Thursday 2 June 2011

Twisted Knee

During activities such as walking, running, sports practice, dance practice or if you stumble upon any object while walking, it may injure your knee and if the injury is more severe, it may cause sliding of the bone located in the knee joint. It is one of the most common leg injuries and can be cured easily if the treatment is started in time and the due care is taken. A sprain can be defined as wrenching of the ankle, whereas strain can be defined as deformation of the body under application of the force. In case of knee injuries, sprain is much severe than strain. There are certain knee related medical conditions which are caused due to sprain or strain on the knees. Acute knee injuries are categorized into twisted knee or torn ligaments, anterior cruciate ligaments, torn meniscus and knee fracture. Overuse knee injuries include knee bursitis, knee tendonitis and muscle sprain.

Twisted Knee Causes and Symptoms

In case of a knee getting twisted, the most commonly damaged ligament is ACL or anterior cruciate ligament situated in the center of the knee. Twisted knee or sprained knee occurs due to overstretching of the ligament during sports activity or injury. During the injury, you can notice a popping sound, in case of twisted knee. The most common twisted knee symptoms include, bruising, inflammation, knee pain on movement, along with stiff knee. Tenderness in the knee is also observed. Activities like walking or pressure on the leg due to movement are painful and unstable. Twisted knee is caused due to sliding of the bones in the knee joint.

To evaluate the degree of damage, a simple physical examination for knee pain diagnosis can be done. Press the knee gently to feel the pain. You can feel a little tenderness in the knee. Try to move your knee left and right and up and down. You will notice a little soreness while doing the movement. This indicates a twisted knee. Twisted knee and no swelling indicates comparatively lighter injury of grade 1 and is characterized by tenderness of the knee. If the knee appears a little hot on touching, or discolored, inflamed or bruised, along with pain on sustaining any weight, see the doctor immediately. Inflammation indicate severe damage. To alleviate the discomfort due to knee problem, apply ice pack on the knee for temporary relief. It will reduce the inflammation and twisted knee pain for some time.

Treatment for Twisted Knee

The treatment for twisted knee injury is termed as RICE, which is an acronym for rest, ice, compression and elevation. Rest includes avoiding movements which will put stress on your knee and avoiding exercises which involve running or walking and leg instruments in the gym. While walking, you could use a cane, to avoid pressure on the knee. Ice bag application helps reduce inflammation. Wrap ice bag in a fabric and apply on the twisted knee for approximately 20 minutes and repeat 7-8 times a day. Compression includes pressing the knee with an elastic bandage. Make sure that you do not compress the knee too tight, as it will obstruct the blood flow. Knee braces also work for gentle knee compression. Elevate your knee for few times a day for a few days, till the pain subsides. Follow the RICE treatment for 5-6 days. If the leg pain and inflammation still persists, the degree of damage would be severe and the doctor needs to decide the treatment and medication. If soreness alleviates within 4-5 days of RICE treatment, it's time to do some mild strengthening exercises of the tendons. Fix a weight bag to the ankle, make sure that the weight is sustainable and try to lift or raise your foot, while sitting. Repeat this knee exercise for 10 times each in the morning, noon and evening. Do the same exercise, trying to move the knee to the left and right, as well. This gentle exercise works best for tendon strengthening.

This was about twisted knee injury, its symptoms, causes and treatment. If the pain and discomfort does not alleviate within 4-5 days of the RICE treatment, rush to the doctor and start the treatment in time, else it can cause further complications. Stay fit!

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