Sports-Related Knee Injuries
Knee injuries, including ACL injuries and meniscus tears, are some of the most common injuries in sports medicine. In fact, sports medicine orthopedic surgeons perform more knee surgeries than surgeries for any other body part.
More Resources to Get Better
7 signs your knee injury could be serious
Here are seven signs you have a knee injury that is serious and could require surgery.
6 common overuse injuries of the knee suffered by active people
Here are some of the most common overuse knee injuries.
Should I go to the doctor after a knee injury?
Are there signs that suggest your knee injury might be more serious and justify seeing a doctor or orthopedic surgeon? Find out.
The Serious Injury Checklist
How can you know if your injury should get better in a few days or if it's more serious? This checklist can help you plan your next step to recover quickly and safely.
The Sports and Exercise Injury Primer
Understand your injury or the injury your family member is suffering so you can confidently return to sports, exercise, and work and stay healthy and active!
Ask Dr. Geier: Traumatic Knee Injuries
This is a comprehensive Q&A collection on MCL and PCL injuries, patellar dislocations, patellar and quad tendon ruptures, knee dislocations and more.
Books
That’s Gotta Hurt
The Injuries That Changed Sports Forever
Through the stories of a dozen athletes whose injuries and recovery advanced the field (including Joan Benoit, Michael Jordan, Brandi Chastain, and Tommy John), Dr. Geier explains how sports medicine makes sports safer for the pros, amateurs, student-athletes, and weekend warriors alike.
Get the BookFrequently Asked Questions on Knee Injuries
- Could I have a serious sports knee injury?
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-Could I have a serious sports knee injury?
Whether you suffer a traumatic injury in sports or exercise or your pain developed over a period of time, there are several signs and symptoms that could suggest your knee pain could represent a serious injury. These include your knee remaining swollen, difficulty bearing weight on the leg, inability to bend or straighten the knee, and pain in a very specific location in the knee. Also you might have heard a pop in your knee when you injured it, your knee buckled or gave way or your knee is locked. - What are the common sports knee injuries?
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-What are the common sports knee injuries?
Some of the common traumatic injuries of the knee include ACL tears, MCL tears, PCL tears, meniscus tears, patellar or quadriceps tendon ruptures, patella dislocations and patella fractures. The common overuse knee injuries include patellofemoral pain syndrome, iliotibial (IT) band syndrome, osteoarthritis, articular cartilage damage, osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) and patellar tendinitis. - Should I go to a doctor or ER for my sports knee injury?
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-Should I go to a doctor or ER for my sports knee injury?
Most orthopedic injuries, especially those that occur in sports and exercise, that require urgent treatment in an emergency room result from a traumatic event. These are some of the signs and symptoms that suggest you might go to an emergency department for your injury: the bone is crooked or out of place, the injured area is very swollen, or the bone is poking through the skin. You might also have trouble bearing weight, have bleeding that won’t stop, have signs of a nerve injury, or your pain is unbearable. - Do I need x-rays or an MRI for my knee injury?
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-Do I need x-rays or an MRI for my knee injury?
X-rays only show bones, while MRIs show soft-tissue structures like muscles, tendons, ligaments and cartilage. Many people – and some doctors – believe that a knee injury is automatically a ligament, tendon or meniscus tear, which wouldn’t show up on an x-ray. X-rays can be important, though, to demonstrate arthritis, fractures and other causes of knee pain.