendations for treatment.

Knee joint injuries should be taken seriously as the wrong treatment may lead to further damage. You're already in enough pain - you don't need more!