You may be surprised to learn that your sore knees may be the fault of your parents. While not placing moral culpability on anyone, there is a familial propensity to inherit many physical attributes and that includes bad knees.
The most common heritable knee pain is severe osteoarthritis, which is most often blamed on obesity where genetics play a very key role. But, recent studies have proven that other knee problems can be inherited like A.C.L. injuries and knee degeneration.
A recent study by The British Journal of Sports Medicine says that if you have a first-generation relative – a sibling or parent – who has torn an A.C.L., you are at above-average risk for a torn A.C.L during your lifetime. And, a NewsMax Health study reports that children of a parent who needed a knee replacement are more likely to also suffer knee pain. In this study, researchers looked at 219 people (average age was 48 years), 115 were offspring of a parent who had undergone knee replacement surgery and 104 of them had parents with no history of knee pain, injuries or surgery. They found that those with a parent who had undergone knee replacement surgery had double the likelihood of developing knee pain themselves.*
Ortho El Paso is not recommending that you avoid activity that works the knees if your parents have suffered from knee pain or injuries in the past. We only warn you that if grandpa needed knee replacement surgery and dad suffered a torn A.C.L., you are at greater risk for either someday, too.
Already experiencing knee pain? Call our Ortho El Paso's orthopaedic specialist, Dr. Jason Vourazeris, and schedule a consultation at 915-249-4000, or learn more about our practice at www.orthoep.com.
*NOTE: results were proven over an 8 year period of the study
