Conditions
of the Knee
Due to its
complexity, there are several common and varied conditions affecting
the knee. Below are some of the most common conditions.
1) Patellar
and Quadriceps Tendonitis
Occurs as a result of overuse and/or excess loading resulting in
the inflammation of tendons.
Quadriceps
Weakness
Is strained, weak or stretched quadriceps muscles (thigh muscles).
This causes the patella to not track properly and is pulled slightly
superior from the femoral groove.
Patella
Pain Syndrome
This term includes the following conditions of the patella: patellar
tendonitis, chrondromalacia patella and patellar malalignments.
2)
Osgood-Schlatter Disease
Is an inflammation of the bone and cartilage at the tibial tubercle.
This causes excessive pulling of the patellar tendon at the attachment
on the top of the tibia. Occurs mostly in adolescents where the
blood supply to the growing bone cannot keep pace with the stresses
placed on it.
3) Petallar
Subluxation
(Dislocations) - occurs when the patella only partly moves out of
its groove as a result of the patella being pushed too hard or one
of the following being pulled too hard: quadriceps muscles, retinacula
or patellar tendon.
4) Meniscal
Injuries
This occurs as a result of abnormal stresses caused by twisting
injuries of the knee that result in strains/tears of the meniscal
tissues.
5)
Chrondromalacia Patella Syndrome
Is a condition of degeneration of the cartilage on the under surface
of the patella. This is a result of abnormal patella tracking which
puts excessive pressure on the patella undersurface.
SOME OTHER
CONDITIONS
Bursitis
Is caused by a direct trauma or chronic irritation and results in
an inflammation of a bursa (a fluid filled sac between the tendon
and a bone) around the knee joint.
Fat Pad
Impingement
Is the irritation of the infrapatellar fat pad (flattened mass of
fatty tissue) as a result of the inflammation of surrounding structures
and/or malalignment problems.
Knee Contusion
Is the result of a direct blow to a structure of the knee causing
tenderness, decreased range of motion and/or inflammation.
Arthritis
Is a disease that slowly destroys the joint by causing inflammation
and stiffening the joints. Arthritis in the knee destroys the cartilage
on the back of the patella or in the groove of the thigh bone. The
bone then rubs against each other causing the joint to become inflamed.
Degenerative
Joint Disease (DJD)
Is advanced arthritis that starts to break down the actual bones
of the joint.
Edamatous
Knee
An abnormal accumulation of fluid in the knee soft tissues.
Knee Joint
Effusion
Results from a trauma, surgery or arthritic diseases and occurs
when there is increased fluid within a joint cavity.
OTHER LIGAMENT
CONDITIONS
Knee Strain
Results from a trauma and is a mild injury to tissue or structures,
such as tendons, in the knee.
Knee Sprain
A sprain is more severe that a strain and results from a trauma
and is a moderate injury to tissue or structures, such as ligaments,
in the knee.
Treatment
In active people most ACL and PCL injuries are successfully treated
surgically by reconstructing the ligament. MCL and LCL often heal
well enough without surgery with only the most severe cases needing
reconstruction.
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