How to Know When to See a Doctor For Knee Pain

Because the knee is the largest joint in the body and is one of the most commonly injured joints due to the amount of weight and tension that it handles daily, as well as because of the bones, cartilage and ligaments and tendons working together to form this joint and allow you to and you’re leg. Most every single part of the knee moves, which means that it is a very sensitive joint and is prone to many types of injuries.

If you are dealing with knee pain then you are going to be suffering from something that is most likely very common and that your knee pain doctor will have dealt with a million times. This is not always the case, sometimes knee injuries can be more severe and more rare, but the general consensus is that most knee pain is caused by really common injuries that the knee pain doctors have dealt with many times over.

Anatomy of the Knee

There are three basic bones involved in the creation of the knee joint; the femur otherwise known as the thigh bone, the tibia otherwise known as the shinbone, and the patella which is your knee cap. Each bone meets with one another to form the joint, and then articular cartilage is on these bones who protect them as they form the joint. Articular cartilage covers the end of the femur and tibia and the back of the patella.

But you may be wondering what the cartilage is for, and the cartilage is going to allow your leg to move smoothly because your joints are able to glide against one another as you use your leg. The meniscus is going to be a robbery and wedge like shaped cartilage that is located in between the femur and the tibia, and it cushions the joint and acts as a shock absorber between these bones. This is important to know because you can damage your meniscus, and it can wear out over time.

There are four ligaments that connect bones together and stabilize your joint, one is located inside of the knee, the other is on the outside of the knee. They are inserted to ensure the knee is stabilized, and these ligaments control your knee as it moves sideways and protects it from unusual movement that can occur. The other two ligaments are within the knee joint and they cover one another in X-shaped, and then the last joint ligament is in front of the knee and behind the knee. These joint ligaments control the ability to move the knee back and forth.

Because there are many different types of knee injuries and there is so much involved in creating and protecting your kneecap. If you are experiencing a new fracture than this means that your kneecap has been fractured, and this is very common because the kneecap is usually the first thing hitting the ground. A knee dislocation is when the new bones are out of place. This happens sometimes during large impacts, and then the knee can in fact put itself back, but not always.

No matter what type of knee pain you are dealing with you can reach out to knee pain doctors such as the ones available at Premier Osteoarthritis Centers of Pennsylvania today for all of your knee pain needs.