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FAR FROM BEING a simple hinge, your knee is the meeting point for three bones, numerous major tendons, and four ligaments, including the infamous ACL. All day long, your knees endure forces between two and three times your body weight, even during a simple walk. A lot can happen to these complicated, critically important joints. These basics help you avoid trouble or solve it if it’s happening, anyway.

What makes your knees hurt

Twists, turns, and pivots

“CrossFit and Pickleball have probably brought us the most patients with meniscus tears out of anything in the past 10 years,” says orthopedic sports medicine surgeon Robert LaPrade, MD, PhD , of Twin Cities Orthopedics. Shuttle runs, lurches for the ball—your meniscus takes the hit when your body moves sideways and your foot doesn’t. Hear a pop?…