Your knee gives you the flexibility, strength, and stability needed to stand, walk, run, turn, and make other movements. One of the biggest and most complex joints, the knee supports the weight of your body.

Knee problems are very common, and one of the top reasons people see a doctor. People of all ages have knee problems. These problems can cause pain and make it difficult to walk, get up for a chair, and play sports. Arthritis is the most common knee problem.

The spine goes from the bottom of the skull to the pelvis. It has a column of 26 bones, called vertebrae. These bones are stacked one on top of the other.

There are three parts to the spine:

• Neck: Cervical spine.
• Chest: Thoracic spine.
• Lower back: Lumbar spine.

Muscles, tendons, and ligaments hold the spine bones together:

• Muscles are tissue that helps you move and powers up your body. (Tissue is the material that helps support your body).
• Tendons are tough but flexible cords of tissue that connect muscle to bone.
• Ligaments are tough bands of tissue that connect bones or cartilage. They support and strengthen joints.

Discs, rubbery cushions between the bones in the spine, absorb shock when you walk or run. They’re made of soft, jelly-like cartilage in the center surrounded by a layer of tough cartilage.

Cartilage is a type of tissue that cushions and protects joints and prevents them from rubbing against each other.

The knee is a joint with four bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. The bones are:

• The thighbone (femur).
• The shinbone (tibia), which is connected to the thighbone.
• The fibula is a smaller bone next to the tibia.
• The kneecap (patella).

Cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and muscles support the knee:

• Cartilage is the tough but flexible tissue that covers the ends of your bones at the knee joint. It helps the knees move smoothly and cushions and protects it. (Tissue is the material that helps support your body).
• Tendons are tough but flexible cords of tissue that connect muscle to bone.
• Ligaments are tough bands of tissue that connect bones or cartilage. They support and strengthen joints.
• Muscles are tissue that helps you move and powers up your body.

Finding the treatment that’s right for your knee problem is our focus at The Orthopedic Health Center. We use non-surgical treatments whenever possible. When you do need surgery, our expert surgeons help you heal faster and with less pain. All right in your neighborhood: Jersey City, New Jersey.

Getting better has never been easier.