Orthopedic Knee Surgery in Kansas City, MO

The thigh has three sets of strong muscles and any of them can tear when stretched beyond their limit. Hamstring pulls or tears are most common around athletes. When you pull a hamstring, you experience pain immediately. You will also notice swelling, bruising and weakness in the muscle. One of our experts will typically use x-ray or MRIs to determine the extent of the damage, but non-surgical treatment is usually recommended.

Legs are also prone to fractures and there are many different kinds

A distal femur fracture occurs in the thighbone just above the knee joint. This type of fracture is typically caused by high-impact injuries such as vehicle accidents, or can occur in very old people due to weak bones.

The femur, the strongest and largest bone in your body, can also break. These breaks require quite a bit of force and typical causes are vehicle accidents or falls from a significant height.

A fracture of the upper tibia (shin bone) is called a proximal tibia fracture and could cause injury to both the bone and the soft tissues surrounding the knee. Of all the long bones in the body, the tibia is fractured the most. With children, growth plate fractures can occur in the tibia. These are places near the ends of the long bones that regulate and determine the length and shape of the bone when it is mature.

The knee is the largest joint in the body and is one of the easiest to injure. Most knee injuries involve pulled ligaments. The injuries you’ve probably heard most about involve the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), the MCL (medial collateral ligament) and occasionally, the PCL (posterior cruciate ligament). The ACL tears when an athlete changes direction quickly, slows down when running, or lands from a jump. MCL injuries occur when the knee sustains a direct blow to the outside. PCL injuries are caused by a blow to the front of the knee, or sometimes a simple misstep.

Torn cartilage usually means that the meniscus is damaged. This happens with rapid twisting, pivoting, deceleration, or direct impact.

If you are experiencing joint pain, hear a popping noise, have decreased mobility in your knee, or notice swelling around your knee, see our team of experts at Orthopedic Health of Kansas City immediately.