Knee injuries are more likely to occur when you participate in physical activities or have a job that requires repetitive or rapid movements like making sudden stops and turns, running, bending, and lifting or carrying heavy objects.

If you experience a knee injury, the orthopedic and sports medicine specialists at Blessing can help you quickly regain mobility and get you moving again.

Experience the Blessing Difference: Knee Injuries

When you come to Blessing for treatment of a knee injury, you benefit from:

  • Comprehensive services: The orthopedic experts at Blessing treat all types of knee injuries, including ligament, tendon and meniscus tears. Our goal is to return you to action as quickly as possible.
  • Minimally invasive procedures: When possible, we use an all-arthroscopic repair method for knee surgery. This minimally invasive procedure is done inside the joint, which means smaller incisions and less cutting of tissue. As a result, you experience less pain and risk of infection, and return to activities faster.
  • Advanced pain management: Our team works with you to find the best pain control treatment. We help you manage pain while reducing the risk of medication side effects.
  • Rehabilitation: Physical therapy is key to a successful recovery after treatment for a knee injury. Blessing has a range of orthopedic rehabilitation options to help you regain strength, stability and movement.
  • Care that focuses on you: At Blessing, we treat our patients like family. You see the same familiar, helpful faces at your appointments and throughout your course of treatment.

Knee Injuries We Treat

The orthopedic team at Blessing are experts at treating a variety of knee injuries. The most common knee injuries we treat include:

  • Ligament injuries: Ligaments connect bone to bone to stabilize your knees and control motion. A torn ligament may cause your knee to buckle or not move as it should. Types of knee ligament injuries include:
    • Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL): Your ACL helps keep your knee stable when you move it. This ligament connects your shinbone (tibia) and thighbone (femur) and runs diagonally across the middle of the knee.  
    • Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL): This ligament connects your thighbone (femur) to your shinbone (tibia) at the back of the knee.  
    • Medial collateral ligament (MCL): The MCL runs down the inner part of the knees. It prevents the knee from bending inward.
  • Tendon tear: Tendons attach muscles to bones. Small tendon tears make walking and daily activities painful or difficult. Large tears are often disabling and make straightening the knee impossible. Common tendon injuries include:
    • Patella tendon tear: The tendon connecting your kneecap (patella) to the top of your shinbone (tibia) separates from the kneecap.
    • Quadriceps tendon tear: The tendon connecting your kneecap to the thigh muscle (quadriceps) separates from the kneecap.
  • Meniscal tear: Meniscus are two pieces of cartilage that cushion and stabilizes the knee joint. They act as shock absorbers between your thighbone and shinbone. Meniscus tears happen when the knee is twisted or rotated.

Signs of a Knee Injury

Some knee injuries happen suddenly, like from a fall, and cause immediate intense pain. Ligament and tendon tears often happen gradually. You should not ignore knee pain. Prompt treatment can prevent more damage and may help you avoid surgery.

Signs that you have a serious knee injury include:

  • Swelling
  • Your knee gives out or feels unstable
  • Your knee locks or is difficult to bend or straighten
  • Popping sounds
  • Knee pain that is not controlled by over-the-counter pain medications
  • Limping

Visit work and sports injuries to learn how we diagnose knee injuries.

Treating Knee Injuries

Your doctor may recommend surgery if you have a severe tear or if other treatments — such as physical therapy, immobilization and over-the-counter pain medicines — do not alleviate symptoms.

The orthopedic surgical team at Blessing uses an all-arthroscopic repair method for knee surgery. This minimally invasive procedure is done inside the joint.

During this procedure, your doctor uses images from a small camera called an arthroscope, to guide surgery to repair the torn or damaged areas. Arthroscopic repair requires smaller incisions and minimal drilling through bone. As a result, you experience less pain, less risk of infection and a quicker return to activities.

After surgery, you undergo orthopedic rehabilitation to regain strength and mobility in the repaired knee.