Knee injury is perhaps one of the most common troubles that people have to face. After all, the knee joint bears a heavy load and is responsible not only for walking, running and jumping, but also for many other movements.
Most Common Knee Injuries
Due to the fact that the knee joint has a rather complex structure, many components can be injured in it - ligaments, muscles, cartilage and bones. Depending on this, the following types of damage are divided:
- the easiest is a bruise that occurs after a blow or a fall;
- a knee injury caused by sprains or tendons that support and connect the kneecap;
- rupture of the meniscus (it is an elastic partition between the upper and lower joint bones);
- ligament injuries;
- fractures or fractures in the patella, in the lower part of the femur, or in the upper part of the fibula and tibia, resulting from a fall or impact;
- dislocations in the patella (occurs infrequently).
Knee injuries due to excessive loads
Each of the knee injuries listed above occurs as an acute condition as a result of physical impact on the joint. But some of them can also be the result of prolonged stress or repetitive actions. For example, cycling, climbing stairs, jumping, and running can irritate or inflame a part of the knee joint.
In medicine, there are several injuries related to this type:
- bursitis - inflammation of the synovial bags that soften the friction between the heads of the bones in the knee joint;
- Tendinitis (inflammation) or tendinosis (ruptures) of tendons;
- Plick syndrome - twisting or thickening of the ligaments in the knee;
- patellofemoral pain syndrome - occurs after excessive exercise, overweight, injuries or birth defects of the patella.
What kind of damage to the knee joint can develop after a fall?
But the most common is a knee injury during a fall, expressed as a bruise, and a crack or fracture of the bones.
A bruise, by the way, can be of different severity - from a simple hematoma or abrasions on the skin to a condition in which blood accumulates in the joint from the vessels burst after the impact. This condition in medicine is called hemarthrosis.
And in this case, the victim, as a rule, complains of pain in the knee and difficulty walking, and the joint noticeably increases in volume and bruising is sometimes visible under the skin. Often, due to the accumulated contents in the joint, the patient cannot fully extend the knee.
Most often, the symptoms of a bruised joint gradually disappear even if left untreated. If, even after a long time, there is a dysfunction of the knee and persistent pain, then the victim needs a complete examination to determine the consequences of the injury.
Knee Injury: Meniscus
A direct knee strike against something hard or a jump to the feet from a great height can cause another injury - crushing the meniscus between the articular surfaces. And if they move abruptly (during uncoordinated flexion or extension of the leg), the meniscus can completely break away from the joint capsule and tear.
By the way, damage to the lateral meniscus (on the inner side of the surface of the tibia) is 10 times less common than the medial (on its outer side). In this case, the victim experiences severe pain in the joint, it is impossible to straighten the leg. Hemarthrosis will later join this, as with a severe bruise.
Knee Injury: Ligaments
Injuries to the anterior cruciate and/or tibial collateral ligament are often associated with damage to one or both menisci.
The reason for this may be a blow to the joint, and a sharp uncoordinated abduction of the lower leg, combined with its outward movement. Outwardly, sprains or ruptures of the ligaments are manifested by severe diffuse pain in the limb, limited mobility of the leg, reflex tension of its muscles, swelling aroundjoint, effusion and hemarthrosis.
After a knee injury, implying damage to the ligaments, the sore leg should be kept in an elevated position on a pillow or roller of clothing, a fixing (but not tight!) bandage is applied to the knee and for 15-20 minutes. cold compress (during the day it can be applied up to 3 times). The patient should be immediately taken to a traumatologist or orthopedist.
Fractured knee bones
Fractures to the patella, lower femur, or upper fibula and tibia can occur after a hard knee blow or a fall from a height.
The named knee injury is expressed by severe pain, aggravated by the slightest movement of the leg, edema quickly forms around the joint, it becomes motionless and noticeably deformed. The patient may develop a fever and severe bruising.
If a bone fracture is suspected, be sure to fix the leg with any long straight object in one position to avoid displacement of bone fragments. The leg is bandaged to a homemade splint, and existing wounds are treated with an antiseptic solution. To reduce swelling and pain, an ice compress can be applied to the knee, which, by the way, should be kept for longer than 20 minutes. not recommended.
The patient should be rushed to the hospital for further care.
Treatment of various knee injuries
If a patient hasthere is a knee injury, treatment will depend on what kind of diagnosis the specialists make - it can be both outpatient and inpatient. The patient must be given an X-ray of the damaged joint or its ultrasound.
If a tear or pinching of the meniscus is detected, then the patient is given a procedure to release it. In the case when for some reason this is not possible, the joint is stretched using a special apparatus. To relieve pain, the patient is prescribed Indomethacin tablets, Diclofenac ointment, Promedol intramuscularly or in tablets.
In severe cases, with a torn meniscus, the patient is shown surgical treatment.
When sprains are used anti-inflammatory drugs (ointment "Diclofenac" or "Voltaren"), ointments containing anticoagulants ("Lyoton"). Dimexide ointment is also added to these funds, which improves the delivery of the main active substance to the tissues.
Fractures are treated by applying a special bandage that ensures the immobility of the joint, and in the case of multiple fragments, an operation is performed to compare them in anatomical order. If the cartilage tissue is damaged, the patient is shown taking chondroprotectors that contribute to its restoration ("Chondroitin", "Rumalon", etc.).
