Knee injuries are very common among people who are active. During sports play, an individual can sprain his knee or injure a ligament. Knee injuries can be painful and debilitating. Proper physical therapy is needed to help the knee heal and gain back the mobility that it once had.
Knee Ligament Sprains and Tears
There are four major ligaments in the knee which connect your thigh bone (femur) to your shin bone (tibia). These connective tissues provide strength and stability to your knee joint when your leg turns, pivots, and twists during sports play. A ligament can be injured when the knee is hit by a sudden impact. When the ligament is injured, it can no longer support your knee. Walking becomes painful and unstable.
A ligament sprain can happen when the leg suddenly over-twists. If the ligament is stretched too far, it can result in a sprain. This is common during a fall. The ligament can sustain a partial tear. This is when some of the fibrous connective tissue of the ligament or tendon is damaged or torn. A bad fall can result in torn ligaments.
If the fall or impact to the knee is severe enough, it can result in a full tear of the ligament. This is when the ligament is completely separated from the bone, or when the ligament is torn in two. This usually results in intense pain and an immediate weakness of the knee joint.
What Is An ACL Tear?
The rotation and backward/forward movement of the knee are controlled by the anterior cruciate ligament and posterior cruciate ligament, known as the ACL and PCL, respectively. The ACL covers the front of your knee bone, and the PCL covers the back of the knee bone. Injury to the ACL is the most common type of ligament tear.
When an athlete suddenly pivots and changes direction, this exerts a tremendous amount of force on the ACL. When the force is too much, the ligament tears. Sometimes a “pop” can be heard at the moment of injury. Swelling will occur at the front of the knee.
What is An MCL Tear?
The knee also has collateral ligaments that stretch along the sides of the knee. These control the sideway movements. These are the MCL and LCL, or medial collateral ligament and lateral collateral ligament, respectively. The MCL is on the inner side of the knee, and the LCL is on the outer side of the knee.
The MCL can tear when the knee is hit from the outside by a sudden impact, like when one player collides with another player. The knee is pushed to the side in an awkward way, and the MCL is overstretched, resulting in a tear. Swelling occurs on the inside of the knee.
Treatment
Both ACL and MCL tears are painful. Immediate treatment should keep the swelling down. Rest and application of ice packs right away can help. Keeping the leg elevated and using an elastic brace can stabilize the knee. Typically, ACL tears take longer to heal and often require surgery, followed by months of rehabilitation. MCL injuries usually heal faster, and rehab usually takes a couple of months.
Doing proper warm ups before sports play can help the ligaments stay limber and prevent injury. Leg exercises can keep the leg muscles strong. Wearing the proper kind of athletic shoes also helps in reducing knee injuries.
An experienced physical therapist can provide advice on how to stay active safely. He can create an exercise protocol that can help the individual get back on his feet and be active once again.