Ouch! My Knee Hurts!
Understanding Sports Knee Injuries
For avid football fans, we have witnessed a number of famous players go down with serious knee injuries while playing the game over the years. One of the more prominent injuries was suffered by Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk during a English Premier League match against Everton in 2020. Van Dijk fell to the ground clutching his knee in anguish following a tackle by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. Before the official announcement of the diagnosis, there were already countless curious netizens who speculated on his exact knee injury. Their guesses ranged from soft tissue injury to bone fracture. Van Dijk was subsequently diagnosed with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and he underwent surgery before returning to elite sports.
Knee injuries count among the most common of sports injuries. It is a common sight to see athletes go down, grasping their knees in pain, especially during contact sports. Knee injuries can involve trauma to different parts of the knee, including bones, muscles, tendons (tissues that attach muscles to bones which allow the muscles to function), ligaments (tissues that hold a joint to provide stability), menisci (a shock absorber) and cartilages (tissues that line the knee joint to allow gliding) (see Figure 1). Soft tissue injuries (ligament, meniscus, cartilage, tendon, muscle) are more common compared to bone injuries.
Sports knee injuries can be acute or chronic in nature. Acute sports knee injuries can involve direct trauma from a forceful impact, such as a fall, twisting or pivoting injury. Chronic injuries usually arise from overuse, including repetitive strain of the joint, muscles or tendons. Common sports knee injuries include tears of the ACL, meniscus and cartilage injuries. ACL and meniscus injuries are common in contact sports that involve a rapid change of direction, such as rugby, basketball, football, netball, softball and martial arts (including judo, jiu-jitsu, taekwondo, kickboxing, karate and mixed martial arts). During these activities, the knee twists (see Figure 2) and over-extends beyond its limits (hyperextension).
Sports such as gymnastics, basketball, netball, pole vaulting and tennis, which involve a lot of jumping, can result in Jumper’s knee or Patellar tendinitis; while sports that may result in overloading on the knee joint, such as biking, skiing, weightlifting, marathon and hiking, can cause Runner’s knee or patellofemoral pain syndrome. On the other hand, repetitive high impact loading activities, such as running, can result in degenerative meniscus and cartilage injuries as well.
