The young athlete's knee: recent advances.

The understanding and treatment of the young athlete's knee has improved and continues to do so as arthroscopy and good long-term follow-up studies guide the process. In the management of epiphyseal fractures about the knee the presence of associated ligament injury and the high likelihood of a growth plate injury is now well documented. In the management of ligament injuries and internal derangements, arthroscopy has profoundly changed diagnosis and treatment. Pathology can be precisely identified and the appropriate treatment initiated to preserve an athletic career and possibly prevent degenerative arthritis in adulthood. Lastly, patellofemoral pain continues to be a difficult problem to treat, but a more scientific approach is evolving. This has been facilitated by a better understanding of the varied etiologies for anterior knee pain, and a trend away from classifying all such conditions as chondromalacia.