Three common sports injuries to the knee

Playing a sport is a great way to reduce stress, and this pastime can also help improve your physical fitness. However, there is also a chance that you could injure yourself while playing a sport. 

Knee injuries are one of the most common types of sports injuries. One study found that almost 3.3 million of the knee injuries treated in U.S. emergency rooms between 1999 and 2008 were sport or recreation related. Treating such injuries starts with learning what type of injury you have, and a physical therapist can help you figure out what sports-related knee injury you’re dealing with. Furthermore, these specialists can offer effective treatment for many common knee issues. 

These are three of the most common knee injuries from playing sports

The knee is a complex structure, and playing sports can put a lot of stress on your knees. These two facts are the reason that so many athletes develop knee injuries. A physical therapist can evaluate your knee to determine the injury you have, and some of the injuries therapists see more commonly include: 

1. Ligament injuries — The knee is stabilized by a group of four ligaments. The best known of these ligaments is the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), but you also have a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), medial collateral ligament (MCL) and lateral collateral ligament (LCL) in each knee. A study reports that ligament injuries are some of the most common knee conditions U.S. high school athletes face. This study shows that between 2005 and 2011: 

• 36.1% of high school athlete knee injuries involved the MCL.
• 25.4% of high school athlete knee injuries involved the ACL.  

2. Patellofemoral pain syndrome — This condition occurs when pain develops behind or around the kneecap. Patellofemoral pain syndrome is common in runners and jumpers. One study reveals that this condition accounts for 33% of knee injuries in female athletes and 18% of knee injuries in male athletes. 

3. Patellar tendinitis — This is an injury where the patellar tendon is inflamed or damaged. Your patellar tendon helps connect the kneecap to your shinbone and helps extend your knee during jumping and running. Patellar tendinitis is more commonly called jumper’s knee. One study reports that patellar tendinitis is the knee injury that about 30% of high school athletes are diagnosed with. 

Injured your knee while playing sports? Armor Physical Therapy can help!

You don’t have to face a knee injury from playing sports on your own. Our Armor Physical Therapy team is ready and willing to stick with you throughout your entire healing process. We’ll start by doing a free screening of your knee to determine what type of injury you have. Then, our physical therapists will build you a treatment plan that’s personalized to your needs, and this plan can include therapy techniques like: 

• At-home care
• Therapeutic exercises
• Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM)
• Joint mobilization
• Blood flow restriction training
• Shoe and orthotic recommendations
• Virtual therapy

Contact us today for more information about how we can help you treat a knee injury or to schedule an initial appointment.