Patient Education
FAQs
The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) is one of two ligaments that criss-cross inside the knee joint to hold the two leg bones (femur and tibia) together. The second (more commonly injured) ligament i ...more
It is estimated that one-quarter of a million ACL injuries occur each year in the United States. As you know, players can be sidelined for months (sometimes longer). This is a concern to many people a ...more
Is it possible to rehab a PCL injury and still remain active? I like to golf, play tennis, and even pickup a game of basketball now and then. The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) is one of two ligam ...more
Can you please explain to me the main reasons why people who have ACL reconstruction surgery end up rupturing the new ligament and having to start all over again? Up to 10 per cent of all patients wh ...more
What kind of rehab program should I expect to follow after reconstruction surgery for a chronically dislocating kneecap? I'm prepared for just about anything but thought I'd ask around a bit to see wh ...more
We allowed my aging father to have a knee replacement. He's diabetic and overweight so we weren't sure this was such a good idea. Then he got an infection in the joint and the new knee implant had to ...more
I've been told that I might get some benefit from "shock therapy" to my knee for a bad case of "Jumper's Knee." Is this really a safe method of treatment? Running and jumping over and over often lead ...more
Do you think exercising in a pool for my knee arthritis is really worth all the mess and fuss of getting wet, having to shower, and redo my hair and makeup? It seems easier to just walk on the treadmi ...more
The health club I go to has several different pools to choose from. I like going in the water because it makes my arthritic knees feel better. They have a pool with a treadmill in it that I could use ...more
My doctor told me after my total knee replacement, I won't need any special therapy or rehab. My sister who lives in a different state told me she had a special exercise program they called "functiona ...more
I'm young and healthy but I have a bad knee. Dinged it up playing handball. Got a big hole in the cartilage that goes down to the bone. Too young for a knee replacement. Looking into these new treatme ...more
I was just informed that my retorn meniscus is not all that uncommon. Yet I thought having the surgery to repair it would protect my knee and prevent early arthritis. It never crossed my mind that it ...more
I am the head athletic trainer at a large university. We've started keeping some statistics that show our women are more likely to tear their ACLs and a large percentage of both men and women don't c ...more
I have a feeling that our 17-year-old son is going to miss out on his senior year of high school football because he's afraid he'll reinjure the torn ACL he spent all summer rehabbing. We can't tell i ...more
To brace or not to brace: that is the ACL question. I'm going to have surgery tomorrow(!) to reconstruct my ACL. I've been told by one person that I'll be wearing a brace after surgery to protect the ...more
I heard a report that injuring the ACL of the nondominant leg puts athletes at increased risk of future injuries. Is that true? and what's the explanation for it? There haven't been a lot of studies c ...more
I had ACL surgery two weeks ago. The physiotherapist was there right after the operation getting me up and going. The next day, she set me up on a home program and I go see her 3 times a week. It seem ...more
I am really depressed over the poor results of my knee surgery. I have a condition called osteochondritis dissecans (OCD). Before throwing in the towel, I thought I would check with you and see what y ...more
I'm 21 years old. I've been active all my life. Lately I've been noticing that my left knee cap slides off to the side and then pops back. I never know when it's going to happen. I did fall while hik ...more
It seems like knee medial meniscal tears has become an epidemic in my family. Most of my relatives are pretty overweight so it doesn't really surprise me that this happened. But just to be on the saf ...more
I started practicing yoga about six months ago to help with a shoulder problem. The shoulder got better but I noticed my knee started acting up. Could the yoga positions caused this. Any idea? Activit ...more
I've been newly diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis. I've been on-line all day looking for some sound advice. There's so much out there, I don't know where to start. What do you advise? The American Ac ...more
I need a little advice. I'm 42-years-old and I tore my ACL skiing. I'm pretty much ready to hang it up anyway, so I'm wondering if I really need to do all the exercises the therapist has given me. I j ...more
I've been going to a rehab facility for training after having an ACL repair on my left knee six weeks ago. I'm very eager to get back into full sports participation (I'm on the volley ball team and cr ...more
I'm wondering something about a unilateral knee replacement. It's been almost a year since I had this procedure done on my right leg, and I still can't go up and down stairs easily. Will this graduall ...more
What's the latest on taking glucosamine for knee arthritis? One health magazine says, Take it, an article in today's newspaper says, Don't bother. Which is it? Despite all the media hype around taking ...more
I am a 13 year old girl with knee pain that only goes away when I sit and do nothing. The doctor says I have osteochondritis dissecans. I looked this up on-line and found out it's from an injury or re ...more
I'm not a super athlete but I do like to compete in several areas such as soccer, cross country, and tennis. I notice whenever it's soccer season, I seem to have the most problem with my patellar tend ...more
What kind of treatment is prescribed for osteochondritis of the knee if surgery isn't done? Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a problem that affects the knee, mostly at the end of the big bone of the ...more
I tore my left ACL completely in a weird accident while out golfing with my kids. Since I'm not really all that active (and I am admittedly overweight), the surgeon recommended physical therapy instea ...more
My knees seem to be kinda wobbly. I never know when they are going to go out from underneath me. Are there some exercises I can do to get them back in shape? Quite frankly, I'm worried about taking a ...more
Mother seems to be awfully stiff in the mornings. Once we get her up and moving, she seems to do much better. She does have some knee pain, but it's the stiffness that really holds her back. What can ...more