Healthscope Orthopaedics Services

Your knee is the largest joint in your body. As well as providing support for your body weight, it lets your legs bend and straighten. A healthy knee allows you to walk, climb stairs and participate in sports and hobbies. A knee injury can stop you doing things you need to as well as things you enjoy.

Knee injuries are common and can affect people of all ages. Many types of knee injuries can be managed with conservative measures, such as rest and physiotherapy. Some knee injuries need surgery to repair damaged tissues and achieve the best possible long-term outcomes.

Our orthopaedic surgeons are experts at diagnosing and managing knee injuries. We offer world-class care, with a focus on finding the cause of your symptoms and tailoring personalised treatment plans.

Knee injury types

Knee injuries include dislocations, fractures, and soft tissue tears or sprains. Often, an injury will cause damage to more than one knee structure.

Common knee injury types include:

Knee fractures

Knee fractures are usually caused by significant trauma, such as a motor vehicle accident or fall from a height. The patella (kneecap) is the most commonly broken bone in the knee. The ends of the shin bone and thigh bone within the knee joint can also be fractured.

Ligament injuries

Your knee has four major supporting ligaments, any of which can be strained or torn. These ligaments are:

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)

This is often injured in sports that involve pivoting, sudden direction changes or cutting movements, such as football, soccer, and netball. About half of all ACL injuries will also involve damage to other knee structures, such as cartilage and other ligaments.

The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL)

PCL injuries are less common. They are usually caused by a blow to the front of a bent knee. This could result from a motor vehicle accident or sporting contact.

The medial collateral ligament (MCL)

The MCL runs down the inside edge of the knee. It can be damaged by forces that push the knee too far sideways, such as a blow to the outside of the knee or an awkward landing while playing sport.

The lateral collateral ligament (LCL)

This ligament runs down the outside edge of the knee. It may also be damaged by a force that pushes the knee too far sideways. LCL tears are less common than other ligament injuries.

Meniscal injuries

The menisci (or meniscus for one) are two wedge-shaped pieces of specialised cartilage that sit in the knee joint. They absorb shock, transmit weight between the knee bones, and help to stabilise the knee joint.

Meniscal tears are common knee injuries. They usually result from a forceful twist or rotation of the knee while you’re taking weight through it. Meniscal injuries are common in sports that involve pivoting, cutting and tackling. The menisci also tend to get weaker with age. If you’re older or have arthritis, you could injure meniscus by a simple movement such as twisting in the garden.

Tendon injuries

Your knee joint has several tendons around it. These attach muscles to bones to make the joint move. The patellar, quadriceps and hamstring tendons can be stretched or torn.

Knee tendon injuries are common in running and jumping sports. They can also be caused by a fall or awkward landing.

If a tendon gets irritated it can lead to inflammation, which is known as tendonitis. This is most common in people who do repetitive activities, such as long-distance running, kneeling on the knee for work, and sports that involve a lot of jumping.

Knee dislocation

A dislocation happens when the knee bones move out of place. This most commonly happens to the patella. Your patella normally sits in a groove at the front of the knee but can move across sideways. Some people are born with a bone structure that makes this more likely. Patella dislocations can also be caused by sporting injuries and other accidents.

The shin and thigh bones can also be pushed out of alignment, usually by significant trauma such as a fall or serious accident.

Knee injury symptoms

Swelling and pain are the most common symptoms of a knee injury. Depending on which structures are damaged, a knee injury can also causeissues such as catching, clicking or locking and instability – the feeling that your knee might give way.

Knee injury diagnosis

To get to the bottom of your knee problem, your health professional will do different things depending on the injury type and severity. For example, if your knee is fractured or dislocated, you need urgent medical assessment. Your doctor will probably arrange imaging tests such as an X-ray, CT scan or MRI to see what’s happening in your knee.

They will also look for signs of damage to other tissues, such as nerves or blood vessels, which could be serious if not discovered and treated. An orthopaedic specialist will often be consulted to help make the diagnosis and decide on the best course of action.

If the injury is less severe or you’ve had symptoms for a while, your doctor will probably see you in their rooms. They will ask questions like how the injury happened and how it affects your daily life. They will look at your knee, checking for things like tenderness, swelling, clicking, and pain or limited movement. They might move your knee different ways to check whether ligaments are loose or torn.

Your doctor might also refer you for imaging to see what’s happening in your knee, along with blood tests. These can help provide a more complete picture of your knee injury. Your doctor might also refer you to an orthopaedic specialist for a review and opinion.

How are knee injuries treated?

Because knee injuries can affect different structures and vary in severity, they are managed in different ways. For example, a serious injury such as a fracture, dislocation or ligament rupture needs specialised medical care and possible surgery. Treatment for knee tendonitis could involve medications, rest from aggravating activities and physiotherapy.

Non-surgical treatment for knee injuries

Non-surgical treatments used to manage knee injuries include:

Immobilisation – you might need to wear a brace or plaster cast to prevent your knee from moving while it heals

Walking aids – you may need to use crutches or a walking frame to keep weight off the injured knee

Medications – such as pain killers and anti-inflammatories

Physiotherapy – to ease symptoms and treat underlying issues such as stiffness, muscle weakness or poor movement patterns

Exercises – to improve flexibility, strength and movement control

Heat or cold therapy – to reduce inflammation and ease pain

Corticosteroid injections – to reduce pain and inflammation.

Surgery for knee injuries

Some knee injuries need surgery to repair or replace damaged tissues and help ensure you have the best chance of making a good recovery. Your specialist might also recommend surgery if other treatment options haven’t managed your symptoms effectively.

Knee surgery can often be performed arthroscopically (through keyholes using a special camera and instruments). Some procedures, such as a total knee replacement or fracture repair, will need a larger cut. Your orthopaedic surgeon can discuss your options with you and provide guidance about the best course of action in your situation.

Examples of surgeries used to manage knee injuries include:

Repairs

Knee fractures may be managed by repairing damaged bones with pins, plates or screws. ACL tears are also often repaired surgically. This is known as an ACL reconstruction.

Joint replacement

This involves replacing the knee joint with an artificial one. It is most commonly used to manage knee arthritis. If only one section of your knee is damaged, you might have what’s known as a unicompartmental (or partial) knee replacement.

Patella stabilisation

If your patella keeps dislocating, you might need a procedure to make it more stable and help prevent it from sliding out.

Meniscal procedures

A torn meniscus may be repaired or damaged parts trimmed away. In some cases, the whole meniscus might need to be removed, which is called a meniscectomy.

Other procedures

Surgery might involve trimming away damaged cartilage from the joint surface or removing loose fragments or inflamed tissue from inside the knee.

How long does it take to recover from a knee injury?

Recovery time can vary significantly depending on injury type and severity, as well as factors like your age and lifestyle. A mild ligament strain might be better in six to 12 weeks, whereas it could take a year or more to recover from a serious knee fracture.

Many people will need physiotherapy and rehabilitation after a knee injury or surgery to restore movement, function and the ability to do things like drive, work and participate in sports or hobbies.

Your orthopaedic surgeon can give you individual advice about how long it might take you to recover from your knee injury.