Knee Injury: Common structures involved & Available Treatments
- Daniel Taylor
- May 26
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 11
Knee pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal problems and can affect people of all ages. The cause of your knee pain often depends on whether there was a specific injury or trauma, or whether the pain developed gradually over time.
Traumatic Knee Injuries
If your pain started after a twist, fall, sporting injury, or a moment where you felt “something go” in the knee, this may indicate damage to one of the key stabilising structures of the joint.
Common traumatic knee injuries include:
ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) injuries
MCL (Medial Collateral Ligament) injuries
LCL (Lateral Collateral Ligament) injuries
Meniscal tears
Muscle or tendon injuries around the knee
These injuries are often associated with swelling, instability, difficulty weight bearing, or reduced movement.
Non-Traumatic Knee Pain
If your knee pain developed gradually without a clear injury, the cause is often related to overuse, irritation, or degeneration of the tissues around the knee.
Common causes include:
Patella tendon irritation (patellar tendinopathy)
Hamstring tendon pain
Pes anserine bursitis
Osteoarthritis
Degenerative meniscal tears
These conditions can cause stiffness, aching pain, swelling, and discomfort during walking, stairs, squatting, or exercise.
Early Management of Knee Pain
Although different knee conditions require different long-term treatment strategies, many injuries respond well to similar early management.
With the exception of a complete ACL rupture, many knee injuries have the potential to improve naturally over a 12-week period.
During the early stages, we recommend following the principles of RICE:
Rest – Avoid aggravating activities
Ice – Apply ice regularly to reduce pain and swelling
Compression – Use compression supports if appropriate
Elevation – Elevate the leg to help reduce swelling
Over-the-counter medications such as paracetamol and ibuprofen may also help with pain relief and recovery, provided they are suitable for you medically.
Gentle rehabilitation exercises are also extremely important to restore movement, strength, and function.
You can find guided rehabilitation exercises on our YouTube channel:
Basic Knee Exercises
Progression Knee Exercises
Advanced Treatments We Offer
If your symptoms are not improving as expected, more advanced treatment options may help accelerate recovery and improve function.
Hands-On Therapy (Deep Friction Therapy)
At Elite Joint Solutions, we offer specialised hands-on treatments designed to stimulate blood flow, improve tissue healing, and help break down scar tissue.
This treatment, commonly known as friction therapy, can be uncomfortable during the procedure but has been shown clinically to support recovery and improve return to physical activity.
Acupuncture and Dry Needling
We also offer acupuncture and dry needling treatments for knee pain and tendon injuries.
This involves placing needles around the injured area and may help by:
Stimulating blood flow to support healing
Reducing scar tissue and improving tissue quality
Some patients may experience mild discomfort or bruising following treatment due to the nature of the procedure.
Injection Therapy
We also provide both corticosteroid and hyaluronic acid injections depending on the diagnosis and structures involved.
Tendon Injuries
For chronic tendon conditions such as:
Patellar tendinopathy
Hamstring tendinopathy
MCL or LCL irritation
we generally avoid steroid injections because steroids can weaken tendon tissue and increase the risk of tendon rupture.
In these cases, hyaluronic acid injections are often considered a safer alternative.
Osteoarthritis and Meniscal Degeneration
For osteoarthritis or degenerative meniscal problems, a combination of steroid and hyaluronic acid injections may help reduce pain and improve function over the longer term.
Diagnostic Anaesthetic Injections
Sometimes identifying the exact source of knee pain can be challenging.
In these situations, we may use diagnostic anaesthetic-guided injections. This involves injecting local anaesthetic into the suspected pain source and reassessing symptoms 5–10 minutes later.
If the pain significantly improves or disappears, this strongly suggests that the correct structure has been identified. We can then consider more targeted treatments such as steroid or hyaluronic acid injections.
When Surgery May Be Required
Despite appropriate rehabilitation and conservative treatment, some patients continue to experience significant pain or disability.
In these cases, surgical opinion and intervention may need to be considered, particularly for severe ligament injuries, advanced arthritis, or persistent mechanical symptoms.
Contact Us
If you would like to discuss your knee pain or arrange an assessment, please contact:
Comments