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KNEE Situated between the two longest bones in your body (the tibia and fibula), the classic door-hinge joint bends in one plane of motion—backward, not forward or side to side.

It’s at risk for strain and injury because of its limited range of motion, the heavy load your knees carry, and the torque (from twisting motions) generated by the two leverlike bones. While you may hear about knee injuries most commonly in the form of professional athletes who tear their anterior cruciate ligaments (ACLs), the more common knee injury for those of us who do and don’t play with pigskin is actually a torn meniscus. Your meniscus, which is a piece of cartilage in the middle of your knee, not only acts as a shock absorber but also has several other functions. It helps lubricate the joint by increasing the surface area of the cartilage. It adds stability to the joint in that it’s shaped like a suction cup to keep the round femur on top of the flat tibia. And it also helps produce synovial fluid to feed the cells of the cartilage. It can tear from
traumatic injury (when a football player gets a cleat wedged in the turf, his body may twist, but his knee won’t be able to because his foot is stuck), but it can also tear from overuse and doing simple movements like squatting. Your meniscus acts as a shock absorber when you’re walking, and when it tears, it leads to inflammation and a lot of pain. Doctors can detect a tear using an MRI; treatment involves anti-inflammatory medication, icing, aggressive rehabilitation (and, if all else fails, arthroscopic surgery).

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