Knee Injury Leamington Spa.
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Knee ligaments; Knee Pain, Sports Injuries. Cold Laser Treatment.
Knee Ligaments Medial Collateral, Anterior Curciate, Posterior Cruciate, Lateral Collateral Ligaments
View our Cold Laser Section for treatment for these injuries, under inflammatory conditions in our ”Treatments” section. Cold Laser Therapy accelerates the healing process, thus saving time and returning to your sport sooner than you normally would if you had taken normal medication. World class athletes and the military use this method of reducing both pain and injury time
Ligaments connect one bone to another within the joins and contribute stability and flexibility of the joint.
Medial Collateral Ligament.
This ligament is on the one on the inside of the knee and is taut when the leg is straight. The ligament itself is strong but can be sprained or completely ruptured by simultaneous twisting and straightening of the leg.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament.
The anterior cruciate ligament or ACL runs from the outside of the back of the thigh bone to the inside of the front or anterior of the shin bone. The two cruciate ligaments cross over each other; the ACL crosses in front of the Posterior Cruciate Ligament. Together they stabilize the front to back movements of the knee.
The ACL is half the strength of your Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL). This ligament is the most likely knee ligament to be injured during sporting activities.
Posterior Cruciate Ligament.
The Posterior Cruciate Ligament or PCL starts from the inside edge of your thigh bone and inserts to the back or posterior aspect of your shin bone.
Lateral Collateral Ligament.
The Lateral Collateral Ligament or LCL runs from the bottom of the thigh bone to the top of the shin bone on the outside of knee joint.
Other Soft Tissue Injuries.
The soft tissues around the knee can also be injured.
Sports that involve twisting of the upper leg while the foot is planted on the floor may lead to a tear of the meniscus. The menisci are two crescent shaped discs of shock absorbing cartilage located between the bones of knee joint.
The patellar tendon is also known as the patellar ligament, and connects the kneecap to the thigh muscle. If the knee is bent too far back, this tendon may also tear.
Symptoms of Knee Injuries
The symptoms for most ligament injuries will be similar, these include:
· Pain
· swelling
· Instability
Complete rupture of the ACL, may cause a popping sound which in turn may lead to a snap inside the knee, as if the knee has given way.
Meniscus Injury will cause pain on either inside or outside of the knee joint. This will bring on swelling, the knee may lock or feel as if it’s catching or grinding.
Damage to the patellar tendon means the leg will be unable to straighten properly. This will then lead to knee pain, swelling and weakness.
Causes of Knee Injuries
If the knee receives an impact or a movement exceeding its usual range of movement, for example if you have a fall or land awkwardly this may result in such an injury.
· sports combining running, jumping and stopping with quick change
Of direction such as football rugby, tennis etc.
· pre-existing condition such as osteoarthritis.
· impact of the knee or Knees on the dashboard in a car accident will result in PCL damage and is called the “dashboard injury”.
Diagnosis of Knee Injuries
Chiropractors or Physiotherapists will examine the knee, only then will various tests will be undertaken to establish which ligament is injured.
MCL injuries: Chiropractors or Physiotherapists will find out how badly the ligament is damaged by testing the range of movement by moving the lower leg outwards while holding your upper leg still. There are three grades of knee injury.
· Grade 1 is a sprain.
· Grade 2 is a partial tear
· Grade 3 is a complete tear
ACL integrity is tested by a chiropractor, by pulling the lower leg forward with the thigh held still and the leg bent.
If a Chiropractor suspect’s injury to a PCL, they will check the range of movement in the knee and lower leg. X-rays are valuable in diagnosis of this particular injury.
There are four major ligaments in the knee: the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and two collateral ligaments. These ligaments work together to stabilize the knee during motion. The most commonly injured ligament is the anterior cruciate ligament with tears occurring on twisting or sporting activities such as netball, basketball, tennis and football. This ligament can also get injured as a result of direct blow to the knee such as those that occur in football or rugby.
An ACL tear usually occurs suddenly and is often accompanied by a “popping” sound. The tera will be accompanied by swelling of the joint that can last up to 1 hour. The movement of the knee will also be uncomfortable and joint would feel unstable. Physical examination performed by chiropractor would usually confirm the diagnosis. Magnetic resonance image (MRI) scan can also be used. In case of complete tears, the anterior cruciate ligament cannot repair itself and thus the ligament function is lost.
Meniscus injuries
There are two menisci in each knee. The menisci are the cartilages shaped like a crescent and positioned between thigh bone (femur) and knee bone (tibia). The menisci function as shock absorbers and stabilizers of the knee joint. The meniscus on the inside of the knee is medial meniscus and the outside of the knee is called lateral meniscus. The medial meniscus absorbs some of the load around 25% in the inner compartment and the lateral meniscus absorbs around half of the load in the outer compartment.
Meniscal Tears
The meniscal tear usually occurs when menisci are trapped between the moving bones of the femur and tibia. The menisci cartilage only gets blood supply to the outer third of the outer zone thus limiting ability to heal if torn. Most tears occur in the centre of the meniscus because this is the part of the meniscus that gets trapped between the moving bones. These inner tears and many of the outer tears do not heal.
Symptoms
Pain on the inside of the joint or behind the joint is the most common symptom of a meniscal tear. Meniscal tear can also be accompanied by catching and occasionally locking of the joint. Swelling always means there is something wrong inside the knee and is commonly associated with meniscal tears.
Knee Pain ligament injuries for further in depth information on knee pain and injury, please go to top left corner under “Pain” or “Conditions” and for Cold Laser Therapy please go to “Treatments”.
