Types of Knee Injuries
Now that you know all about its working parts, you probably realize that there are a bunch of ways to injure a knee. Common causes for injuries are overuse (from repetitive motions, like in many sports), sudden stops or twists, or direct blows to the knee.
Here are some of the more common injuries:
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The knees are the most easily injured part of the body. The largest and most complicated joint, the knee is used for everything from standing up, sitting, to walking, running, etc. It’s a weight-bearing joint that straightens, bends, twists and rotates. All this motion increases your risk of acute or overuse knee injuries.
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Knee replacement, or knee arthroplasty, is a surgical procedure to replace the weight-bearing surfaces of the knee joint to relieve the pain and disability of osteoarthritis. It may be performed for other knee diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. In patients with severe deformity from advanced rheumatoid arthritis, trauma, or long standing osteoarthritis, the surgery may be more complicated and carry higher risk. Osteoporosis does not typically cause knee pain, deformity, or inflammation and is not a reason to perform knee replacement.
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Exercise
Regular exercise increases your back’s flexibility and endurance. You should exercise the muscles that support your back, such as those in the stomach, hips, buttocks, and thighs, especially the abdominal muscles that help to keep your body’s weight centered on your spine. Weak abdominal muscles make your back prone to injury. Effective exercises include swimming, walking, biking, or yoga.
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Deterioration and softening of the articular cartilage lining the undersurface of the kneecap. The damage is usually caused by repetitive rubbing of the kneecap on the femur. It sometimes, but not always, causes a patellofemoral pain. However, it should not be assumed that all such pain is due to chondromalacia patellae . Treatment of chondromalacia patellae includes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) to reduce inflammation, and strengthening and stretching exercises to improve the structures around the knee. Continue reading
Do you dread the winter months because of frequent colds, bronchitis and other respiratory infections? Are you searching for ways to stay healthy during the winter season? Follow these helpful suggestions to guard against respiratory infections: Continue reading
For millions of people living in America, the warmer weather signals the beginning of spring, as well as the beginning of allergy season. Allergy is an overreaction to a normally harmless substance known as an “allergen”. In an effort to rid the body of the “allergen”, the immune system releases many chemicals, one of which is called “histamine”. As a result, sneezing, runny, or stuffy nose, itchy and watery eyes can occur. Continue reading
Influenza (flu) is an acute infectious disease caused by various strains of viruses. Outbreaks of the flu usually occur during the winter because the viruses are most easily spread in crowded, indoor places. The viruses are transmitted by direct contact or by breathing the airborne viruses. Continue reading
Nearly 200 viruses can cause a cold, and they can live for hours on objects, surfaces, and people. When you touch something contaminated with a cold virus, and then touch your eyes or nose, you transmit the virus to your body. There is no cure for the common cold. It usually goes away in 5 to 7 days.
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The arrival of winter heralds the season of colds, flu and many other respiratory illnesses. To help you better understand where problems may occur, here is a brief review of how the respiratory system works. Every time you breathe, air enters through your nose or mouth, continues down your windpipe (trachea) and into the lungs. The air travels through bronchial tubes (bronchi) in the lungs until it reaches tiny air sacs (alveoli) at the end of the passageways. In the air sacs, there is an exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Oxygen is passed into the bloodstream, and carbon dioxide is passed back from the bloodstream into the air sacs to be exhaled out of the body. Without a constant supply of oxygen, the cells in the body cannot function. Two common types of respiratory infections are BRONCHITIS and PNEUMONIA. Continue reading
