Das Knie im Spitzensport

The knee joint is one of the most frequently injured body regions in many sports. Particularly in elite sports, knee injuries are often severe injuries accounting for long periods of absence from several weeks to months and significantly influencing the athlete’s career. In addition to the acute injury the high risk of recurrent injuries and long-term effects as well as secondary injuries and a continuing high impact on the knee joint play an important role in elite sports. A better understanding of the injury circumstances and identification of risk factors are therefore crucial to improve primary prevention strategies. Furthermore, a comprehensive understanding of the structural damage occurring after an injury is also necessary to continually optimize therapeutic interventions. The rapid development of technology in recent years has considerably contributed to a better understanding of the total amount of knee injuries and their origin. Due to the rapid improvement of novel therapeutic and particularly surgical procedures, medicine is increasingly succeeding in helping elite athletes to regain their previous performance level even in the case of complex injuries; nevertheless, professional and elite athletes require individually adapted treatment options and rehabilitation measures in order to ensure a rapid return to sport.