Dr. Jenkins spoke about the three common types of knee problems.  The first was meniscus tears.  A meniscus tear can occur without any significant trauma.  The usual signs of a tear are swelling, intermittent pain, and popping of the knee.  The meniscus has a hard time healing due to poor blood supply.  A tear can be diagnosed through patient history and an exam.  They might have to do an x-ray or an MRI to rule out other things.  If the knee is stable, then rest, ice, and elevation will help.  The second knee problem was anterior knee pain meaning pain in the front of the knee.  90% of the time this is caused by the overuse of the knee cap or arthritis in the knee cap.  The usual signs of anterior knee pain is pain with activity such as climbing stairs.  Treatment for this type of pain is limiting activity, ice, NSAID's, and physical therapy.  The third type of knee pain is osteoarthritis.  This is the most common form of arthritis and osteoarthritis is characterized as the loss of cartilage.  Risk factors for OA are age, obesity, prior knee problems, and family history.  Symptoms can be intermittent and include stiffness, swelling, and a catching and grinding of the knee.  The goal in treating OA is to decrease pain and keep function good.  There are many treatments for OA including NSAID's, corticosteroid injections, visco supplementation, and arthroplasty (total knee replacement).  Total knee replacements are successful in 88% of patients.  You can do both knees at the same time but Dr. Jenkins does not recommend that course of treatment.  In conclusion, Dr. Jenkins said that quad strength is vital for keeping your knees strong.  He said walking, biking, swimming and the elliptical are all good exercise for strong quad muscles.