Being weak in the knees is often attributed to the sensation of being in love; however, the collapsing knee might have a different reason behind it.
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If you experience a knee collapse it could be from being in love, but it could also be from weak quad muscles; instability of the ligaments, or capsule, that supports your knee; chondromalacia, or a torn meniscus.
Confused at what could be causing your weak knees?
Let’s discuss the injury that causes many people grief: a torn meniscus.
What Is A Meniscus?
Your body has meniscus in many of its joints, in the knee specifically there are two meniscus that sit side-by-side. These fibrocartilage menisci are sandwichedright in between the thigh bone and the shin bone to provide different functions such as:
- shock absorption
- lubrication for the two surfaces
- increasing surface area for joint articulation
…and for our particular problem, the most important function is:
- improving stability of the joint
How In the World Do I Tear A Meniscus
Because the meniscus is made up of fibrocartilage, it is not as strong as bone; therefore, is subject to tearing. The downside to cartilage is that it doesn’t heal quite as well as bone or muscle because the blood supply is limited. You can tear a meniscus from getting it pinched between the two bones, from twisting your knee quickly, or even repetitive forces that degrade the meniscus; these can result in different types of tears that may ultimately decide the severity of your injury.
What Will A Torn Meniscus Feel Like?
Even if this injury is from accumulated microtrauma, you’ll still feel like it happened all of the sudden. Some symptoms you may feel are:
- Pain along the joint, either on the inside or the outside of the knee.
- The sensation of your knee “giving out”.
- Over time, you may find swelling in on the inside or outside of your knee where you feel the pain, or even behind your knee.
- You may not be able to straighten your knee all the way.
- Locking, clicking, catching, popping.
- Pain with walking up stairs or squatting.
What Do I Do About It? – Treatment For A Torn Meniscus
The best thing for almost any injury is ice and NSAIDS. With proper care for the initial onset, you may not feel any symptoms during your normal daily activities which won’t require any surgery. However, if the pain and symptoms continue, you should make a visit to your doctors to see if surgery is necessary.
If you’re weak in the knees for other reasons, be sure to get proper treatment – if it’s for love I won’t be of much help. However, if you experience collapsing knees from weak quadriceps, strengthening is key – stop by HomeGymReview to read some great reviews on the best home gym equipment.
