Whether through sports or physical activities like regular exercise, or as the result of the normal wear and tear associated with aging, most people run the risk of suffering a knee injury at some point in their lives. As one of the most used and active joints in the human body, the knee withstands a great deal of strain over the course of a person’s life, and this strain can lead to injury or damage to the surrounding tissue and joint.
Los Angeles Knee Injury
The most common source of knee injury is usually through sports or physical activities. Anyone from a shortstop with the New York Yankees to a weekend Zumba enthusiast can tear a meniscus or ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), and many times these injuries require some form of treatment and physical therapy.
Los Angeles knee injury specialist Dr. Eric Millstein frequently treats patients for a range of injuries, including ACL tears. There are several options to treat a knee injury, all of which will depend on the individual patient’s circumstances as well as the nature of the injury.
Conservative, non-surgical options will work best in some cases, where rest, icing, elevation, and the use of over-the-counter pain medication like Advil or Tylenol will be sufficient to help the patient recuperate and return to normal physical activity. For more severe injuries, a course of several weeks of physical therapy and strength training exercises may be necessary.
When conservative measures are not sufficient, as is often the case with partial ACL tears or full ruptures, orthopedic surgeons may opt for surgery to reconstruct the ligament.
