After taking a thorough patient history, your physician will begin the physical examination. The examination is based on inspection, what your physician can actually see, and palpation, what your physician can touch and feel.
Alignment very simply refers to how your bones—from your hip, to your knee, all the way down to your foot and ankle— stack up in relation to each other. The bones must be aligned in such a way that allows for both stability and flexibility. A minor variation in alignment is not serious; however, if the alignment is truly out of whack, it could cause pain and serious problems.
What’s normal alignment? Theoretically, the patella (kneecap) should rest in the center of the knee, and the tibia (shinbone) should stand directly underneath. A perfectly straight knee joint is designated at 0 degrees, meaning neither side of the body is favored.
However, in reality, more people have knees that are aligned slightly out or in. In fact, women are normally slightly knock-kneed, meaning their knees appear as if they rotate in toward each other. In order to maintain balance, their tibias are slightly angled outward away from the midline of the body at about 5 to 7 degrees. When the tibia points away from the midline, it is called valgus alignment. Men tend to have less valgus knee joints. In fact, more men than women are bowlegged, meaning their knees appear o go out while their tibias curve in toward the midline of the body. When the tibia points toward the midline, it is called varus alignment.
Alignment irregularities can sometimes point to a particular problem. For example, knock-kneed deformities are more common in rheumatoid arthritis, and bowlegged deformities are more common in osteoarthritis, the kind of wear and tear arthritis associated with old age.
Your physician will examine the knee for any signs of puncture wounds or abrasions. A small cut that could easily go unnoticed by the patient could have become infected, causing pain and inflammation.
*9\185\2*
THE PHYSICAL EXAMINATION OF YOUR KNEE: ALIGNMENT AND ABRASIONSAfter taking a thorough patient history, your physician will begin the physical examination. The examination is based on inspection, what your physician can actually see, and palpation, what your physician can touch and feel.Alignment very simply refers to how your bones—from your hip, to your knee, all the way down to your foot and ankle— stack up in relation to each other. The bones must be aligned in such a way that allows for both stability and flexibility. A minor variation in alignment is not serious; however, if the alignment is truly out of whack, it could cause pain and serious problems.What’s normal alignment? Theoretically, the patella (kneecap) should rest in the center of the knee, and the tibia (shinbone) should stand directly underneath. A perfectly straight knee joint is designated at 0 degrees, meaning neither side of the body is favored. However, in reality, more people have knees that are aligned slightly out or in. In fact, women are normally slightly knock-kneed, meaning their knees appear as if they rotate in toward each other. In order to maintain balance, their tibias are slightly angled outward away from the midline of the body at about 5 to 7 degrees. When the tibia points away from the midline, it is called valgus alignment. Men tend to have less valgus knee joints. In fact, more men than women are bowlegged, meaning their knees appear o go out while their tibias curve in toward the midline of the body. When the tibia points toward the midline, it is called varus alignment.Alignment irregularities can sometimes point to a particular problem. For example, knock-kneed deformities are more common in rheumatoid arthritis, and bowlegged deformities are more common in osteoarthritis, the kind of wear and tear arthritis associated with old age.Your physician will examine the knee for any signs of puncture wounds or abrasions. A small cut that could easily go unnoticed by the patient could have become infected, causing pain and inflammation.*9\185\2*
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