The Rundown on Knee and Shoulder Injuries

Knee injuries are the most common, if unfortunate, side effect of sports accidents and everyday traumas alike. If you come in to see a doctor following a knee injury, the first thing you can expect is to undergo a basic physical exam and x-ray. Depending on your doctor’s findings, additional tests – such as an MRI – may be done. If surgery is required, don’t worry: it’s typically minimally invasive, with physicians able to do the entire procedure through two small incisions. Other procedures discussed include those that are done to correct torn ligaments, of which the three most common are the:

• MCL, or medial collateral ligament, which is a strip of tissue located behind the knee.
• ACL, or anterior cruciate ligament, which is a strip of tissue that connects the shin bone to the thigh bone and is most often injured during physical activity
• PCL, or posterior cruciate ligament, which is a strip of tissue that keeps the lower part of the leg properly aligned when the knee is bent.

From what to expect from a rotator cuff surgery to the commonality of shoulder injuries following a slip-and-fall accident, David Papa and Dr. Bansal cover all of the basics – and then some – that anyone with a knee or shoulder injury would benefit from knowing.