FAQs
The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) is one of two ligaments that criss-cross inside the knee joint to hold the two leg bones (femur and tibia) together. The second (more commonly injured) ligament i ...more
It is estimated that one-quarter of a million ACL injuries occur each year in the United States. As you know, players can be sidelined for months (sometimes longer). This is a concern to many people a ...more
Is it possible to rehab a PCL injury and still remain active? I like to golf, play tennis, and even pickup a game of basketball now and then. The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) is one of two ligam ...more
Can you please explain to me the main reasons why people who have ACL reconstruction surgery end up rupturing the new ligament and having to start all over again? Up to 10 per cent of all patients wh ...more
What kind of rehab program should I expect to follow after reconstruction surgery for a chronically dislocating kneecap? I'm prepared for just about anything but thought I'd ask around a bit to see wh ...more
We allowed my aging father to have a knee replacement. He's diabetic and overweight so we weren't sure this was such a good idea. Then he got an infection in the joint and the new knee implant had to ...more
I've been told that I might get some benefit from "shock therapy" to my knee for a bad case of "Jumper's Knee." Is this really a safe method of treatment? Running and jumping over and over often lead ...more
Do you think exercising in a pool for my knee arthritis is really worth all the mess and fuss of getting wet, having to shower, and redo my hair and makeup? It seems easier to just walk on the treadmi ...more
The health club I go to has several different pools to choose from. I like going in the water because it makes my arthritic knees feel better. They have a pool with a treadmill in it that I could use ...more
My doctor told me after my total knee replacement, I won't need any special therapy or rehab. My sister who lives in a different state told me she had a special exercise program they called "functiona ...more
I'm young and healthy but I have a bad knee. Dinged it up playing handball. Got a big hole in the cartilage that goes down to the bone. Too young for a knee replacement. Looking into these new treatme ...more
I was just informed that my retorn meniscus is not all that uncommon. Yet I thought having the surgery to repair it would protect my knee and prevent early arthritis. It never crossed my mind that it ...more
I am the head athletic trainer at a large university. We've started keeping some statistics that show our women are more likely to tear their ACLs and a large percentage of both men and women don't c ...more
I have a feeling that our 17-year-old son is going to miss out on his senior year of high school football because he's afraid he'll reinjure the torn ACL he spent all summer rehabbing. We can't tell i ...more
To brace or not to brace: that is the ACL question. I'm going to have surgery tomorrow(!) to reconstruct my ACL. I've been told by one person that I'll be wearing a brace after surgery to protect the ...more
I heard a report that injuring the ACL of the nondominant leg puts athletes at increased risk of future injuries. Is that true? and what's the explanation for it? There haven't been a lot of studies c ...more
I had ACL surgery two weeks ago. The Physical Therapist was there right after the operation getting me up and going. The next day, she set me up on a home program and I go see her 3 times a week. It s ...more
I am really depressed over the poor results of my knee surgery. I have a condition called osteochondritis dissecans (OCD). Before throwing in the towel, I thought I would check with you and see what y ...more
I'm 21 years old. I've been active all my life. Lately I've been noticing that my left knee cap slides off to the side and then pops back. I never know when it's going to happen. I did fall while hik ...more
It seems like knee medial meniscal tears has become an epidemic in my family. Most of my relatives are pretty overweight so it doesn't really surprise me that this happened. But just to be on the saf ...more
I started practicing yoga about six months ago to help with a shoulder problem. The shoulder got better but I noticed my knee started acting up. Could the yoga positions caused this. Any idea? Activit ...more
How Well Does Arthroscopic Surgery Work for Knee Osteoarthritis? Degenerative knee osteoarthritis (OA) can be treated with Physical Therapy, medications, or surgery when appropriate. The focus of this ...more
I am an assistant coach of a women's basketball team at a small college. In the past, I've worked with both male and female athletes. I've noticed something I wonder about. When an athlete injures his ...more
I'm four-weeks post-op following ACL surgery for a ruptured knee. I think I'm coming along but I'm wondering about how much motion I need to get back. My knees were always a little lax before surgery ...more
I had ACL surgery last week and I'm now at the Physical Therapist's clinic starting my rehab. They are very, very pushy about getting my full motion back like right now. I'm doing my best and feel lik ...more
I injured my ACL in a stupid accident while shooting baskets in the neighborhood. Now I'm benched for the season in my senior year of college. The surgeon who treated me mentioned the risk of arthriti ...more
X-rays taken today showed some damage to our son's knee diagnosed as juvenile osteochondritis dissecans. Our first stop was to your website to see what we can find out about this problem. The forceful ...more
I am a high school athlete working on something called a "senior project." We are supposed to take a topic of interest to us and explore or investigate it thoroughly. I have picked the subject of ACL ...more
I lost my job two days before a scheduled total knee replacement. I decided to go ahead with the surgery anyway. I was forced by the lack of health insurance to get up and get going right away. I'm he ...more
Help me out here. My 82-year-old mother just had a knee replacement. The Physical Therapist came in (he looks all of 12-years-old) and is insisting she move that leg and get up out of bed. She is in t ...more
Is it true that people who have a patellar graft for a destroyed ACL will get worse arthritis than if we had gotten the hamstring graft? I know it's too late now that I went the patellar graft route, ...more
I am going to have a meniscus transplantation in two days. The surgeon briefly went over what to expect afterwards. Can you give me a few more specifics about the rehab part? What will I do? How long ...more
Have you ever heard of someone having a knee dislocate out from underneath them? I saw it happen at a party last night. The guy was plenty overweight but still -- can that happen to just anyone? Compl ...more
What is the treatment for a knee dislocation in someone too large to have surgery? That's the case with my brother-in-law who is 400 pounds overweight and just recently had his knee collapse underneat ...more
I have an ACL tear that we are going to try and rehab and avoid surgery. I'm scheduled to see a physical therapist for "strength training and perturbation activities." I get the strength part. What's ...more
What do you think about injections or iotophoresis for chronic patellar tendinopathy? I'm checking out every possible treatment option that doesn't involve surgery. Alignment or overuse problems of th ...more
I'm an orthopedic surgical nurse. I notice a lot of guys of all ages coming in these days for ACL repairs. Are men more likely to have these injuries or just more willing to have surgery? I know women ...more
I'm having trouble deciding about whether to have knee surgery. I'm only 18 but I have an ACL tear. So I have two options: surgery right away before anything gets worse or rehab and wait to see if sur ...more
Is it possible to have a whiplash injury to the knee? I heard that term somewhere. What would that be? You may be referring to a mechanism called contrecoup. It's a bit like a neck whiplash injury whe ...more
I saw a report on a health show that showed how many people who have an ACL tear also have bone bruising. Why is that such a big deal and how do I know if I had it? Bone contusion or bruising may be ...more
I've been following the research on exercise and patellofemoral pain syndrome. I see they are now saying I need to strengthen the muscles around my hip, not just the knee. Can I do these at the same t ...more
I have knee pain from patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS). I'm seeing a Physical Therapist who has tested me and put me on an exercise program. One of the tests was to step down from a stair and back ...more
Our 16-year-old daughter was just diagnosed with patellofemoral pain syndrome. What can you tell us about this? Was she born with it? Or is she doing something wrong in her exercise routines that have ...more
Years ago, I had an odd type of meniscal tear. It was the back outside corner of the meniscus in my left knee. I also blew out my ACL in the same knee at the same time. It's been 10-years and that kne ...more
I had a meniscus that was repaired arthroscopically five years ago. I'm just checking to see how long they think this repair job will last me. Different studies report success rates that vary from 70 ...more
After tearing my ACL during an off-road motorcycling event, I decided to start wearing a brace on that knee. Which one do you recommend? When it comes to wearing braces prophylactically (as a preventi ...more
When I was 16, I tore the medial meniscus in my right knee and had it surgically removed. I've had knee problems ever since. Now my 17-year-old son has done the same thing. Will he be doomed to arthri ...more
I tweaked my MCL playing soccer twice so I went to see a Doctor and was told it would heal on its own and to give it some time. Is really the best advice. Should I wear a brace? Will I need surgery? T ...more
How does the strap work that athletes wear around their knees? I'm not an athlete but my knees hurt and I'm wondering if something like this would help me.
I tore my left ACL during a downhill snowboard accident. I've heard that once the ACL has been injured, there's always an increased risk it could happen again. Is there any way to keep this from happe ...more
What's the best way to treat housemaid's knee? I'm afraid I have a bad case of it from playing with my grandchildren on the floor. Housemaid's knee is a term sometimes still used to describe bursitis. ...more
What can you tell me about having an osteotomy for half-knee arthritis? Will it do any good? Can I really get some new cartilage to grow on the damaged half with this operation? Knee arthritis affecti ...more
How is it possible to strengthen muscles to take the place of a torn ligament? I went through a three month rehab program for a torn MCL that worked like a charm. But I still don't get how a muscle ca ...more
I am a soccer player who plays rugby as a "weekend warrior." I don't want to trash my knees playing rugby because soccer is really my first choice of activities. Is there any benefit to wearing one of ...more
I fell down the stairs and tore my left ACL. Since I didn't go in right away for surgery, I ended up with an unusual tear of my meniscus called a "ramp" tear. How often do these happen and why did I g ...more
I have dislocated my kneecap twice now. Each time it has popped right back in so I haven't had any surgery -- just a brace and therapy. Based on what you know for other people with this problem, what ...more
Our daughter dislocated her knee cap for the first time during slow pitch. She wants to get right back in the game. The orthopedic surgeon is saying six weeks of a brace or splint first. How is this k ...more
I have knee osteoarthritis. I'd like to do whatever I can that doesn't involve drugs or surgery for as long as possible. What do you suggest? Today physicians understand and try to teach their patient ...more
What is a medial patellofemoral ligament injury? And how is it treated? A little bit of anatomy will help explain this injury. Let's start with the patella -- more commonly known as the "kneecap". The ...more
I keep dislocating my left kneecap. I've tried exercise, taping, yoga, and kinesiotherapy but nothing keeps it from popping out. What's next? You may be a good candidate for surgery but it's best to s ...more
I might need an ACL repair job. The tipping point in deciding is whether or not I want to continue playing sports hard. I'm just a recreational athlete, so it's not like I'm losing millions of dollars ...more
What is a sleeve fracture of the knee? You are probably not familiar with the term sleeve fracture of the patella (kneecap) because this is a very rare injury. Of all the bone breaks children have, t ...more
I had my ACL repaired two years ago and just reinjured it again. My surgeon wants me to try Physical Therapy for a few months. If that doesn't work, I can have surgery again. Can they repair this a se ...more
My knee has a hole in the cartilage. I gather there are all kinds of ways to treat the problem. I can either have it repaired or they can replace the cartilage. What works best? Damage to the articula ...more
I have a torn meniscus in my knee confirmed by MRI. Can I avoid surgery and just do some kind of knee exercises until it heals on its own? There's a lot of confusion right now about the best treatment ...more
I was with my elderly aunt when she tore her knee meniscus. She was just crossing the street with me and pop goes the weasel! The doctor says these things can happen just like that but there must be a ...more
I'm the only one in a family of eight children who has a knee problem called patellofemoral pain syndrome. We are all involved in sports of some kind. What am I doing wrong that I have this problem bu ...more
If I lost weight, would it have any effect on my knee pain? I've been told I have something called patellofemoral pain syndrome. I'm 16 years old and probably 65 pounds over weight. Patellofemoral Syn ...more
I injured my knee. The MRI showed damage to the posterolateral corner. What can I expect if I don't have the surgery recommended by the doctor? The posterolateral corner (PLC) of the knee designates a ...more
I was in a car accident and ended up with an uncommon knee injury called a posterolateral corner. I like to play competitive sports. Will I be able to get back to these activities once this heals up? ...more
Can you give me a summary of what's happening with cartilage repair for knees these days? I have what's considered a full-thickness defect in the joint cartilage of my right knee.
I had a procedure called a mosaicplasty to plug a hole in my knee cartilage. I'm not sure it really worked. It's been six months and I still have pain and swelling in that knee -- enough to interfere ...more
I am a 20-year-old competitive gymnast. I have a serious hole in the left knee cartilage that needs repair. I'm wondering if my sex (female) and my sports participation in gymnastics are in my favor o ...more
Ten years ago, I tore my ACL. I didn't have insurance at the time, so I waited five years before I had the surgery to repair the problem. Everything seems to be working out but I always wonder if that ...more
I'm weighing the pros and cons of having surgery for an unstable knee. The surgeon is proposing reconstructing the torn ACL and repairing the meniscus. I've been told that without this operation, I co ...more
I'm 72-years old but still very active. The problem is my left knee has a hole in the cartilage that's been there 10 years or more. My young grandson had some kind of surgery where they put new cartil ...more
Mother complains about her aching arthritic knees. We can even hear them creaking when she stands up. Her doctor keeps telling her to stay active and exercise. But how can she when she hurts so much? ...more
My 16 year old son is a long-distance runner. He started having a lot of knee pain and his doctor said it was Runners Knee and prescribed rest. What is it and is there anything else he can do for it? ...more
I think I may have torn a cartilage in my knee. What are the symptoms? If you feel you have injured the cartilage in your knee, it is important to have this checked by a doctor. Self-diagnosis could l ...more
I had surgery to reconstruct the ligament on the inside of my knee. When can I return to hockey?
I have a grade III (ruptured) medial collateral ligament of my knee. The surgeon wants me to go to PT for rehab and I think I really need surgery. Would other surgeons agree with this recommendation?
I have a full-thickness tear in the cartilage covering my knee joint. The surgeon says they can can do an operation and take some of my healthy cartilage and patch it up nearly as good as new. Will my ...more
I've had two surgeries so far for a full-thickness cartilage defect in my right knee. The results have been disappointing as I can't do any of the fun sport activities I like. Someone suggested a knee ...more
Please help -- I am completely freaked by the fact that my new ACL is infected. Will I lose it? What will happen if I do? Don't panic. If you are under the care of a surgeon, the graft site can often ...more
Q: My 18-year-old son is in need of an ACL reconstruction. The surgeon laid out all of the different choices -- hamstring tendon graft, patellar tendon graft and choosing from using his own tissue or ...more
Is it ever too late to have surgery for a hole in the knee cartilage? I'm 43 and too young for a knee replacement but is there something else they can do for this before my entire knee is torn up with ...more
Our 14-year-old daughter was involved in figure skating. She ended up with an ACL tear that required surgery. Despite our concerns, she went back to practice before she was done with the rehab program ...more
When I was in my 20s, I tore up my anterior cruciate ligament pretty bad. After surgery, I ended up with a wide, wrinkly, ugly scar that measures eight inches long. I'm almost 40 now and I recently sa ...more
I've been newly diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis. I've been on-line all day looking for some sound advice. There's so much out there, I don't know where to start. What do you advise? The American Ac ...more
I need a little advice. I'm 42-years-old and I tore my ACL skiing. I'm pretty much ready to hang it up anyway, so I'm wondering if I really need to do all the exercises the therapist has given me. I j ...more
I've been going to a rehab facility for training after having an ACL repair on my left knee six weeks ago. I'm very eager to get back into full sports participation (I'm on the volley ball team and cr ...more
I'm wondering something about a unilateral knee replacement. It's been almost a year since I had this procedure done on my right leg, and I still can't go up and down stairs easily. Will this graduall ...more
What's the latest on taking glucosamine for knee arthritis? One health magazine says, Take it, an article in today's newspaper says, Don't bother. Which is it? Despite all the media hype around taking ...more
I am a 13 year old girl with knee pain that only goes away when I sit and do nothing. The doctor says I have osteochondritis dissecans. I looked this up on-line and found out it's from an injury or re ...more
I'm not a super athlete but I do like to compete in several areas such as soccer, cross country, and tennis. I notice whenever it's soccer season, I seem to have the most problem with my patellar tend ...more
What kind of treatment is prescribed for osteochondritis of the knee if surgery isn't done? Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a problem that affects the knee, mostly at the end of the big bone of the ...more
I tore my left ACL completely in a weird accident while out golfing with my kids. Since I'm not really all that active (and I am admittedly overweight), the surgeon recommended physical therapy instea ...more
My knees seem to be kinda wobbly. I never know when they are going to go out from underneath me. Are there some exercises I can do to get them back in shape? Quite frankly, I'm worried about taking a ...more
Mother seems to be awfully stiff in the mornings. Once we get her up and moving, she seems to do much better. She does have some knee pain, but it's the stiffness that really holds her back. What can ...more