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The Way Knees Work

Two or more bones connected by ligaments make up a joint. The largest joint is the knee. It is composed of three parts:

The patella, which is better-known as the kneecap.

The femur, which is the lower end of the thigh bone.

The patella is commonly known as the kneecap.

The long muscles located on the anterior of the thigh (quadriceps) play a major part in strengthening the knee.

The knee is cushioned by articular cartilage which covers the bone surfaces where they come in contact with each other.

Lubrication is provided by the synovial membrane, which is a smooth tissue liner that covers all of the surfaces in the knee. This lubrication keeps the ends of the joints from grinding against each other.

Why Does Knee Pain Occur?

Often, the cartilage just gets worn away. Without cartilage, there is nothing but bone-to-bone. This constant rubbing and friction causes swelling and pain.

This situation is usually caused by osteoarthritis. This is a condition in which there has been knee injury or trauma. When there is no cartilage, there is nothing to absorb the shock between the bones that make up the joint. When this happens, the bones become stressed and painful.

Click here to learn more about total knee replacement.

A Few Ways to Treat Knee Pain

Pain relief may be achieved through the use of steroids or non-steroidal anti-inflammatories. You could also try bracing, physical therapy or cortisone injections. If all else fails, you may want to look into knee surgery. This will definitely alleviate the problems brought on by having to limit your activities due to pain.

Knee replacement surgery was done for the first time in 1968, and it has been a popular solution to knee pain ever since. It is typically successful and results in the relief of pain and the restoration of knee function. More than a quarter of a million Americans undergo knee replacement surgery every year.

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The lower back has five vertebrae that make up the lumbar bones. These vertebrae are separated by spinal discs that are made of a gel-like substance. These discs are coated with cartilage.

The spinal canal surrounds the spinal cord and the nerves that branch away from it. It runs the length of the spinal column. It is common to experience pain in the lower back because the lower back bears most of the weight of the torso. For this reason the muscles, nerves and spine are under a great deal of stress and subject to pain.

Actually, after the flu, low back pain is the most common complaint doctors are presented with. There are a number of causes for back pain. Often, one patient’s problems are caused by multiple reasons. However, the most common reasons are injury and trauma. Here is a list of the types of low back pain and their causes:

A muscle injury is a strain.

A ligament injury is a sprain.

Sciatica: Pinched nerve.

Sacroiliitis is caused by inflammation of the hip joint.

Disc degeneration is caused by disease (such as arthritis).

Pressure can cause a herniated disc.

Sprains and strains may be caused by single or multiple events. Improper lifting may causes a sprain or strain as a single event or cumulatively over a period of time. Obesity and poor posture can cause back pain due to constant pressure and stress.

Click here for more on torn ACL reconstruction.

After a strain or sprain, it is important to slowly and carefully resume normal activities after a couple of days. Heat and/or cold packs should be applied to the injury. Physical maneuvering of the bones - known as tractions and reduction - may be helpful. Other treatments include electrical stimulation, massage therapy, and ultrasound. Additionally, injections of corticosteroids or local anesthetics may provide temporary relief of pain.

Conditioning and strengthening of the lower back muscles can help to avoid and treat lower back pain. This can be achieved through a combination of general aerobic exercise and specific strengthening exercises.

If you have tried all of the non-surgical options without relief, you may wish to consider surgery. Spinal fusion is the most common back surgery. It works by limiting the movement in the most painful area of your back.

If your pain is reduced, your surgery is successful. Keep in mind, however, that it may take more than a year to experience full recovery. Additionally, it is quite unusual for a person to truly have complete relief of pain. Discuss all of the options with your doctor. You may find that surgery is not the right treatment for your situation.

Click here for more on knee surgeons and surgeries.

Treating Achilles Tendon Injuries

Of all of the tendons in the human body, the Achilles tendon is the largest. The muscles at the posterior of the lower leg are attached to the calcaneous (heel bone) by the Achilles tendon. Because if it’s location, the Achilles tendon must withstand a great deal of pressure during strenuous exercise - especially sporting activities that involve a lot of pivoting.

The Achilles tendon is especially prone to two types of injury:

#1 Achilles tendonitis is inflammation caused by overuse.

Second is the tearing of the Achilles tendon.

The Specifics of Achilles Tendonitis

Achilles tendonitis is caused by a sudden increase in the intensity of activity to which the Achilles tendon is subjected. So, for example, if you suddenly change the type of training you are doing or greatly increase the intensity of your existing training, you are likely to experience Achilles tendonitis. This is why you must take great care when adding very strenuous exercise to your routine or when returning to exercise after an extended break.

When you have Achilles tendonitis, you may feel mild pain immediately after exercising that becomes worse and worse with time. Several hours after your workout, you may experience severe pain. After you have rested, you may experience swelling, tenderness and stiffness that may subside somewhat with movement.

If you tear your Achilles tendon, you will probably need surgery. With surgery, torn, fibrous and toughened tissues can be removed. After your surgery, you will be sent to rehabilitation to quicken your recovery and prevent ankle weakness in the future.

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Torn Achilles

When you engage in strenuous activity, you are more likely to tear your Achilles tendon. If this happens, you may hear a cracking or popping sound. An Achilles tendon tear can be partial or complete. The tendon usually tears just above the calcaneous.

When you tear your Achilles tendon, you may not be able to bend your foot downward or walk in a normal way. A torn Achilles tendon is very painful, and you will probably experience a lot of swelling.

A complete rupture is usually treated with surgery. After surgery, your doctor will have you wear a walking boot or a cast to stabilize your ankle. You will need to do this for about three months.

It is also possible to treat a torn ligament non-surgically by using a below-knee cast. This allows the ends of a torn tendon to heal naturally. It takes a bit longer for this kind of treatment to work. Additionally, there is a greater chance that the tendon will rupture again.

Surgery gives you a better chance to recover fully. For this reason, people who are serious about sports and physical fitness usually opt for surgery. It will allow them to get back into the game and fully participate after injuring the Achilles tendon.

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There are 5 vertebrae in the lower back. These are the 5 lumbar bones. They are cushioned by spinal discs that are covered with cartilage and made of a gel-like substance.

The spinal cord and the nerves that branch off from it are contained in the spinal canal, which extends through the entire spinal column. The lower back is very prone to pain because it has the job of supporting most of the body’s weight. The spine, nerves and muscles are under a lot of stress and can experience quite a bit of pain.

As a matter of fact, the second most common complaint people bring to their doctor is low back pain. Only the flu brings people to the doctor more often. Back pain is caused by a variety of things. There is not even a single answer for an individual; however, trauma and injury often bring on back pain. Here are a few of the most often experienced causes of low back pain:

Strain: Injury to a muscle.

Sprain: Injury to a ligament.

A pinched nerve is called sciatica.

Sacroiliitis is caused by inflammation of the hip joint.

Disc degeneration is caused by disease (such as arthritis).

Pressure can cause a herniated disc.

There are a number of reasons why sprains and strains happen. They could be the result of multiple events. For example, improper lifting, obesity, and poor posture each cause cumulative damage to the lower back as well as other body structures.

Click here for more on torn ACL reconstruction.

Following a sprain or a strain, it is a good idea to apply heat and cold packs alternately. You might also treat with ultrasound, massage therapy, or electrical stimulation. Tractions and reductions (physical maneuvering of the bones) may also be helpful. A doctor can provide local injections of anesthetics or corticosteroids for pain relief. It is important to ease back into regular activity after a couple of days rest.

Anytime you have back pain, one of the best ways to alleviate it is through conditioning and strengthening the muscles of the lower back. This can be done by using specific exercises recommended by your health care professional and by adding aerobic conditioning to your daily activities.

Back surgery knows as spinal fusion is a last resort when all non-surgical options have been tried. This surgery works by limiting the movement in the most painful part of the back.

It is important to note that recovery can be a lengthy and uncertain process. It often takes over a year to know whether or not the surgery has been successful. This is simply determined by whether or not the pain has abated. Complete relief from pain is unusual. Still, this is an option worth discussing with your doctor; although, you may well find that it is not the best option for you.

Click here for more on knee surgery and knee surgeons.

The lumbar region of the back consists of the lowermost five vertebrae. Vertebrae are cushioned and separated by cartilage-coated, spinal discs that consist of a gel-like substance.

The spinal cord and the nerves that branch off from it are contained in the spinal canal, which extends through the entire spinal column. The lower back is very prone to pain because it has the job of supporting most of the body’s weight. The spine, nerves and muscles are under a lot of stress and can experience quite a bit of pain.

Doctors see patients for lower back pain quite frequently - almost as often as for the flu! Back pain can be caused by a lot of things, and in fact, it can have multiple causes in one patient. Injury and trauma are the most common causes of back pain. Here are a few examples:

Strain: Injury to a muscle.

Sprains are caused by ligament injury.

A pinched nerve is called sciatica.

Inflammation of a hip joint is called sacroiliitis.

Disc degeneration is caused by disease (such as arthritis).

Herniated disc.

There are a number of reasons why sprains and strains happen. They could be the result of multiple events. For example, improper lifting, obesity, and poor posture each cause cumulative damage to the lower back as well as other body structures.

Click here for more on reconstruction of torn ACL.

There are a number of ways to treat a sprain or strain. They include: hot and/or cold packs, ultrasound, massage therapy, electrical stimulation, traction and reduction in which the bones are maneuvered physically, and/or anesthetic or corticosteroid injections. It is very important to gently resume normal activity after a couple of days rest to avoid stiffness.

One can avoid and treat back pain with strengthening and conditioning of the muscles of the lower back. General aerobic conditioning and specific strengthening exercises will help with this.

If you have tried all of the non-surgical options without relief, you may wish to consider surgery. Spinal fusion is the most common back surgery. It works by limiting the movement in the most painful area of your back.

Back surgery is deemed successful if the pain is reduced. However, it may take over a year to find this out, as recovery can be slow. Complete relief of pain is quite unusual. It is important to discuss all of the alternatives for treatment with your doctor. It may be that surgery is not the right choice for you.

Click here for more on orthopedic surgery and surgeons.

What’s involved in knee replacement?

When you have your knee replaced, it will mean that you are having damaged and arthritic parts of your knee taken out and artificial or prosthetic joints put in their place.

A prosthetic joint works just like a real, natural, healthy joint. It allows you to go back to enjoying all the physical activities you used to enjoy without knee pain.

Must my knees be in severely bad shape before I can have them replaced?

You are the only person who can make this decision. Once you have an evaluation by an orthopedist, you will just need to consider the procedure and the effect it will make on your life, and decide for yourself.

If you are having knee pain every day, you may respond by resting your knees. When you do this, the muscles around the knee become weaker. That means that you will have more knee pain.

If you have tried other options like physical therapy and medication, without relief, it may be time for you to consider joint replacement.

Click here to learn more about surgery for torn ACL.

MIS - Minimally Invasive Knee Joint Replacement

When you have MIS, specialized techniques will be used. These techniques let the doctor do major surgery without making any large incisions. That is why this procedure is called minimally invasive. There is less trauma to the soft tissues because a much smaller incision is made.

This is a tremendous improvement over traditional knee replacement surgery in many ways. MIS can mean a very short hospital stay, a speedy recovery, and very little, if any scarring. However, MIS is not the answer for everyone.

Your orthopedist is the only one who can really tell you if MIS is the right procedure for you.

What risks are involved in MIS?

Even though, MIS is much less invasive than standard surgery, it is still a major operation.

Whenever major surgery is performed, complications may arise. Happily, these are usually easy to avoid or mitigate.

As for driving and working, how long must I wait to return to my regular daily activities?

Consulting with your doctor, orthopedist, and surgeon will help you to arrive at an answer to this question. It depends on your physical condition, the demands of your daily life, and the advice of your health care professionals.

Click here to learn more about arthroscopic knee surgery.