New knee-surgery options for kids

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Advanced medical tests for sports-related knee injuries are giving rise to increased diagnoses of major injuries in children, medical experts say.

The reported number of children suffering torn knee ligaments soared because it's easier to detect the injuries, not because sports are more intense, medical experts told Monday's The New York Times.

Children used to get diagnosed with a "trick knee" but now most doctors are saying ligament tears are the real reason behind the diagnosis.

Doctors usually recommend knee surgery to repair torn ligaments in adults, but the standard operation can affect the growth of children and lead to early joint pain.

There is a new surgical procedure doctors are using that involves drilling tiny holes in patients' bones to anchor the repaired tendons, but the technique hasn't been around long enough to get a good idea of the long-term effects.

Ligament tears to the knee are described by some medical officials as "the most common and most dreaded injury in professional sports," but doctors say the new surgical technique could be the best hope to solve the problem in child athletes.