Team sports

Team sports, whether contact or non-contact, including football, rugby, netball, and basketball, usually involve rapid twisting movements of the knee. Knee injuries with these sports are unfortunately extremely common.

With large numbers of people taking part at all levels of ability – from elite professionals through to the occasional ‘weekend warrior’ – these sports are the cause of the greatest number of knee injuries.

Team sports

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Sports injury

Common sports injuries range from simple sprains to complex ligament and cartilage tears and even fractures or broken bones. Early assessment and accurate diagnosis allows you to get the right treatment, a quicker recovery and ultimately a better outcome.

Early diagnosis and treatment of conditions like ligament tears helps prevent further damage in the knee and lessens the chance of developing painful arthritis in the future.

Getting the right treatment from an expert such as My Knee Doc can help speed up your return to the “field of play”, getting you back to the activities you enjoy.

All possible knee injuries can happen with these high-energy twisting sports. The most common of these sports injuries include:

Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) Sprain Or Tear

Simple sprains and minor tears can be managed non-surgically with the help of a physiotherapist. More major tears, however, should be treated with a knee brace (splint), which needs to be provided as soon as possible ideally within a week of injury.

Most MCL injuries heal with bracing, and patients make an excellent recovery. Delays in diagnosis, however, can lead to an unstable knee, which sometimes will need knee ligament surgery, with less predictable results.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Tear

A tear or rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a serious ligament injury. It can cause your knee to become unstable, especially when twisting or changing direction (cutting). In the long term, it increases the risk of your knee wearing out early (osteoarthritis).

These injuries can be managed with physiotherapy alone or, by a combination of physiotherapy and ACL reconstruction surgery. Early advice from an expert such as My Knee Doc is important to make the best possible recovery and to avoid further injury.
Meniscal (Cartilage) Tears

The knee meniscus is often torn during twisting sports. The knee meniscus can tear when your foot gets caught on the ground whilst the body carries on twisting. The medial (inner) meniscus is more commonly torn. This can cause pain and sometimes locking and instability of your knee.

Small tears can heal and the symptoms can settle down with time. If discomfort continues to limit your activities for over 4 to 6 weeks, then treatment including knee arthroscopy (simple keyhole surgery) may help speed up your recovery.

‘Locked’ knees, which cannot be fully straightened, require urgent assessment. Often, early surgery is advised to save the meniscus and to improve your range of movement.