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Knee Pain
- Iliotibial Band Syndrome (Runners knee)
- Chondromalacia Patella
- Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
- Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injury
- Popliteal Cyst (Bakers Cyst)
- Housemaid's Knee (Pre-Patella Bursitis)
- Jumpers Knee (Patella tendonitis)
- Osgood-Schlatters Disease
- Tibial Plateau Fracture
- Dislocated Knee
- Patella Dislocation
- Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) Sprain
- Medial Cartilage Meniscus Injury
- Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL) Sprain
- Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) Injury
- Infra-patellar Bursitis
- Osteochondral Fractures in the Knee
- Lateral Cartilage Tear
- Sinding-Larsen-Johansson Lesion
- Osteochondritis Dissecans
- Knee Contusion (Bruised Knee)
- Knee Synovitis
- Pes Anserine Tendinopathy / Bursitis
- Popliteus Injury
- Fat Pad Impingement
- Patellar Tendon Rupture
- Acute Patellar Injury
- Patellofemoral instability
- Quadriceps Tendinopathy
- Quadriceps Tendon Rupture
- Osteoarthritis of the Knee
- Biceps Femoris Tendinopathy
- Biceps Femoris Tendon Avulsion
- Hamstring Tendon Rupture
- Articular Cartilage Injury
- Proximal Tibiofibular Joint Dislocation
- Coronary Ligament Sprain
- Distal Femoral Growth Plate Injury
- Peroneal Nerve Injury
- Knee Sprain
- Synovial Plica Irritation
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Select from the tabs below to view the most common knee pain causes and knee injuries or view further down the page to see all knee injuries.
Common knee injuries:
Anterior Cruciate Injury
A tear or rupture of the ACL deep within the knee joint.
The cruciate ligaments cross over front to back in the knee joint and can be injured by twisting or from impact in contact sports.
Medial Ligament Injury
A tear or rupture of the MCL on the inner side of the knee joint.
Symptoms include pain on the inside of the knee along the joint line often resulting from an impact on the outside of the knee.
Medial Meniscus Injury
A tear of one of the rings of cartilage within the knee joint.
The cartilage meniscus provide cushioning and support to the knee joint. The medial meniscus on the inside of the knee joint is often injured when the medial ligement is torn.
Patella Pain Syndrome
Excess movement of the knee cap causing pain and inflammation.
Symptoms include pain or aching under or around the knee cap, often the result of over use or poor knee biomechanics.
Housemaids Knee
Also known as prepatella bursitis, an inflammatory condition of the bursa often caused by pressure or kneeling.
A bursa is a small sac of fluid which lubricates a joint between the bone and the tendon.
Jumpers Knee
Also called patella tendonitis, causing pain in the tendon below the knee cap.
This is an overuse knee injury causing inflammation or degeneration of the patella tendon or ligament which connects the knee cap to the shin bone.
Bakers Cyst
An enlarged cyst or swelling at the back of the knee joint causing pain behind the knee.
A Bakers Cyst may have many causes and to cure the problem the original cause should be found.
Posterior Cruciate Ligament
A tear or rupture of the PCL, deep within the knee joint. This is an important ligament for stabilizing the knee joint and prevents the joint from bending back the wrong way.
PCL injury is usually caused be an impact to the front of the leg injuring the knee ligament.
Biceps Femoris Tendinopathy
An overuse injury causing pain on the outer back knee. The biceps femoris tendon is one of the hamstring tendons.
It can become inflammed as it inserts into the back of the knee joint.
Medial ligament sprain
A tear or rupture of the MCL on the inner knee joint is usually caused by an impact to the outside of the knee.
More severe injuries may involve damage to the cartilage meniscus causing pain on the inside of the knee joint.
Medial meniscus injury
A tear of the inner ring of cartilage within the knee joint. The cartilage menisus provide support and cushioning to the knee joint.
There are a number of different types of tear which may require surgery.
Knee plica
Inflammation of a synovial fold found along the inside border of the knee cap is one of the less common knee injuries.
The knee joint is surrounded by a capsule which contains synovial fluid. This fluid acts as a lubricant for the joint.
Iliotibial band syndrome
An overuse injury also known as runners knee. Pain is felt out the outside of the knee joint which may come on gradually during a run.
The pain goes after a period of rest only to return again when running starts.
Lateral cartilage tear
A tear of the outer ring of cartilage within the knee joint. The cartilage meniscus provide cushioning and support to the knee joint.
Pain is felt on the outside of the knee joint and often worse when squatting.
Lateral ligament sprain
A tear or rupture of the LCL on the outer side of the knee. The lateral knee ligament provides support to the knee joint.
It may be injured by an impact to inside of the joint causing knee pain on the outside where the ligament is torn.
Orthopedic Surgeon Richard Villar
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For more severe knee injuries or knee pain that can not be cured by the usual methods knee surgery may be required.
Former surgeon to the British SAS Mr Richard Villar explains the surgery behind common knee injuries.
Knee assessment & diagnosis
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Correct diagnosis of a knee injury is essential for treatment rehabilitation and recovery.
We demonstrate some of the tests a professional practitioner might use to diagnose knee pain and knee injuries.
Knee strapping and taping
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Sports taping techniques can be useful to help prevent injury as well as protect the joint following a knee injury.
We demonstrate some of the most common knee taping techniques for knee joint injuries and patella knee pain.
Knee Joint Injuries
ACL Injury
A tear or rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament, deep within the knee joint causing acute knee pain.
Tibial plateau fracture
A break in the Tibia bone at the very top on the flat lower surface of the knee joint.
Dislocated knee
A dislocation of the entire knee joint.
Osteoarthritis of the knee
A degenerative condition causing pain and weakness in the joint.
Knee contusion
Bruising from a direct impact at the knee joint.
Osteochondritis dessicans
A fragment of cartilage which becomes detached from the bone and is loose in the joint
Osteochondral fracture
A fracture of the articular cartilage which lines the joint.
Articular cartilage injury
Damage to the cartilage which lines the joint.
Knee synovitis
Inflammation of the synovial sheath which surrounds the joint.
Posterior Cruciate Ligament sprain
A tear or rupture of the PCL, deep inside the knee joint.
Distal femur plate injury
A fracture of the growth plate at the knee end of the Tibia.
Tibiofibular joint dislocation
Separation of the upper joint between the Tibia and Filbua, on the outer knee.
Anterior knee pain
Chondromalacia patella
A knee injury causing damage to the cartilage at the back of the knee cap.
Pre-Patella Bursitis (Housemaids knee)
Inflammation of the bursa at the front of the knee cap from kneeling or impact.
Patellofemoral pain syndrome
Aching knee pain due to mal-tracking of the patella.
Jumpers knee
Also called patella tendinopathy (or tendonitis) - common cause of knee pain in athletes.
Osgood schlatters
Pain under the knee in children and adolescents.
Dislocated kneecap
The knee cap may slide out of its groove, usually towards the outside of the joint.
Patella Fracture
A break in the knee cap at the front of the knee.
Patellar tendon rupture
A full tear of the patella tendon, under the knee.
Quadriceps tendon rupture
A tear of the quad muscles, just above the knee cap.
Fat pad impingement
Pinching of the fat pad between the patella tendon and underlying bone.
Patellofemoral instability
Instability of the knee cap which may feel as though it is going to dislocate.
Quadriceps tendinopathy
Overuse injury of the quad tendon just above the knee cap.
Infrapatelllar bursitis
Inflammation of the bursa under the patella tendon.
Sinding - Larson - Johansson syndrome
An osteochondroses similar to osgood schlatters, causing a pulling on the lower border of the knee cap.
Posterior knee pain
Popliteal cyst / Bakers cyst
A growth at the back of the knee joint.
Popliteus injury
An overuse injury of the tendon of the popliteus muscle.
Biceps femoris tendinopathy
An overuse injury of one of the hamstring tendons on the back, outser side of the knee.
Hamstring tendon rupture
A full tear of one of the three hamstring tendons, at the back of the knee.
Biceps femoris avulsion
A forceful contraction causes the tendon to pull off a fragment of bone from the fibula head on the outer knee.
Posterolateral corner injury
An injury to the back, outer knee involving damage to several structures.
Medial knee injuries
Medial meniscus tear
A tear of the inner ring of cartilage within the knee joint.
Medial ligament sprain
A tear or full rupture of the MCL on the inner side of the knee joint.
Knee Plica
Inflammation of a synovial fold found along the inside border of the knee cap.
Pes anserine tendinopathy
An inflammatory condition of the combined tendon of semimembranosus, gracilis and sartorius.
Unhappy triad
The unhappy triad is injuries to the ACL, MCL and medial meniscus.
Lateral knee injuries
Iliotibial band syndrome
Also called IT band syndrome, causing pain on the outer knee during running, especially downhill.
Lateral meniscus tear
A tear of the outer ring of cartilage deep within the knee joint.
Lateral ligament sprain
A tear or complete rupture of the LCL on the outer knee joint.
Peroneal nerve contusion
Numbness or tingling in the shin or foot caused by a direct blow to the outer knee.
Coronary ligament sprain
An injury to a small ligament which connects the meniscus to the bone.
