KNEE ARTHRITIS

A joint is a part of the body where two or more bones meet like in your knee. There is also a small bone at the front of the knee called the patella or kneecap. Patellofemoral arthritis occurs when the articular cartilage along the trochlear groove and on the underside of the patella wears down and becomes inflamed. When cartilage wears away, it becomes frayed and, when the wear is severe, the underlying bone may become exposed. The ends of our bones are covered in a smooth and slippery surface, known as cartilage. This allows the bones to move against each other without friction, and protects your joint from stress.

Everyone’s joints go through a normal cycle of damage and repair during their lifetime, but sometimes the body’s process to repair our joints can cause changes in their shape or structure. When these changes happen in one or more of your joints, it’s known as osteoarthritis.

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FLOATING KNEE INJURY

FLOATING KNEE INJURY - Floating knee is a flail knee joint resulting from fractures of the shafts or adjacent metaphyses of the femur and ipsilateral tibia. Floating knee injuries are always due to high energy trauma. The force required to fracture two of the strongest bones in the body is immense. Not surprisingly, these injuries are associated with other injuries - bony and soft tissue. These patients are usually haemodynamically unstable and need close monitoring and resuscitation during the initial period of following injury.

DISCOID MENISCUS

DISCOID MENISCUS - Every knee has a medial and lateral meniscus which are C-shaped pieces of fibrocartilage that absorb stress and act as cushions between the bones at the knee. At birth, the meniscus is not C-shaped, but discoid. With growth and walking, the discoid meniscus evolves into its normal C-shape. In some children, the lateral meniscus continues to stay discoid with growth. The incidence is approximately 3-5% of the population.

The most common presentation is a 6 to 8-year-old child with a "snapping" or a "clicking" in their knee as they walk. However, it is also possible for the onset to occur in early adolescent years when a child's sporting activities increase. A discoid meniscus is usually pain-free, and the clicking noise is what is noticed. In some instances, as the child grows older, the click increases and may cause recurrent locking, where they are unable to straighten or bend their knee fully. This will commonly also manifest as pain in the knee.

PREPATELLAR / KNEE BURSITIS

KNEE / PREPATELLAR BURSITIS - A trauma to the knee can result in damage to a prepatellar bursa, causing it to fill with blood and its lining to become inflamed. Even though the body reabsorbs the blood, the bursa lining may stay inflamed, causing knee bursitis symptoms. Bursitis is often caused by frequent "mini-traumas," which can cause the same problems as a single, more serious trauma. People who kneel a lot - people who install carpets, for example - may develop bursitis in their knees. A prepatellar bursa can become inflamed as the result of another condition, such as knee osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, or pseudogout.

KNEE BURSITIS

KNEE BURSITIS - Knee bursitis is inflammation of a small fluid-filled sac (bursa) situated near your knee joint. Bursae reduce friction and cushion pressure points between your bones and the tendons, muscles and skin near your joints. Any of the bursa in your knee can become inflamed, but knee bursitis most commonly occurs over the kneecap or on the inner side of your knee below the joint. Knee bursitis causes pain and can limit your mobility. 

SYMPTOMS

Knee bursitis signs and symptoms vary, depending on which bursa is affected and what's causing the inflammation. In general, the affected portion of your knee might feel warm, tender and swollen when you put pressure on it. You might also feel pain when you move or even at rest.

A sharp blow to the knee can cause symptoms to appear rapidly. But most cases of knee bursitis result from friction and irritation of the bursa that occurs in jobs that require a lot of kneeling on hard surfaces — so symptoms usually begin gradually and can worsen over time.

PATELLA DISLOCATION

PATELLA DISLOCATION - The patella can dislocate outside of its normal position, usually round the outside of the knee. It can also partially dislocate, called a subluxation. Pain will be felt immediately at the time of injury. There is likely to be swelling in the knee joint and there will be an obvious displacement of the kneecap. Often the kneecap may briefly dislocated and then return to its normal position, although pain and swelling will usually be present. The patella normally lies within the patellofemoral groove and is only designed to slide vertically within it. Dislocation of the patella occurs when the patella moves or is moved to the outside of this groove and onto the bony head of the femur. The patella may also sublux rather than fully dislocate, meaning it moves partially out of position. A patella dislocation is not the same as a dislocation of the knee joint itself which is a much more severe traumatic injury. 

It is usually a result of an acute blow or twisting action of the knee. In most cases the patella will relocate to the patellofemoral groove on straightening of the knee, however this is usually extremely painful. The factors which make a patella dislocation more likely are insufficient quadriceps strength on the inside of the knee, over pronation of the feet and an what is known as an increased Q angle of the knee.

ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT INJURY

ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT INJURY  - The anterior cruciate ligament can be injured in several ways:

• Changing direction rapidly
• Stopping suddenly
• Slowing down while running
• Landing from a jump incorrectly
• Direct contact or collision, such as a football tackle

Several studies have shown that female athletes have a higher incidence of ACL injury than male athletes in certain sports. It has been proposed that this is due to differences in physical conditioning, muscular strength, and neuromuscular control. Other suggested causes include differences in pelvis and lower extremity (leg) alignment, increased looseness in ligaments, and the effects of estrogen on ligament properties.

When you injure your anterior cruciate ligament, you might hear a "popping" noise and you may feel your knee give out from under you. Other typical symptoms include:

• Pain with swelling. Within 24 hours, your knee will swell. If ignored, the swelling and pain may resolve on its own. However, if you attempt to return to sports, your knee will probably be unstable and you risk causing further damage to the cushioning cartilage (meniscus) of your knee.
• Loss of full range of motion
• Tenderness along the joint line
• Discomfort while walking