Athletic Knee Injury
This category refers to injuries sustained by individuals who suffer from either a traumatic injury or repetitive overuse injury that requires treatment other than joint replacement. These are commonly injuries to tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and bone. Examples are patellar tendon rupture, IT Band tendonitis, meniscal tear, ACL tear, and tibial plateau or patella fracture. Our experts have a high level of experience and training in the treatment of these injuries with all levels of complexity.
Our Knee Expertise
Our board-certified, fellowship-trained practitioners provide comprehensive, detailed evaluations and treatment strategies, including the most advanced and recent developments in shoulder care. We actively participate in National and International Academic Sports Medicine societies, offer the highest levels of evidence-based medicine and state-of-the-art techniques to optimize your care.
Our knee specialists have served for over a decade as faculty members at major medical institutions and are actively involved in teaching and training both future orthopaedic surgeons and current practicing physicians.
Knee Evaluation
Our experts provide comprehensive management of all athletic and trauma-related knee conditions and focus on the causes of your injury, appropriate treatment techniques and getting you back to your activities.
Appropriate evaluation typically includes:
- Thorough orthopaedic history
- Focused physical examination
- X-rays (when indicated)
- Appropriate advanced imaging studies, (e.g. MRI or CT scan) as necessary
The causes of your knee injury or condition, as well as your level of activity, will lead your doctor to develop a personalized treatment plan with you. We direct treatment alternatives based on your problem, and range from “conservative” management options such as activity modification, physical therapy and injections, to surgical intervention using advanced arthroscopic techniques.
Conditions
Some common athletic knee injuries we treat include:
- ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL & PLC Tears
- Meniscal Tears
- Patellar & Quadriceps Tendon Tears
- Fractures about the knee, thigh, and leg
- Patellar instability and dislocation
- ITB Tendonitis, Hamstring Tendonitis
- Cartilage injury
- Juvenille, Pediatric, & Adult OCD lesions
What if I have arthritis?
Patients with knee arthritis that is advanced typically require conservative treatment and eventual knee replacement, however some patients are poor candidates for replacement because of their young age and other factors. In these cases, other options such as High Tibial Osteotomy and cartilage restoration procedures or alternative therapies such as viscosupplementation injections should be considered.
It is with a grateful heart that we announce Dr. Anthony Unger’s retirement, effective December 31, 2024. As a founding member of Washington Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, Dr. Unger has had the privilege of forming lasting relationships with many patients and their families. It has been a true honor for him to provide care across multiple generations, and he deeply values the trust placed in him by so many.