Knee braces are medical devices worn around the knee joint to provide stability, support, and/or protection. These braces are often used by people with new knee injuries, after knee surgery, or who suffer from chronic conditions, such as arthritis. Knee braces can be condition-specific or used for general knee pain. What do knee braces treat? Knee braces treat a wide variety of conditions. There are specific braces for patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), patellar dislocation or subluxation, ligament (ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL) sprains or tears, and arthritic conditions. General knee braces can be us ..read more

Patellar tracking disorder refers to patella (kneecap) moving out of place when you bend or extend your knee. Many physical therapists and other clinicians believe that this “imbalance” is the cause of most types of knee pain, such as patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS).  But do you really need to fix your knee tracking? Is patellar tracking disorder actually a primary cause of knee pain? Should you even worry about it? What is patellar tracking?  When you extend your knee, your thigh muscles (quadriceps) pull the patella toward the femur at the trochlea, which is a groove in the fro ..read more

Patellofemoral pain syndrome, or PFPS, describes pain in the front of the knee after sitting with your knees bent for a while, especially when you sit in a tight space on a long flight or in a movie theater. Sometimes PFPS is called “runners’ knee”, which is a vague term to describe PFPS in runners. Women are twice as likely to get PFPS than men, according to a U.S. military study of more than 1,500 people as well as a review about female athletes and PFPS.  Causes Overuse or overload are two common risk factors that cause PFPS. These factors can be increased by too much running, too much ..read more

An MCL injury is a sprain or tear of the medial collateral ligament, which is located on the inner side of the knee. It’s made up of a strong band of connective tissues that connects your femur to your tibia. The MCL works with the other knee ligaments—anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), and lateral collateral ligament (LCL) to stabilize your knee and prevent it from caving inward excessively, like knee valgus. Causes MCL injuries are mainly caused by a direct hit from the lateral side of the knee while the foot is planted on the ground. This causes the knee to ..read more

An LCL injury refers to a tear or sprain to the lateral collateral ligament, which is on the outer side of the knee. The ligament connects the femur to the fibula and works with the medial collateral ligament (MCL) to limit side-to-side motion of the knee and brace it against unusual movement. They keep the knee in a rigid position while standing, and assist the joint when the leg is in motion. In a study of 6.6 million U.S. emergency room visits for knee injuries from 1999 to 2008, about 42% were diagnosed as ligament injuries, mainly from young to middle-age patients who participated in spor ..read more

A lateral meniscus tear is a rip in the cartilage on the outer side of the knee joint, which may cause pain, swelling, and limited knee movement. The incidence of meniscus tears has been reported to be 12% to 14%. This number may be as high as 50% as we age.  Meniscus tears are the second most common injury to the knee. Surgery is often used to treat such tears, but recent recommendations suggest surgery should be delayed in the absence of mechanical symptoms.  Recovery from a partial lateral meniscus tear can be between 16 to 24 weeks, according to a 2022 study. But the researchers ..read more

Pes anserine bursitis is an inflammatory condition affecting the bursa located between the tibia and the three tendons of the hamstring muscle at the inside of the knee. Pes anserine is Latin for “goose’s foot” because of its shape. It can result from direct trauma, overuse, or as part of the secondary symptoms of another disease. How common is it? It’s difficult to determine the frequency of pes anserine bursitis due to the considerable overlap with other knee conditions. A study that drew on data from more than 4,200 adults found that the most common people with osteoarthritis were present i ..read more

Your knee consists of a medial and a lateral menisci, one on the inner side (medial) and one on the outer side (lateral), situated between the respective ends of the femur and the tibia. A medial meniscus is a C-shaped cartilage that acts as a cushion and provides stability by distributing weight and reducing friction during movement. It helps absorb shock and prevents the bones in the knee from rubbing against each other. In the developing fetus, the meniscus has a complete blood supply, but by adulthood, that goes down to 10% to 25% for the medial meniscus and 10% to 30% for the lateral meni ..read more

A hamstring strain or a pulled hamstring is an injury where one or more of the three hamstring muscles (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus) get overstretched or torn. It often occurs at the long head of the biceps femoris during the end phase of the leg swing during a sprint. It usually happens toward the hip joint rather than toward the knee, but the painful symptoms may be felt at the back of the knee.  Hamstring strains can put athletes out of commission for many weeks or months, depending on the severity of the injury and recovery time. Field sports, like American foo ..read more

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is where a blood clot forms in a vein that is deep in your body, and sometimes, its symptoms can be felt in behind your knee when the clot is formed or forming in the popliteal vein. This can be fatal if the clot breaks off and travels to the heart or lungs, which can cause pulmonary embolism.  This is what had happened to NBC war journalist David Bloom, 39, who died from DVT in April 2003 when he was covering the Iraq War in Iraq. His wife, Melanie, raised national awareness to DVT since then, including features on Larry King Live and Oprah. (Personally, my own ..read more