.What else could it be?Any condition affecting the area around the inside of the knee should be excluded; meniscal cartilage tears and cruciate ligament injuries may be obvious; damage to a hamstring muscle insertion or a bursa may spring less readily to mind

UAN: 201 Article type:--The majority of people possess both anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments, which form an X-shaped structure through the middle of the joint, their function being to prevent fore and aft movement of the tibia on the femur

on how you approach rehabilitation.In general, an area that is richly supplied by blood vessels will bleed more freely, but will heal most completely and rapidly.Ligaments and TendonsLigaments are formed of fibrous collagen and serve to loosely join bones

and swelling confirm your injury, but the severity will vary. Tenderness over the horizontal anterior talofibular ligament (see illustration) indicates less damage than if the major calcaneofibular ligament is torn. There is always the possibility that a sprain

. It is realised now that a meniscus tear frequently occurs in conjunction with other damage to the collateral or cruciate ligaments, so the knee may swell with an effusion of clear serum and/or blood, and a tear which twists on itself can cause the joint to lock

is rarely required beyond observation at surgical removal.What else could it be?A tear of the collateral ligament over the cyst or an iliotibial friction band problem should be fairly easy to rule out.Medical treatmentSelf-treatment is impractical – medical

UAN:224 Article type:--SymptomsJust because it is also known as ‘jumper’s knee’, runners are not immune from this sudden pain that strikes at the base of the patella (kneecap) because of a partial rupture of the ligament below it. SignsYou may

can confirm the diagnosis. What else could it be?A pain in the outer side of the knee can also be due to a strain of the lateral collateral ligament, which hinges the knee joint, or a trapped synovium (knee lining). Self-treatmentIce it, ice it

aid using RICE and aspirin-based medicines will ease inflammation, while you can mobilise the joint to stretch over-used ligaments and muscles. If these treatments don’t help, seek professional guidance.Medical treatmentMuch depends on the diagnosis

it be?A bursa around the hamstring insertions, a Baker’s cyst or ligament strains may all cause pain in roughly the same site. Careful examination should eliminate these.Self-treatmentFollowing the 48 hours of obligatory RICE, any bleeding should have