What you need to Know about your Knees !
23-08-2015 | Posted By: Admin | 2011 View(s)
The knees are crucial joints in the human body that allow for a wide range of motion, including walking, running, jumping, and other forms of locomotion.They also help the legs in bending and straightening.Both stability as well as flexibility is required for standing, walking, and running, crouching, jumping and turning. Other body parts help knees in doing their job. These body parts include:
• Cartilage;
• Bones;
• Muscles;
• Tendons;
• Ligaments.
They serve several important functions of the Knees:
1.Support and Stability:
The knees bear a significant portion of the body’s weight, especially when standing or moving. They provide stability to the lower body, helping you maintain an upright posture.
2.Flexion and Extension:
The knees allow for flexion (bending) and extension (straightening) of the leg. This is essential for activities like walking, running, and climbing stairs.
3.Absorb Shock:
When you walk, run, or jump, your knees act as shock absorbers. They help dissipate the impact forces generated by these activities, protecting the bones and other structures in the leg.
4.Pivoting and Rotation:
The knees also permit a degree of rotation and pivoting. This is important for movements like turning or changing direction.
5.Facilitate Movement:
They play a key role in various forms of movement, from simple activities like standing up from a chair to more complex actions like dancing or playing sports.
6.Weight Distribution:
The knees help distribute your body weight evenly across both legs, which is essential for maintaining balance.
Who can get knee problems?
Women, children and men can suffer from problems of the knees. They may occur in people belonging to different races as well as ethnic backgrounds.
Cause of knee problems
• Mechanical problems of knees may be caused due to:
• Direct blow or a sudden movement which strains the knee
• Osteoarthritis in knees resulting from the regular wear & tear in its parts.
Inflammatory problems of knees may be caused due to rheumatic problems like rheumatoid arthritis as well as lupus (systematic lupus erythematosus. These problems may cause swelling which can permanently damage knees.
How are the problems of knees diagnosed?
Doctors diagnose problems of knees by using:
• Patient’s medical history
• Physically examining the patient
• Tests like X-ray, Bone Scan, CAT Scan, MRI, Biopsy and Arthroscopy
Find the Best Diagnostic Centres for X-Ray/MRI in Delhi/NCR
Arthritis
The most common type of Arthritis in the knees is osteoarthritis. In this, cartilage in knees wears down gradually. The treatments for osteoarthritis include:
• Medicines for reducing pain like acetaminophen and aspirin
• Medicines for reducing inflammation and swelling like non-steroidal and ibuprofen anti-inflammatory medicines
• Exercises for improving the strength as well as movement
• Loss of weight
Rheumatoid Arthritis is also a type of Arthritis which affects the knees. In this type of arthritis, the knees become inflamed, and the cartilage might be destroyed. The treatment for this includes:
• Medications
• Physical Therapies
• Replacement of the knee
Cartilage disorders and injuries
Chondromalacia occurs mainly when the cartilage of the cap of the knee softens. This might be caused by overuse, injury, weakness of the muscle, etc. Chondromalacia may develop in case a blow to the cap of the knee tears off a piece of the cartilage or a piece of the cartilage having a bone fragment.
The Meniscus is a C-shaped piece of the Cartilage which plays the role of a pad between the thigh bone and shin bone. It’s injured easily in case the knee gets twisted during bearing the weight. A total or partial tear might occur. In case the tear if small, meniscus would stay connected to the back and front of the knee. In case the tear if big, meniscus might be left just hanging with a cartilage’s thread. The seriousness of injury totally depends on the size of a tear as well as its location.
Treatment of the cartilage injury includes:
• Exercises for strengthening the muscles
• Electronic stimulation for strengthening the muscles
• Surgeries for major injuries
Ligament injury
Two ligaments which are injured most commonly are the Anterior Cruciate Ligament and the Posterior Cruciate Ligament. Any injury to these ligaments is many times known as “Sprain”. ACL is most often torn or stretched by a sudden motion of twisting. On the other hand, PCL is an injury by a direct impact like an accident.
The lateral and medial collateral ligaments are injured by a blow to the outer side of the knee. This might stretch and also tear the ligament. The blows frequently occur in sports like hockey and football.
Ligament injury is generally treated with:
• Ice pack, right after the injury happens to reduce the swelling;
• Exercises for strengthening the muscles;
• Brace;
• Surgery for major injuries.
Understanding your knees is very crucial to take proper care and protection from a certain age. This will keep you physically fit and active even after suffering from minor injuries. So, do not ignore your knee problem, start treating it from a nascent stage.
