Whats the Most Common Knee Injury?
While you often hear about the knee injuries of professional athletes who tear their anterior cruciate ligament, the more common knee injury for those of us who do (or don’t) play with a soccer ball is a torn meniscus. Your meniscus, which is a piece of cartilage in the middle of your knee, not only acts as a shock absorber but also has several other functions. It helps lubricate the joint by increasing the surface area of the cartilage; it adds stability to the joint because it’s shaped like a suction cup, which keeps the round femur on top of the flat tibia; and it helps produce synovial fluid to feed the cells of the cartilage. The meniscus can tear from traumatic injury, but it can also tear from overuse and doing simple movements like squatting. When it tears, it leads to inflammation and a lot of pain. Doctors can detect a tear using an MRI. Treament involves anti-inflammatory medication, ice, and aggressive rehabilitation. And, if all else fails, arthroscopic surgery. The best w
