Sports That Are Bad for the Knees

According to the American Academic of Orthopaedic surgeons, in 2003 knee problems accounted for "approximately 19.4 million visits to physicians' offices" overall and were the most common reason for a patient visiting an orthopedic specialist. Per the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, one of the most common injuries is a disruption to "the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)," which occurs approximately 150,000 times per year or "1 in 3,000 in the general population." Many of the injuries resulted from recreational, individual or team sports.

Team Sports

• Soccer has a significant rate of knee injury, but less than that of American football.

  The Texas Arthroscopic Surgery Clinic says "football has the highest incidence of knee injuries of any sport played in the United States," with most problems occurring the with anterior and medial ligaments. Soccer, a team sport more popular outside the United States, has a significant rate of injury but less than that of football because of less physical contact. Basketball can also be risky when landing from jumping. Baseball knee injury occurrences are primarily limited to runners sliding into bases.

Recreational Sports

• Snow skiing can be made safer for knees with attention to proper bindings.

  Snow skiing can be treacherous for knees with both legs operating independently, with frequent twists and turns. Injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament present the most common knee problems for skiers, but this risk can be greatly modified by proper and professional attention to bindings. Beginning skiers are advised to have looser bindings. Snowboarding is said to present less opportunity for knee injuries because of the different biomechanics involved with both feet stationary on a single board.

  Water skiing presents different challenges to a practitioner's knees. A water skier can suffer pain or strain from the water vibrations beneath the skis or the sharp adjustments required when crossing a wake.

Individual Sports

• Running can be hard on the knees with every stride.

  Running represents the most common individual sport, and the degree of knee pain or injury is often related to the number of miles logged or to the runner's weight. Obese or overweight individuals should begin a program of walking to strengthen the muscles supporting the knees and lose weight.

  Road biking is rarely injurious to the knees, except in cases of accidents, and actually strengths the muscles that hold the knee securely in place.

Gender Differences

• According to In Motion, there are significant gender differences in the occurrence of knee injuries. Female basketball and soccer players are said to be "two to eight times more likely to suffer an ACL injury" than a comparable male athlete. Reasons for this discrepancy are related to women's lower center of gravity, increased incidence of "knock-kneed" physical make-up and estrogen, which causes ligaments to loosen and accounts for overall greater female flexibility.