There are different types of knee injuries, and the majority of these injuries are caused by sports accidents, motor vehicle accidents and falls. When the injury occurs, a sports medicine doctor is able to examine the anatomy of the knee and determine which part of the knee is/was affected by the injury. Knee sprains occur when the ligaments are injured, and due to the ligaments helping hold the knee together, the stabilisation of the joint will be affected.

Common ligament injuries affect the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the lateral collateral ligament (LCL), the medial collateral ligament (MCL), or the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). The range of motion of the knee can also be affected by injuring or spraining muscles and tendons around the knee joint. Other knee injuries include joint dislocations, knee bursitis, meniscus tears, bone fractures, degeneration of the cartilage and arthritis. Dr le Roux has published and presented research on the biomechanical effects of the function of knee ligaments.

When is sports knee surgery indicated?

Sports knee surgery is normally indicated to:

• Remove loose fragments of bone or cartilage
• Repair or remove torn meniscal cartilage
• Reconstruction of a torn anterior cruciate ligament
• Remove problematic synovial tissue or plicae

What does sports knee surgery entail?

Knee arthroscopy is the most commonly used approach to help in the diagnosis and treatment of knee problems. During the procedure, the orthopaedic surgeon will make small incisions on your knee joint, and an arthroscope and surgical instruments will be passed through the incisions. The orthopaedic surgeon will then perform either of these procedures:

Anterior cruciate reconstruction (ACL)

This is a surgical procedure that involves the replacement of a torn anterior cruciate ligament. During the procedure, the orthopaedic surgeon will remove the damaged ligament and replace it with a portion of a tendon which may come from a donor or from another part of your knee. Sockets or tunnels will be drilled into the thighbone and shinbone to help position the graft and are then secured to your bones with screws or other devices. The graft will act as a scaffolding allowing new ligament tissue to grow.

Anterolateral ligament reconstruction:

Previously, it was thought that knee rotation and a re-rupture could be avoided by drilling double tunnels for the ACL. This has proven to not be as effective as previously hoped. The recently "discovered" anterolateral ligament, or ALL, however, has been shown to be more effective in the prevention of instability and re-injury when reconstructed. Dr le Roux has published and presented research on the topic of the biomechanical effect of the ALL ligament.

Medial or lateral collateral reconstruction

This is a surgical procedure that involves the orthopaedic surgeon replacing the collateral ligament with a graft and attaching it to the femur and fibula or tibia with the use of screws or posts.