Knees are brilliantly designed and amazingly functional. Why are the knees so vulnerable to injury?
There’s a fantastic article on Runner’s World about the design of the knee and its inherent vulnerabilities. It discusses the pounding our knees take every day, especially in runners or other athletes.
Here’s a small portion of the article:
I became obsessed with what the human knee can and cannot do when one of mine shut down after a couple of days of modest runs over a nearby hill. The technical name for my injury was patellofemoral pain syndrome, otherwise known as anterior knee pain–which is to say, my knee hurt, right under the inside corner of my right kneecap–but these quaint titles fail to do this condition justice. “Kneecap pain” sounds tolerable. This seemed like I had hammered a steak knife deep beneath my kneecap, then given it a good rogering during every step up the stairs. (The Mob knew what they were doing when they invented the debt collection tool known as kneecapping.)
Never before had so little running led to so much of a yowie. So as a responsible journalist, I set out to prove that all knees are worthless. How else could a joint that works just fine one day make you feel like a grizzled NFL veteran the next? What’s wrong with these things anyway? Initiate knee-knowledge immersion: I had my right knee X-rayed, examined, and rehabbed. I spoke with an evolutionary biologist about the role of the knee on the Serengeti plain. I had my single-leg squat evaluated for valgus tendencies (I’m a little knock-kneed, it turns out). I had a world-class orthopedic surgeon (my father-in-law, conveniently) draw diagrams on napkins and bury me in research papers. I donned scrubs and watched a Mayo Clinic surgeon complete one ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) reconstruction and two total knee replacements. I failed miserably to follow the granny-like rehab advice given me by my physical therapist.
The article goes on to explore some fascinating recent research.
If you are having chronic knee pain, don’t put yourself through surgery if it can be avoided! Our knee doctors have helped many people who were told that surgery was the only answer.
You have an option to live free from chronic knee pain! Fill out the form at the right or call us today to schedule your free knee evaluation: (503) 719-6783
Portland, Oregon