Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Knee Injuries and Disorders
Your knee joint is made up of bone, cartilage, ligaments and fluid. Muscles and tendons help the knee joint move. When any of these structures is hurt or diseased, you have knee problems. Knee problems can cause pain and difficulty walking.
Knee problems are very common, and they occur in people of all ages. Knee problems can interfere with many things, from participation in sports to simply getting up from a chair and walking. This can have a big impact on your life.
The most common disease affecting the knee is osteoarthritis. The cartilage in the knee gradually wears away, causing pain and swelling.
Injuries to ligaments and tendons also cause knee problems. A common injury is to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). You usually injure your ACL by a sudden twisting motion. ACL and other knee injuries are common sports injuries.
Treatment of knee problems depends on the cause. In some cases your doctor may recommend knee replacement.
It sits within Bones, Joints and Muscles and Injuries and Wounds.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Knee Injuries and Disorders
408 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Effect of Platelet-rich Plasma (PRP) Injection on Knee OsteoarthritisXijing Hospital
- Psychological Readiness and Return to Sport After ACL ReconstructionBiruni University
- Evaluating the Efficacy of a Mobile Application in Postoperative RehabilitationYale University
- Blood-Flow Restriction Exercise Following a Knee ReplacementMichigan Technological University
- The Impact of Tibial Tubercle-trochlear Groove Distance and Patellar Height on the Outcome of Isolated Medial Patellofemoral Ligament ReconstructionUniversity of Minnesota
- Radial Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy in Individuals With Iliotibial Band SyndromeCairo University
Research already completed
- Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Injection for the Treatment of Chronic Patellar TendinopathyUniversity of Wisconsin, Madison
- Intraosseous Versus Intravenous Vancomycin in Below-Knee Amputation for Ischemic Diabetic FootBaşakşehir Çam & Sakura City Hospital
- Evaluating a New Knee-Ankle-Foot Brace to Improve Gait in Children With Movement DisordersNational Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC)
- Addition of Ultrasound-guided Percutaneous Neuromodulation to Ultrasound-guided Percutaneous Electrolysis and Eccentric Exercises in Patellar Tendinopathy.Universidad de Zaragoza
- Tactile Guided Lateral Patellar ReleaseIssa, Abdulhamid Sayed, M.D.
- Shear-Wave Elastography of Regenerated Hamstring Tendons After ACL Reconstruction (SWE-ACL)Fatih Sultan Mehmet Training and Research Hospital
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Common Knee InjuriesAmerican Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
- Knee ProblemsAmerican Academy of Family Physicians
Diagnosis and Tests
- Direct ArthrographyRadiological Society of North America
- Knee MRIRadiological Society of North America
- X-Ray Exam: Knee (For Parents)Nemours Foundation
Treatments and Therapies
- ACL Injury: Diagnosis and TreatmentMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Iliotibial Band Syndrome (For Parents)Nemours Foundation
- Knee ArthroscopyAmerican Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
- Knee Replacement: MedlinePlus Health TopicNational Library of Medicine
Living With
- Knee Rehabilitation ExercisesAmerican Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
- Mobility Aids: MedlinePlus Health TopicNational Library of Medicine
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) InjuriesNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Anterior Cruciate Ligament ReconstructionNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Articular Cartilage DisordersNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Knee InjuriesNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Menisci, TibialNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Patella DisordersNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction, Knee Injuries. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Knee Injuries and Disorders, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.