Whether you woke up in pain today or have been dealing with chronic knee problems, a few simple things can make a world of difference in your ability to deal with injuries.

So, put your feet up and let’s look at some of the most common knee injuries and what you can do to treat them. We’ll hear what the experts have to say about prevention, treatment, and long-term care so you can feel better sooner.

What Are The Three Most Common Knee Injuries?

Knee injuries can result from various activities, including sports and exercise. Some common injuries that require sports injury treatment and knee arthritis treatment include ACL tears, meniscus tears, and patellofemoral pain syndrome. While it can be tough to pinpoint the exact pain and understand what’s causing it, there are a few common types of injuries that’ll help guide you.

Ligament Injuries

Knee ligament injuries are often caused by high-impact sports activities. Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries are caused by a sudden change in direction or getting an intense impact from an unusual angle. This is common in sports where you might take a direct hit to the front or sides of your knees.

Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) and Collateral Ligament (CL) injuries are often a result of car accidents or other high-impact events that cause a direct blow to your knee.

Dislocation and Fractures

Falls are a common cause of fractures, and it’s common to see a ligament injury alongside a fracture. Dislocations can be caused by an abnormality in your bone structure as well as a fall or accident.

Take a look at our treatment page if you suspect dislocation in your shoulders.

Worn Out and Torn Cartilage

Worn-out and torn cartilage are common for runners and other athletes especially those who often do deadlifts and squats. More often than not, the tear occurs in the meniscus.

How Do I Know If My Knee Injury Is Serious?

According to guidelines from the Mayo Clinic, you’ll want to schedule a doctor’s visit if you’re dealing with any of the following issues:

Redness
Highly visible swelling
Warmth
Pain that affects your daily routine and/or your sleep
Fever

When Is It an Emergency?

Certain injuries can’t wait for a scheduled appointment. It’s crucial to look for a chiropractor or orthopaedic treatment if you’re dealing with any of the following issues:

Deformity
Popping sound during your injury
Can’t put any weight
Locked knee (can’t be bent or straightened)
Sharp and severe pain
Sudden swelling

How Long Does a Knee Injury Take to Heal?

Recovering from an injury comes down to both the severity and your dedication to aftercare. If you’re dealing with minor pain, simply spending a day or two off your feet may be all that is necessary. If the pain remains after two days, it’s time to check with a doctor.

If you have a minor soft tissue injury, you might be looking at a couple of months of rehabilitation while severe injuries can take up to a full year to heal.

What Are the Six Symptoms?

According to Singapore Paincare, there are a few key symptoms.

Popping sound
Unable to fully straighten
Redness and warmth
Discomfort that ranges from weakness to stiffness
Pain (note if it hurts even when at rest)
Buckling/ giving way

As with all injuries, it’s crucial to trust your instincts. If you feel like something is wrong, it probably is. If you suspect it might be serious, go directly to emergency care. Your doctor will conduct an X-ray or MRI to determine the underlying issue.

How Can I Exercise with an Injured Knee?

Exercise is one of the best things you can do for an injured knee. It will help reduce stiffness, improve your range of motion, and strengthen the muscles. Building up those muscles and burning fats is fundamental to preventing further injury and it will help you stay fit in general. Light exercise is also helpful if you experience aches from working from home. If you’re overweight, exercise is particularly important because losing weight will take the load off and prevent issues down the line.

The most important rule to exercising is to take it slow and steady. Learn the correct forms and never rush. Whether it’s a personal trainer or an online video, it’s crucial to take the time to fully understand the correct form.

You can refer to this video by Ray of Health if you’re experiencing ligament tear, meniscus tear and patella injuries.

Should You Exercise with a Knee Injury?

While working out is probably the last thing you feel like doing, it’s also the most useful thing you can do. According to research from Harvard Medical School, exercising is the single best thing that you can do for both the short-term and long-term health of your knee.

There are exceptions to the rules though. It’s crucial to avoid workouts if you are experiencing any of the following:

Fever
Pain that is not improving with time
Pain that gets worse with activity
Pain that wakes you up at night

What Is the Best Thing to Do for a Knee Injury?

If you’re in too much pain to exercise, look to RICE. This combination of rest, ice, compression, and elevation is fundamental to healing injuries and managing arthritic pain. You can also look into Ice and heat treatment as an alternative.

What Are Three Exercises to Strengthen Your Knee?

Strength and flexibility create the foundation of healthy knees. To prevent injuries, it’s important to stay active.

Start by focusing on strength. A simple warm-up will go a long way in preventing injuries and muscle cramps. When your muscles are tight, your joint is constricted and more likely to get hurt. Likewise, cooling down after exercise is a smart way to prevent soreness and keep your muscles elastic. Getting into the habit of regular daily stretching is one of the best things you can do for your long-term health.

Once you’re stretched and ready, it’s time to focus on building muscles. The quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves create the support and they’ll be there to prevent injury. Do take care to follow the exercise steps correctly to prevent ankle injuries or rotator cuff tears. Your gluteal muscles, quadriceps, and hamstring are also important in keeping your knees agile and injury-free. Every part of your body is connected to another so full-body fitness is the long-term key. That said, there are three key workouts that you’ll want to make part of your routine. Alternatively, running is also a good option to improve bone density in your knees.

Exercise 1: Standing Knee Flexion

This is a workout that you can do nearly anytime, anywhere so spend the time to properly learn the move and make this part of your daily routine.

Exercise 2: Heel and Calf Raises

There are a few variations of this easy and essential workout. You can start by simply improving your range of motion, as seen here.

As you build up your strength, advance to raising your heels on the stairs like this.

Exercise 3: Wall Squats

Another great way to build strength is with wall squats. They are an easy, no-equipment-needed way to work out.

You can also look into workout sessions such as HIIT, F45, pilates and yoga. Keep this guide handy so that you know how to treat an injury, and share it with your friends to help them create a long-term plan for knee health. While dealing with an injury is not easy, that is all the more reason to make your health and well-being a priority to prevent future injuries.

Having Persistent Knee Pain Issues? Consult an Orthopaedic Doctor in Singapore Today.

If you’re suffering from knee pain, shoulder pain or tennis elbow, it is good to know the difference between a chiropractor, osteopath and physiotherapist, and the difference between physiotherapy and orthopaedic surgery to find the ideal treatment plan for yourself. We also offer ACL tears diagnosis and treatment here at Ray of Health.

Ready to get checked out and start on a path to eliminating pain? To get started, you can book an appointment online with our orthopaedic doctor in Singapore. Prefer to chat? Message us on WhatsApp at +65 8028 4572 or call us at +65 6235 8781 or via email hello@quantumortho.com.sg.