About Sports Injuries
A common cause of injury to joints is participation in sports. Sports place significant forces on joints and, although most of the time the joints can absorb and cope with these forces, sometimes the forces can lead to damage to the structures that make up the joint. This is most common in the knee where such injuries can cause articular cartilage injuries, meniscal tears, ligament injuries, bone fractures and tendon injuries.
Most minor sports injuries can heal with appropriate rest and rehabilitation. Other injuries require surgery to repair or reconstruct the damage.
Some injuries can cause secondary arthritis down the line. Joint preservation techniques can be used to reconstruct articular cartilage and meniscal damage to help to prevent future arthritis. Other treatments can reduce the risk of future arthritis.