Knee injuries lurk in springtime outdoor activities

By Song Sang-ho

As the weather gets warmer, it is an ideal time for outdoor sporting events, such as soccer, baseball and basketball.

However, those activities require strenuous movements and the risk of joint injuries naturally increases, especially for the knees.

The knees are prone to injuries because they have to bear excessive amounts of pressure during sports. Among potential knee problems, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is one of the most common ones.

We often see athletes sidelined after suffering an ACL injury during matches. This suggests that such injuries can occur to anybody enjoying intense sporting events or outdoor activities.

The cruciate ligaments bisect each other to form a cross in the middle of the knee. The ACL is the one in a horizontal shape, connecting the knee joint to the femur (thighbone) and the tibia (shinbone).

Its main functions are providing stability to the knee by preventing anterior displacement and resisting medial rotation of the tibia from the femur.

Many ACL injuries occur during sports or aerobic workouts that anybody can easily engage in without being properly trained.

The most common one is ACL tears. It occurs when you slam the knees against the floor in intense movements without a proper warm-up. Also, it can happen when you twist or hyperextend your knees during sudden pivoting.

The injury is often accompanied with a popping or cracking noise, acute pain and severe swelling.

However, many people fail to accept them as a sign of severe injury, because oftentimes the initial pain and swelling goes away.

Though they are relieved, additional activities will likely increase the risk of developing osteoarthritis down the road. Thus, suspected symptoms should be followed by diagnosis through an MRI or arthroscope in the early stages.

You should suspect ACL tears if you experience the following symptoms: (1) Sensing a popping noise in the knee at the time of injury, (2) Feeling pain on the outside or the back of the knee, (3) Experiencing sudden instability in the knee while walking, or (4) Suffering limits in knee movements because of swelling or pain.

Depending on the condition, different treatment options are advised.

If the ligament is damaged moderately, the preservative treatments, such as wearing a knee brace or physical therapy, is suggested.

For severely torn ligaments, arthroscopic surgery is recommended.

Arthroscopy is a surgical procedure for inserting an arthroscope, which is a fiber-optic telescope with a camera, into the knee joint.

Through the camera, a surgeon can visualize the surgical site while performing the procedure.

Patients undergoing arthroscopy can benefit from a shorter operation time, minimal incision which reduces surgical pain and operative bleeding, lower infection rate and fast recovery.

Especially, the advantage of a small incision is appealing more to young patients who worry about post-surgery scars.

Rehabilitation therapy should be done before and after operations because it improves the range of motion in the joint and strengthens the muscle.

Most of all, keeping your knees healthy is more important than having surgery or other treatments.

In order to release the tension on the knees, stretching exercises along with cardio exercises and strength training are suggested.

These exercises will keep the knee joint, and the surrounding muscles and ligaments, healthy.

Stretching and warm-ups before sporting activity will help to prevent injuries such as ACL tears.

As the number of people enjoying outdoor activities increases, the number of people suffering from joint injuries also grows.

However, many young people seem to overlook the risk of injuries lurking in workouts without proper warm-ups. They also tend to ignore the importance of proper treatment options.

Being energetic and enjoying sports is only possible when you are healthy. Thus, taking good care of your health should come first.

The writer is president of Wellton Bone & Joint Hospital.