Active young people and athletes often suffer from damage to the collateral ligaments of the knee joints. This happens if a person carries out too strong and frequent movements. For example, when unbending, twisting the legs, or abducting the legs, there is quite a lot of pressure on the joint. In some cases, these injuries are caused by trauma.
Basic information
First of all, it is worth saying that there are two groups of these important parts of the human body:
- Lateral collateral ligament. It is also often referred to as external or external. This ligament is responsible for connecting the femur and fibula.
- Medial collateral ligament. This is an internal organ. This ligament is necessary in order to connect the femur to the tibia. By and large, this part of the body is a limiter that does not allow valgus deviations in the lower leg.
The problem can arise in any of them. However, in order to conduct the correct treatment, the doctor must clarify the exactlocalization of damage, as well as the factor that led to it.
Causes of occurrence
First of all, it is worth saying that damage to the medial collateral ligament of the knee joint can be of varying severity. In some situations, everything is limited to a single tear of the fibers. However, in more complex cases, unfortunately, a complete rupture of the tendon tissue occurs.
Injury to the collateral ligament often occurs due to excessive outward displacement of the tibia or due to excessive rotations that occur due to impacts. Ultimately, a person runs the risk of a sprain, tear, or complete rupture of the ligament. If we talk about provoking factors, then, as a rule, this happens due to:
- Sharp load.
- Injury
- Enthesopathy.
- Arthritis of rheumatoid, juvenile or infectious type.
- Gout.
- Psoriasis.
- Degenerative processes in joints.
Symptoms of damage to the lateral or medial collateral ligament of the knee joint
If even slight discomfort or pain occurs, it is recommended to contact a specialist. If we are talking about an injury to two lateral ligaments at once, then an impressive hematoma will be clearly visible on the affected limb.
When it is the medial ligament that is damaged, it is partially torn or completely torn. A person begins to experience pronounced pain in the limb and ceases to load it. Damage to the external ligament(lateral) hemorrhage may occur or hemarthrosis will form. In this case, a person will also easily notice the appearance of a hematoma in the affected area. In addition, quite strong puffiness and hyperemia may appear.
If you try to feel the knee in which the damage to the collateral ligament has occurred, you can easily notice that the skin in this area has a higher temperature. This indicates an inflammatory process.
Additional symptoms include:
- Sharp pain attacks in the lateral area of the joint.
- Severe swelling of the knee.
- Clicks during limb flexion and extension.
- Disorders of the knee joint.
Varieties of damage
If we talk about the types of damage to the collateral ligament of the knee joint, then experts distinguish three degrees. It is worth considering them in more detail:
- 1 degree. In this case, only a partial break occurs. This means that only some of the ligament fibers are torn. This type of injury is more commonly referred to as sprain. However, the use of such a term is completely wrong. Since the ligaments are not elastic, therefore, they are simply not physically able to stretch.
- 2 degree. In this case, an incomplete rupture (or tear) of the ligaments occurs.
- 3 degree. This stage is considered the most difficult, since in this case the person suffers from a complete rupture of the collateral ligaments. As a rule, in such a situation, damage to the cartilage, meniscus or capsule is also observed.
After an injury, it is necessary to determine its exact localization and extent. Only after that you can start therapeutic procedures.
Diagnosis
To confirm or refute a rupture of the collateral ligament, you need to contact an orthopedic traumatologist. It should be said right away that in case of serious damage, an x-ray image will not show any clear results. This is due to the fact that the bone tissue is much denser than the tissue of the ligaments, so the specialist will not see anything in the resulting image. In this case, the doctor can pay attention only to a slight expansion of the articular cavities, which often occurs with a destructive change.
In addition, standard diagnostic measures are significantly complicated due to the fact that there is a rupture of the cruciform structure. Therefore, it is necessary to resort to more modern research methods.
As a rule, it is possible to identify problems in the collateral ligament with the help of ultrasound, MRI and arthroscopy. Based on the data received, the specialist will be able to prescribe the necessary therapy.
Features of treatment
If only the medial ligament located in the knee joint has been affected, then in this case it is often possible to confine ourselves to conservative treatment. However, after it, it is necessary to undergo a second examination. If, based on its results, the doctor understands that incomplete healing of the ligament has occurred or the patient has uncertainty when loading the leg while walking or playing sports, then this indicatesthat the patient did not adhere to the necessary recommendations or that more aggressive measures are required in this situation.
The second way to treat a damaged ligament is surgery. As a rule, the same is necessary if, in addition to damage to the internal tissue, there are additional problems with the knee joint. The specialist also takes into account the individual characteristics of the patient, his age, professional activities and other important factors.
When deciding how to restore the affected limb, it is recommended to contact competent specialists. If possible, it is worth listening to the opinion of several doctors at once. The correctness of the treatment tactics directly affects how quickly the patient can recover and return to normal life.
Usually, if the medial and cruciate ligaments are damaged simultaneously, then healing of the internal tissue is required first. After that, the patient must undergo a course of physiotherapy to develop the joint. Only then can a surgical procedure aimed at the cruciate ligament be carried out. Otherwise, the range of motion of the limb may be impaired.
Conservative treatment
In this case, the so-called immobilization of the knee joint is performed. In this case, the patient can bend and unbend the limb. Additionally, you will need to use elastic bandages or use special compression stockings. If the patient is severely injured andexperiences a noticeable pain syndrome, then in such a situation, he may be additionally prescribed medication. This may be required if the doctor is concerned about the formation of blood clots in the affected area.
Throughout the course of treatment, the patient must visit the doctor periodically. The specialist will be able to determine whether the healing is proceeding properly and whether there is a risk of vein thrombosis. With the right approach, the sore leg heals in 3-4 weeks. However, it all depends on numerous damage factors.
After the termination of immobilization, it is not recommended to immediately start active movements. At first, it is worth using special stabilizing knee pads. These elastic products will help protect the affected leg from re-injury.
Surgical treatment with autograft
If the patient was diagnosed with grade 3 damage, then in this case, experts recommend performing an operation during which the patient's own tissues will be used. In such a situation, it is possible to better repeat the anatomy of the internal ligaments. Such an autograft is placed in such a way as to connect the femur and tibia. This significantly increases the chances that the knee joint will start working again in the same way as before.
This means that after the recovery period, the patient will be able not only to perform all daily activities, but also to return to sports activities or put other loads on the limb.
Arthroscopic resection
Such an operation is performed if the rupture occurred not only in the medial ligament, but also in the meniscus. In this situation, the removal or stitching of the damaged parts is carried out. After such a procedure, immobilization for up to one month will be required. In this case, the procedure will be less traumatic, but the recovery process will be longer.
However, after such a procedure, a person will also be able to do their favorite things. There are no physical restrictions in this case. However, such an outcome is possible only when the victim turned to a qualified specialist in a timely manner, and did not wait until the inflammatory process spread to nearby tissues.
First Aid
If your knee is injured, you must first take into account that such an injury can be very dangerous, so you need to immediately seek help from a specialist. At first glance, a person is not able to independently determine whether a rupture, tear, or so-called stretching has occurred. Therefore, all ongoing activities should be extremely careful.
After calling an ambulance, you need to fix the limb so that it does not move. To reduce the formation of a hematoma and reduce pain, something cold can be applied to the sore knee.
You should not take painkillers before the doctors arrive. It is possible that the victim will need an injection of an additional drug that may not be compatible with the alreadyused product.
Prevention
To prevent damage not only to the knee, but also to the ulnar collateral ligament, it is necessary to follow the recommendations of specialists. First of all, it is important not to exceed the load during training. Exercises should not be started without first warming up the joints.
If a person still had to go through an operation, then after that they will need to wear special orthopedic shoes for some time. If we are talking about an elderly person, then be sure to use a cane. Limbs, and especially joints, should not be supercooled, so in the cold season you need to be extremely careful.
Don't self-medicate, doing so will only cause more harm to yourself.
