Knee Injuries And Disorders
Who Gets Knee Problems?
Men, women, and children can have knee problems. They occur in people of all races and ethnic backgrounds.
What Causes Knee Problems?
Mechanical knee problems can be caused by:
- A direct blow or sudden movements that strain the knee
- Osteoarthritis in the knee, resulting from wear and tear on its parts.
- Inflammatory knee problems can be caused by certain rheumatic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus). These diseases cause swelling which can damage the knees permanently.
Injuries and diseases of the knees are usually treated by an orthopaedist (a doctor who treats problems with bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles).
How Can People Prevent Knee Problems?
Some knee problems (such as those resulting from an accident) can’t be prevented. But many knee problems can be prevented by doing the following:
- Warm up before playing sports. Walking and stretching are good warm-up exercises. Stretching the muscles in the front and the back of the thighs is a good way to warm up the knees.
- Make the leg muscles strong by doing certain exercises (for example, walking up stairs, riding a stationary bicycle, or working out with weights).
- Avoid sudden changes in the intensity of exercise.
- Increase the force or duration of activity slowly.
- Wear shoes that fit and are in good condition.
- Maintain a healthy weight. Extra weight puts pressure on the knees.
Ideally, everyone should get three types of exercise regularly:
- Range-of-motion exercises to help maintain normal joint movement and relieve stiffness.
- Strengthening exercises to help keep or increase muscle strength. Keeping muscles strong with exercises such as walking up stairs, leg lifts, dips, or riding a stationary bicycle helps support and protect the knee.
- Aerobic or endurance exercises to improve function of the heart and circulation and to help control weight. Weight control can be important to people who have arthritis because extra weight puts pressure on many joints. Some studies show that aerobic exercise can reduce inflammation in some joints.
- If you already have knee problems, your doctor or physical therapist can help with a plan of exercise that will help the knee(s) without increasing the risk of injury or further damage. As a rule of thumb, you should choose gentle exercises such as swimming, aquatic exercise, or walking over jarring exercises such as jogging or high-impact aerobics.
Credit: National Institute of Health.