You may not think about it often, but your knee joints are important to your everyday life. They are key to walking, and as such, have a fairly complex anatomy. Keep reading to understand this important weight-bearing joint and how you can preserve your knee anatomy and function over time.
Knee Anatomy and Function
The human knee is a hinge-like joint where the upper and lower leg bones meet. Constructed from sturdy cartilage, ligaments, soft tissue, muscles and nerves, your two knees bear your full body weight. They help you stand, walk, run, turn, and perform countless other movements. Like other joints in your body, the flexor and extensor muscles in the knees allow them to bend and straighten.
The joint components themselves include:
- The femoral, sciatic and tibial nerves
- Cartilage which allows knee components to glide smoothly
- The ends of the femur (long bone or thigh bone) and the tibia and fibula (short bones)
- Synovial joint fluid and bursae (fluid-filled sacs) which also assist with smooth movement and deliver cushioning from impact
- Two C-shaped menisci made of tough cartilage
- The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). They form a cross in the knee joint and mediate how the joint operates front to back
- The medial and lateral collateral ligaments which connect the femur to the tibia and the femur to the fibula (they appear on the inside and outside the knee joint)
The ACL is famous these days as a common sports injury among football players and other high impact athletes.
What Your Knees Can Do
The knee joint creates a point where your leg can bend and straighten. This allows you to do countless tasks, such as walking upstairs, standing still at a workstation, or lifting and carrying a load.
How You Can Preserve Your Best Knee Functionality
Because knees are subject to daily wear and tear, overuse, traumatic injury and the stresses of sports and work, long-term knee functionality can be challenging.
In fact, as you age, it is likely one or both of your knees will not feel the way they did when you were young. You may develop joint pain in one or both knees.
More than 32 million adults in the United States have osteoarthritis, also known as OA, or wear and tear arthritis. The chances of developing OA, especially in the hips and knees, only increases with advancing age.
You can lessen the severity of OA or other chronic, long-term conditions of the knee joints by:
- Aiming for your ideal body weight
- Drinking plenty of water daily
- Stopping all cigarette smoking
- Consuming a low-fat, high-fiber diet (such as the Mediterranean Diet which also is good for your heart)
- Staying as active as possible
- Warming up and stretching before a workout, run or game
- Wear supportive footwear for all activities at home, at work or on the playing field
Routine exercise benefits all your joints, not just your knees. Your knee doctor will recommend you bike, walk or swim for 150 minutes per week, consistently every week. By staying active, you will experience less pain, an improved range of motion and less stiffness.
Your Knee Doctor in Lauderdale Lakes and Pembroke Pines, Florida
If you have questions about your knee anatomy and function, and their long-term functionality and health, pursue an individualized consultation with one of our board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic physicians At Total Orthopaedic Care, we do offer state of the art knee procedures, but more often, our comprehensive bone and joint care delivers results without surgery.
We have two orthopedic offices for your convenience: one in Pembroke Pines and the other in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida. Call our office team for your appointment: (954) 735-3535, or request your consultation here. We look forward to providing you with an individualized treatment plan!
