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- Over 20 years experience
Knee and Lower Leg
General Overview
The knee is one of the largest and most complicated joints in the body.
It plays a vital role in holding up your bodyweight and undergoes significant stresses with walking, running, jumping, and twisting. Consequently knee conditions are very common, both from every day use, sports injuries and wear and tear.
The knee joint comprises the femur (thigh bone), and the tibia (shin bone), and is known as the tibiofemoral Joint. The patella (knee cap), lies in a groove at the lower end of the femur (thigh bone), forming a second joint known as the patellofemoral Joint.
The stability of the knee joint is provided by 4 main ligaments. These are the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments which cross over in the centre of the joint and two ligaments which stabilise either side of the joint (the medial and lateral collateral ligaments).
Two C shaped wedges of cartilage called the medial and lateral menisci lie between the femur and tibia. Their main function is to act as shock absorbers between the femur and the tibia.There are also a number of bursae, (fluid-filled sacs), around the knee which help it move smoothly.
There are a number of key muscle groups around the knee. These are the quadriceps muscles at the front of the thigh, the hamstrings at the back of the thigh and the gastrocnemius & soleus muscles of the calf. Working together these muscles provide strength and balance to the joint.
Knee and Lower Leg Conditions that we treat
- Ligament sprains/injury
- Meniscal (cartilage) tears
- Osteoarthritis (wear and tear)
- Patella tendonitis
- Muscle strains
- Bursitis (Housemaid’s Knee/Bakers Cyst)
- Anterior knee pain /Chondromalacia Patella
- Patello-femoral pain syndrome
- Fat pad impingement
- Osgood Schlatters disease
- Iliotibial band (ITB) syndrome
- Sinding-Larssen Johansson syndrome
- Anterior Compartment syndrome
- Shin splints (periostitis/tibial stress syndrome)
- Tibialis posterior insufficiency syndrome
- Gastrocnemious/soleous (calf) strain
- Tibialis posterior insufficiency syndrome
- Fractures (broken bones)
- Post surgery