Everything you need to know about knee injuries
Knees.
Everyone has them, everyone needs them, and most have had some kind of injury to them.
Our knees are one of the largest and most structurally supportive joints in the body, rightly so, as they are involved in some of the more complex movements we perform daily. In saying this, injury or trauma to the knee is one of the most common pathologies that we as Exercise Physiologists come across.
The most common injuries we see, are tears and damage to the:
- Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)
- Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL)
- Meniscus
Knee injuries are an area of interest for me from personal experience. During a game of netball, I lunged towards a receiving ball, when I felt a sharp and unfamiliar pain shoot through the medial aspect of my left knee. This was followed by a struggle to get up off the court, a hobble to the ER and an ultrasound which identified a partial tear of my medial collateral ligament.
I wish I had the benefit of the guidance of an Exercise Physiologist at the time of my injury. I was left completely in the dark about my rehabilitation and return to sport.
Women are at an increased risk of experiencing injury to the knee due to physiological and environmental factors. It has been suggested that structural differences, including differences in hip width, joint size and musculature can increase likelihood of injury.
It’s important to know how to manage this increased risk, which is why seeing an Exercise Physiologist is so beneficial! At Longevity Exercise Physiology,, our practitioners have worked with so many people, men and women, to help them get back to their usual activities after a major knee injury.
So many people struggle to get back to the activities they love when experiencing these kinds of complex injuries, because they don’t even know where to start.
At Longevity Exercise Physiology, we can help you return to exercise with evidence-based exercise prescription that will support your body during complex movements. Through supervised progressive resistance training we will make sure your knee can better tolerate load. With the correct rehabilitation and education, people who’ve had a knee injury (like me) can get back to the things they enjoy without fear of re-injury!
If you’ve had a knee injury and have been struggling to do the things you love, give Longevity Exercise Physiology a call on 1300 964 002 today!
Written by Maia Berry.
References
Irmischer, bobbie s.1; harris, chad1; pfeiffer, ronald p.1; debeliso, mark a.1; adams, kent j.2; shea, kevin g.1,3. Effects of a knee ligament injury prevention exercise program on impact forces in women. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 18(4):p 703-707, November 2004.
The female ACL: Why is it more prone to injury?. (2016). Journal of orthopaedics, 13(2), A1–A4. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0972-978X(16)00023-4
Stanley LE, Kerr ZY, Dompier TP, Padua DA. Sex Differences in the Incidence of Anterior Cruciate Ligament, Medial Collateral Ligament, and Meniscal Injuries in Collegiate and High School Sports: 2009-2010 Through 2013-2014. The American Journal of Sports Medicine. 2016;44(6):1565-1572. doi:10.1177/0363546516630927
Wojtys EM, Huston LJ, Lindenfeld TN, Hewett TE, Greenfield MLVH. Association Between the Menstrual Cycle and Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Female Athletes. The American Journal of Sports Medicine. 1998;26(5):614-619. doi:10.1177/03635465980260050301