Dislocated Knee Aftercare

The knee joint comprises the thigh bone (femur), shin bone (tibia) and the kneecap (patella). These bones are attached to each other via tough bands of fibrous tissues that are referred to as ligaments. Menisci are pads of cartilaginous tissue that help in protecting the bones by reducing friction as one flexes, extends or rotates the knee. These pads also help in dispersing the weight of the body and reduce the stress on the joint. If any of the structures present in the knee get damaged due to repetitive strain or traumatic injuries, the knee can become unstable or even get dislocated. A dislocated knee, as the name suggests, is a medical condition wherein the bones that make up the knee joint fall out of place. This can affect the range of motion of the knee and affect one's ability to walk. As is the case with most health issues, a timely treatment is extremely important in order to restore the normal range of motion of the knee. While corrective surgery may be required to relocate the dislocated knee bones, following dislocated knee aftercare measures are also an extremely important part of the treatment. Given below is some information on the causes and symptoms of a dislocated knee along with treatment options.

Dislocated Knee: Causes and Symptoms

Before I move on to dislocated knee aftercare and recovery, let me tell you about the causes and symptoms of a dislocated knee. A dislocated knee is usually a direct result of a traumatic injury. A dislocated knee could be caused due to an accident, fall from a height or a sports injury. Those who participate in high speed contact sports are most likely to suffer from injuries that may lead to a knee dislocation. Structural abnormalities of the knee could also make one more susceptible to knee injuries. Those suffering from joint conditions such as knee arthritis or osteoporosis are also a great risk of suffering from knee dislocation. A knee dislocation is classified into anterior, posterior, medial, lateral or rotatory. It is the direction of the dislocation of the tibia or the shin bone that forms the basis of this classification.

The term knee dislocation must not be confused with subluxation or patellar dislocation. One is diagnosed with a dislocated knee if the thigh bone gets detached from the shin bone. Patellar dislocation, which is also referred to as the kneecap dislocation, occurs when the V-shaped patella that sits in the concave groove of the thigh bone, slips out of its groove at the end of the thigh bone. Subluxation is a condition wherein the knee slips from its position due to damage to a ligament. Subluxation is less serious as the knee usually slips back into the original position. On the other hand, a dislocated knee would have to be repositioned with the help of surgery. Most of the time, knee dislocation may be accompanied by damage to the cartilage or the anterior or the posterior cruciate ligaments. The symptoms of a dislocated knee include pain, tenderness, swelling, bruising or numbness in the lower leg. The knee may also look deformed.

Dislocated Knee: Treatment

If one experiences the aforementioned symptoms, one must consult a doctor immediately. An X-ray examination can help doctors ascertain whether the knee has been partially or completely dislocated. Dislocated knee treatment will depend on the extent of damage to the knee. In case of a mild injury to the knee, following the RICE principle will certainly prove beneficial. RICE stands for rest, ice, compression and elevation. While rest is obviously important in order to allow the damaged ligaments or cartilage to heal, applying ice packs can reduce the swelling. Wearing a compression wrap or a knee brace will also prevent the knee from bending and will therefore, promote healing. Keeping the affected leg elevated will also help in reducing the swelling. Painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs or steroids may also be prescribed. An elaborate treatment will be required if the diagnostic tests indicate considerable damage to the ligaments, cartilage or the nerves. First of all, vascular or nerve injuries need to be attended to. The next step involves reconstruction of the ligaments and cartilage. Once ligament, cartilage or meniscus tears are repaired, and the affected knee has been relocated, one will have to follow precautions regarding dislocated knee aftercare so as to speed up dislocated knee recovery. One may have to wear a cast for a couple of months to keep the affected knee immobilized. This is to promote faster healing and prevent any further damage.

Dislocated Knee Aftercare and Healing Time

Dislocated knee recovery time depends on a variety of factors. If the patient adheres to the guidelines given by doctors and follows the aftercare measures religiously, he/she may recover quickly. In the first couple of months when the affected knee is immobilized, the stress is on preventing any damage and promoting healing. During this time, the patient must use crutches and avoid putting weight on the affected leg. One must refrain from any activity that may put strain on the affected knee. Once the ligaments and cartilage have healed considerably, there is a need to strengthen the muscles and regain the normal range of motion. This can be achieved by going for physiotherapy sessions and performing rehabilitation exercises suggested by the physiotherapist. It is extremely important that the knee is reconditioned well. One should resume weight-bearing activities or indulge in physical activities such as running or playing a sport, only after getting the clearance from the doctor. One may take about four to six months to recover from a dislocated knee, but if one neglects the aspect of dislocated knee aftercare, one may take longer to recover and may not even be able to recover the normal range of motion.

Complying with the dislocated knee aftercare measures is a very important part of the dislocated knee treatment. While it is important to prevent damage to the knee and let the damaged cartilage and ligaments heal during the early stages of rehabilitation, it is important to regain the motion of the knee as well. Those who don't follow the self care measures may later be plagued by the serious issues of knee instability and may find it hard to flex, extend or rotate the knee effortlessly.

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!

Knee Popping but No Pain

We all have heard our knee joints popping at some point or the other, but have we even stopped for a second and wondered what may be causing it? I believe not, not unless we experience some form of pain along with the pop. This noise usually occurs when we bend out knees suddenly. For instance the other day, I bent down to pick up a pen which had fallen off my hand and I heard my left knee popping. Quite irritating if you ask me, after all it isn't normal and it shouldn't happen to young people. Of course it is often believed that the older you get, your tendons, ligaments and muscles tend to weaken, which may explain this strange phenomenon. None the less, why would a normal healthy person be going through the same? This article will find out what's causing knee popping but no pain.

Causes for Knee Constantly Popping

Joint Cavitation
Cavitation in the joints means that small air bubbles which form in the knee joints and in the synovial fluid. This fluid is responsible for protecting the articular cartilage of the joints from creating friction by rubbing against each other. When the two parts of the synovial joints get further apart from each other than normally permissible, the space between the two expands. This space cannot be covered by the limited quantity of synovial fluid already present in the joints.

This results in the carbon dioxide (CO2) being released from the synovial fluid, which goes on to occupy the empty space and thus causes air bubbles. It is these bubbles which make the popping sound when ever we bend our knees suddenly.

Patella Imbalance
The patella is also known as the knee cap. It's main function is to protect the underlying knee tissues from injury and infection. Also sometimes, dehydration, too little exercise to too much of it can weaken the patellas and other parts of the knee. The knee cap may get pulled to one side due to sudden and unexpected leg movement.

For instance when we lose balance and fall down on our knee, the patella may get displaced slightly. While this displacement usually causes a lot of pain, many a times the shift is very minor and may result in air getting trapped in the free space in the knee. This will thus cause popping sounds when you use your knee.

Strenuous Workouts
Many athletes have complained of their knee joints popping. The reason could be an imbalance in the fluids within the knees, because the space between the surfaces of the bones, cartilages and ligaments is constantly being exerted and stretched. Therefore there is more and more vacuum being created and more air bubbles being formed. In this case more blood circulation will be needed so as to strengthen the leg muscles.

If the legs are strong, they will absorb some of the excess pressure while exercising. Since the fluid is less and the gases are more in the knee, slight circular massages and warm oil therapy will help lubricate the tissues. This will reduce the friction and the air bubbles. As long as there is no pain along with the sound cracking, this condition poses no threat and should not be a cause of concern.

Weight Issues
A fact undisputed, is that if you are overweight, your entire body mass is held up by your lower body, which is inclusive of your knees. So if this is the case, may be the clicking knee sound is somewhat like your knees complaining aloud that you need to lose some weight. You may try shedding some of the body weight through simple and less strenuous exercises. Eating healthy and drastically cutting down on fatty foods, will make the job faster and safer. For those who have been trying to lose weight and have been hearing their knee pop, they must see to it that they keep their body well aligned.

Do not apply excessive pressure on your knee tendons, as they will become weaker and more abused, as compared to the other parts of the body. Try wearing sports shoes which have excellent soles and support, so that there is a cushion which absorbs some of the pressure while exercising.

Knee Popping with Pain

As I mentioned before, as long as there is no pain, you'll be alright. However there are many people who have been suffering from slight or acute pain and knee popping sound when walking or while climbing up the stairs. If you too have felt the same, you need to get your knees checked as soon as possible. The reason being that, there is definitely something not right and which needs looking after. Following are some of the reasons for this condition:

    * Chondromalacia Patella
    * Damaged cartilage
    * Inflammation in ligament or tendon
    * Arthritis
    * Osteoporosis

You still do not need to worry, as this condition can be easily rectified through proper treatment. This can happen to people of all age groups starting from young adults as old as 15 and above. Among youngsters the reasons can be because of over exerting the knees during games, cycling and workout. It could also be due to injuries or sprains in the knee.

Among older people, calcium deficiency can lead to osteoporosis which eventually causes the bones to become rather porous. This results in more air bubbles getting trapped in the joints. Hopefully now you know, why there is knee popping but no pain in your case and what all may be causing the pain if any.