Knee injuries are very common among people who play competitive sports. So what is the recovery time if you have sustained such an injury? Here's more.

The knee is one of the most crucial joints in the human body. It absorbs a lot of pressure since it supports pretty much the whole body above the knees. This means that if you have sustained a knee injury, serious or not, it is going to be a rather painful and frustrating affair.

Knee Injuries and Related Recoveries

Ligament Sprains and Tears
A ligament is a connective tissue which holds the knee joint together. Sometimes, if you fall while running, or your foot lands uncomfortably, you might have ended up spraining, or worse, tearing the ligament. While recovering from this injury, it is essential that you do not put pressure on the knee while it is healing. Hence to that end, doctors recommend that you use a knee immobilizer, which helps you keep your knee straight and prevents another bad landing. Another treatment for this type of injury is known as RICE (rest, ice, compression, and elevation).

The less fortunate suffer damage to the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), which takes a long time to heal, and requires reconstructive surgery and physiotherapy sessions for a while after the knee joint heals.

Tendon Tears
Another very common cause of knee injuries is a tendon tear. A tendon is what binds the muscles to the joints. And just like the ligament, the tendon too may suffer a strain or a tear due to a blow or a bad landing on the knee. The common recovery method is again the RICE method. Crutches may also be used for a short period of time to minimize the pressure on the knee while walking. Sometimes, with a tendon tear, there may also be a rupture in the quadriceps tendon, or the tendon around the patella. In this case, surgery will be required.

Cartilage Tears
The knee is a rather complex structure, isn't it? There seems to be a lot of scope for tears! The knee joint is surrounded by a cartilage known as menisci, which props the knee up. This cartilage can be torn due to severe twisting and, once again, a bad landing. In case of a meniscus tear, there is intermittent swelling around the knee and pain. You need to get an MRI scan and go to a physician, who will check the extent of the injury and prescribe treatment. At the end of the treatment, he will also recommend some good exercises for knee injury rehabilitation.

Bursitis
Bursitis or the inflammation of the bursa is a medical condition where the bursa gets filled with fluid and there is an inflammation in the knee, causing knee pain. The bursa is filled with a fluid, which acts as a lubricant and keeps the joints in the body moving. But due to an infection to the bursa, there may be an inflammation while moving the joints. The healing, in this case, is done by using knee-padding and anti-inflammatory medicines.

Patello-Femoral Syndrome
This is one of the most common disorders of the patella, characterized by leg pain behind knee. There is inflammation in the knee cap and an irritation in the knee whenever there is an activity which involves movement of the patella. Basic treatment includes applying ice, taking anti-inflammatory medicines, performing knee exercises, and exercises of the quadriceps muscle. In some cases, due to a larger extent of this injury, you may require arthroscopic surgery to extricate the painful cartilage and realign the knee and quadriceps again.

Knee injuries are a painful and a frustrating process, as your mobility is limited over the period of recovery. Hence, it is better if you take better care of yourself and do not be reckless with the injury, otherwise the recovery time will only be prolonged.