Where is lateral side of knee

This can stretch the ligaments on the outside of the near too far and may cause them to tear. This type of injury occurs in sports that require a lot of quick stops and turns such as soccer, basketball and skiing, or ones where there are violent collisions, such as football and hockey.

The ligament can also be injured by repeated stress that causes it to lose its normal elasticity. Most knee injuries are to the ligaments that support the knee, not the knee joint itself. Your doctor will generally ask you how the injury occurred, how your knee has been feeling since the injury and whether you have had other knee injuries. You may be asked about your physical and athletic goals to help your doctor decide on the best treatment for you.

If there is too much pain and swelling to accurately judge how serious the injury is, your doctor may recommend that you wear a light splint, apply ice and raise your knee. Once the swelling and pain have gone down somewhat, he or she can then make the diagnosis. Your doctor may order a magnetic resonance imaging MRI scan. An MRI has an accuracy rate of nearly 90 percent in determining whether and how badly a lateral collateral ligament has been torn.

Lateral collateral ligament tears do not heal as well as medial collateral ligament tears do. Grade 3 lateral collateral ligament tears may require surgery. In some cases, all that is required is rest, wearing a brace, taking pain relievers such as ibuprofen and having physical therapy. Your doctor may recommend that you wear a lightweight cast or brace that allows your knee to move backward and forward but restricts side-to-side movement.

This is usually worn for 72 hours. Depending on how well it reduces your pain and swelling, you may be able to start a rehabilitative program in a few days. When the pain and swelling have gone down, you should be able to start exercises to restore strength and range of motion to your knee.

If you still have soreness while doing these exercises, go slowly to prevent further irritation. It may take up to eight weeks to fully recover, depending on the grade of your injury.

If the lateral collateral ligament was torn where it attaches to the thighbone femur or shinbone tibia , the surgeon will reattach the ligament to the bone using large stitches or a metal bone staple. If the tear happened in the middle of the ligament, the surgeon will typically sew the torn ends together. If the damage was so severe it cannot be repaired, your surgeon may reconstruct a tendon by using a graft taken from a tendon of your thigh muscles quadriceps or your hamstrings.

Lateral knee reconstruction is an open-knee procedure, meaning it is not done arthroscopically. The tendon graft is passed through bone tunnels and fixed to the thighbone and lower leg bone using screws or posts or with stitches tied around a post.

Skip to content. The return to running should be gradual, starting at an easy pace on a level surface. If the patient is able to tolerate this type of running without pain, mileage can be increased slowly. For the first week, patients should run only every other day, starting with easy sprints on a level surface. Most patients improve within three to six weeks if they are compliant with their stretching and activity limitations.

For patients who do not respond to conservative treatment, surgery should be considered. The most common approach is to release the posterior 2 cm of the iliotibial band where it passes over the lateral epicondyle of the femur. In a retrospective study 10 of 45 patients who underwent surgical release of their iliotibial band, 84 percent of the patients reported that their surgery results were good to excellent.

Already a member or subscriber? Log in. Interested in AAFP membership? Learn more. He completed a fellowship in sports medicine at the Hughston Clinic. Address correspondence to Sharon H. Flynn, M. Reprints are not available from the authors. The authors indicate that they do not have any conflicts of interest. Sources of funding: none reported. Figures 2 through 5 used with permission from Sharon H. Overuse injuries of the extensor mechanism in athletes. Clin Sports Med. Magnetic resonance imaging of iliotibial band syndrome.

Am J Sports Med. A retrospective case-control analysis of running injuries. Br J Sports Med. Etiology of iliotibial band friction syndrome in distance runners. Med Sci Sports Exerc. Etiologic factors associated with selected running injuries. Hip abductor weakness in distance runners with iliotibial band syndrome.

Clin J Sport Med. Biomechanics of iliotibial band friction syndrome in runners. Quick solutions for iliotibial band syndrome. Phys Sportsmed. Quantitative analysis of the relative effectiveness of 3 iliotibial band stretches. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. Surgical treatment of iliotibial band friction syndrome. A retrospective study of 45 patients.

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Similar to your lateral meniscus, your medial meniscus can also be torn from similar causes, resulting in much of the same symptoms, except that your pain will be on the inside of your knee as opposed to the outside.

Pes anserine bursitis is an inflammation of your bursa, a small, fluid-filled sack that helps reduce friction, located on the lower inside of your knee at the bottom of your MCL where it attaches to your shinbone tibia.

It occurs when your bursa becomes irritated and produces too much fluid due to overuse, which causes it to swell and put pressure on your anterior medial knee. Medial plica are very thin folds of your joint lining, or synovial tissue, which cover the medial part of your knee. When this area becomes inflamed due to repetitive flexing and extending of your knee, plica tissues thicken, making them more apt to get caught on your thigh bone femur or pinched between your thighbone and kneecap.

Pain located at the front anterior part of your knee, can be caused by a number of things, such as a dislocated or maltracking patella, tight muscles, overdoing your workout, or muscle imbalances, to name a few.

Most commonly, anterior pain stems from troubles with your kneecap patella and patella tendon. Patellofemoral pain syndrome PFPS , commonly referred to as runner's knee , chondromalacia patellae , or inferior knee pain is a generic term used to describe pain located in the front of your kneecap patella. It is a very common running and overuse knee injury, which occurs when your kneecap comes in contact and rubs against your femur thigh bone. Certain exercises and orthopedic knee braces can help stabilize your kneecap, alleviate patellofemoral pain, and protect against movements that might cause more damage.

Jumper's knee , more scientifically known as patellar tendonitis , is another relatively common source of pain located on the front side of your knee, just below your kneecap. This condition takes its name from the activity that is often associated with the injury. More specifically, patellar tendonitis results from the patellar tendon being overused and overstressed, causing painful inflammation, crepitus, and stiffness if the condition is left untreated.

Learn about additional patellar tendonitis treatment options. Posterior knee pain refers to pain located behind your kneecap popliteal. Knee pain more commonly presents itself in the anterior, medial, and lateral aspect of your knee and less often in the posterior aspect of your knee.

Biceps femoris tendonitis hamstring tendonitis is probably the most common overuse injury at the back of your knee. The tender area associated with biceps femoris tendonitis is located towards the outer backside of your knee. A Baker's cyst or popliteal cyst is a prominent swollen bulge on the back of your knee.

It is usually caused by a problem with your knee joint, such as arthritis or a cartilage tear. If you have a sore knee and need help finding the right brace for you, do not hesitate to contact one of our customer service representatives at Our customer support team is available Monday - Friday from a.