Most Frequently Asked Questions About Knee Injuries

Knee injuries are some of the most common types of injuries out there. They can be frustrating and confusing so we've gathered the five most frequently asked questions to help you stay informed.

1. How do I prevent a knee injury?

Strengthening exercises are the best way to go about preventing knee injuries. These exercises work by developing the muscles around your knee. A strong core, hips, and leg muscles help to equally distribute the weight across your joints and take the pressure off your knees themselves. Exercising also benefits your knee joints by keeping their range of motion active. Don’t forget to warm up beforehand to prepare your body and get the most out of your workout.

If you want additional support, an alternative is to wear a knee brace. The Stoko K1s are a knee brace that look and feel like a pair of tights. High-strength cables that are 15 times stronger than steel on a per weight basis are integrated directly into the fabric, providing ultra comfortable medical-grade bracing to both your knees.

2. How can I strengthen my knees to prevent injuries?

Strengthening your knees doesn’t necessarily mean strengthening your actual joints. When you do exercises, you are training the muscles around your knees. Here are some exercises that can help you strengthen your quadriceps and core muscles. If you’ve had knee injuries in the past, don’t forget to consult your physiotherapist to make sure that these exercises are safe for you.

As mentioned before, don’t forget to prepare your body before jumping into exercising. This can be as easy as a 2-minute stretch to make sure that you’ve warmed up your body. 

3. What are the most common knee injuries?

Since knee joints have an extreme amount of forces and torques going through them, they are more prone to getting injured. The most common knee injuries are fractures, dislocations, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injuries, and meniscus tears.

These injuries can happen in various ways. When doing sports or activities, this can include landing on your knees in an incorrect position, falling in instances like skiing, and excessive or prolonged impact on your knees in activities such as running. External impact from accidents are another possibility.

4. What are the ways to cure a common sports knee injury?

RICE or rest, ice, compression, elevate, is an age-old method you can use to help your knee heal, promote flexibility, and reduce pain and swelling.

Make sure to rest and try to stay away from activities that put additional stress on your knees. Ice your knee, with a pack of ice or frozen vegetables, wrapping it in cloth or paper towel to prevent it from touching your skin directly. Compress the area to limit swelling, reduce blood flow, and support your knee, you can use an elastic bandage for this. Elevate by keeping your leg above your heart to minimize swelling. One way would be by resting on a sofa and setting your leg on the arm rest or a cushion.

Talk to your doctor if you have any concerns or if the pain is unbearable.

5. How do I know if my knee pain is serious?

Knee pain from an injury often also results in other effects including swelling, redness and warmth in the area, and instabilities or difficulty fully straightening your knee.

Consult your doctor if you have any doubts or concerns about the pain, it’s better to be safe than sorry. A few potential signs that knee pain is serious can include difficulties walking or bearing weight on your knee, developing a fever, any deformities or abnormalities in your knee, and pain that lasts several weeks.

So there you have it - answers to the top five most asked questions on knee injuries. We hope that this helps shed some light and gives you more insight into knee injuries. We know that injuring yourself can be a demoralizing and unpleasant experience so don’t forget to protect your knees and stay safe!