Torn Ligament in Knee

There are four major ligaments which make up our knee and impart a solid strength to them. These strong elastic bands of tissue connect two bones to each other. These knee ligaments are extremely crucial as they are the weight bearing parts of our knees. Any injury or discomfort to this ligament can be really painful and can limit our mobility. Unfortunately quite a few of us have been through a ligament injury and for those who have not experienced it, there is no guarantee that it would not happen. Of course this is not to scare you, it is just to tell you the truth. So let us check out all about torn ligament in knee in the form of questions you might have about it.

How do I Recognize a Torn Ligament in Knee?

Several prominent torn ligament in knee symptoms can tell a person if he or she has torn a ligament in his or her knee. These are;

Popping Sound
One of the major indicators of a torn ligament is a popping sound or a 'snap' at the spot of the tear. The ligament which is torn, also may give away if a lot of weight is put on it. Actually what happens is that the ligament fibers are pulled apart, leading to a snap or a popping sensation.

Pain
Undoubtedly, pain is the most obvious result of a ligament being torn or in fact any injury. Be it a partially torn ligament or a completely torn ligament, pain is a consequence. Although the severity and the grade of pain will depend upon how severe the injury is. If the ligament injury is severe, it is going to cause extreme pain.

Swelling and Bruising
Torn ligament in knee, which is mostly associated with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), leads to swelling and bruising at the spot of injury. Soft tissue irritation in the concerned area and the surrounding muscle tissue leads to swelling. As a result of this, our body reacts by increasing the blood circulation and fluid flow in the affected area. This increases the swelling and causes bruising in and around the area where the ligament is torn and eventually it leads to bruising.

Instability and Limited Movement
As knees bear our weight, an injury like this is going to affect the range of our movement. An ACL tear hampers the normal joint functions as it affects the normal muscle action and strength across it. The joint then becomes unstable and weak. If the torn ligament is in a very severe state then the person may not even be able to move the knee. Sometimes the affected part may even get numb in addition to knee pain.

What is the Treatment for Torn Knee Ligament?

Torn ligament in knee treatment depends on how serious the injury is. If the injury is not very serious, then it can be dealt with at home. Sportsmen generally are seen to be suffering from this condition. The treatment involves;

Rest/Protection
It is important not to strain the torn ligament further, so give it as much rest as possible. You do not want to worsen things, do you?

Ice pack
This works well to prevent swelling in the injured area. Ice also helps normalizing the blood circulation and prevents swelling and inflammation if applied immediately after sustaining injury. Have either an ice bag or make a pack keeping ice cubes in a towel to avoid direct exposure of skin to ice and avoid skin irritation. Apply this for not more than 20 minutes at a time to avoid further damage to the ligaments of the knee.

Compression
Compression too helps in faster healing of knee. The joint can be compressed by bandaging and thus giving it support. It also reduces the swelling.

Pain killers
Mild non steroidal anti inflammatory pain killers can also be used in consultation with a doctor. That will help reduce swelling and contribute to overall recovery too.

Elevation
Elevating your knees at the level of your heart will further help in the recovery of torn ligament in knee.

A last resort, with regards to an ACL or a Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) tear is surgery. Torn ligament in knee surgery may be required if there is a serious rupture of the ligament and more than one ligament or tissue has been damaged. In case the anterior cruciate ligament is injured, even then surgery would be required for, especially if you are a lot into sports. It would also be required if there is a torn cartilage in knee.

Exercising properly and doing a good warm up before workout will help in preventing torn ligament in knee. I hope you have found all your answers related to that! This is where I sign off! Take care!

Tendons in the Knee

In this article I shall elaborate mainly on the tendons of the knee. The tendons of the knee form an intricate network that helps in proper movement of knee joints. Along with this, the ligaments and bones play a key role to bring out proper muscular coordination. With age, the tendons gradually lose strength and become brittle. The elasticity is also reduced causing terrible knee pain. This condition is often faced by middle aged people and the medical terminology for inflammation of knees is known as knee tendonitis.

Let's come back to the subject matter, i.e tendons of the knee. The anatomy of knee is very complex, being the largest joint of the body. Ligaments (get the details of ligaments of the knee) and tendons in the knee form the connecting junctions of bones to bones or bones to muscle. There are four major ligaments present in the knee joints. They are

    * Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL)
    * Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL)
    * Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)
    * Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL)

These three joints help in connecting either the interior (MCL, LCL) or the exterior (ACL, PCL) portions of the bones, which are of three types, the femur, patella and tibia. Muscles and tendons in the knee are interconnected with each other. Muscles surround the joints and are divided into three categories, namely the sartorius, the quadriceps and the patella. Contraction of knee is brought about by the hamstring muscles. Tendons are present at the end of muscles providing attachment with the bones. While describing the anatomy of a knee, we cannot miss out the cartilage tissues. The two types of cartilage present inside our knees are fibrocartilage and articular cartilage. Fibrocartilage, also known as meniscus makes the knees more congruent and offers protection from shock and injuries. Articular cartilage reduces friction between bones during movement. The structure of tendons shall be explained in following segment.

Tendons in the Knee: An Overview

As we have already said that tendons in the knee play an important role in connecting the muscles to the bones. The structure of tendons have been divided into 4 types. The four different types of tendons carry out specific functions. Described below are the different types of tendons.

Quadriceps Tendon
Attachment of the four quadriceps muscles (vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, rectus femoris) to the patella is brought about by the quadriceps tendon. Quadriceps help in extension of knee muscles. It's also a fact that quadriceps tendons are most vulnerable to tendonitis giving rise to a sprained knee.

Patellar Tendon
Patellar tendon is also known as patellar ligament since it is present between two bones. Patellar tendon provides attachment of tibia with the patella through the tibial tubercle. The average width of patellar tendon is 30 mm wide. It completes the attachment of quadriceps to lower legs quite effectively. Patellar tendonitis is very common among athletes.

Illiotibial Band
As the name suggests, this is a very long tendon that attaches tensor fascia latae muscle (TFL) to the knee, preferably on the lateral side. TFL provides medial rotation of the tibia. It's also known as hip abductor. Extension or flexing of knee pushes the muscle above the illiotibial band on the top of the fibula. Tightness of this tendon causes knee irritation and inflammation. Injury of illiotibial band is known as friction syndrome.

Hamstring Tendon
The last part of the knee tendon is known as hamstring tendon, running posterior portion of the thigh. Hamstring tendons are also known as knee flexors. Hamstring tendonitis, because of its position, is more often injured while swimming, playing badminton, basketball, tennis and soccer. It is present at the juncture of tibia and fibula running along the lateral and medial sides of the knee.

Knee Tendonitis: An Overview

Sports persons are always on the higher risk of developing knee tendonitis. Inflammation of knee muscles is a very painful condition that restricts movement of knees for time being. The joints swell causing redness (get some more info on knee pain causes). A sharp pain is experienced while trying to bend the knee, i.e while descending or ascending on stairs. Home remedies are carried out with ice compress and light physiotherapy exercises for knee pain. An X-ray is always suggested to know the intensity of the injury. Pain killers and treatment considerably subside the pain.

I hope the framework and structure of the tendons in the knee is now clear to you. However, if you are regularly engaged into sportive activities, be a little careful while performing the moves in order to avoid injury.

Unhappy Triad Injury

Knee is the largest joint in a human body. It comprises of femur (lower end of thighbone) and a knee cap (patella) which fits into the groove perfectly on one end of femur through a sliding mechanism. A knee also contains ligaments which aid in controlling motion by bracing joints against abnormal types of motion. Between the femur and the tibia (upper end of shinbone), there is a structure known as meniscus. This structure is constituted of soft cartilage between femur and tibia and absorbs any shock during leg movements. So when there is an injury to knee, a sudden knee pain is bound to be felt.

A torn ligament in knee could be one of the knee pain causes. However, when three structures of the knee, ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), MCL (medial collateral ligament) and medial meniscus get affected by an external injury, the term coined for such a condition is unhappy triad injury. Let's understand the causes for this unhappy triad knee injury.

What is the Unhappy Triad Injury?
The unhappy triad injury is an aggregation of three types of knee injuries that are explained below. Since this knee injury involves a meniscus tear, an ACL tear and an MCL tear, the name unhappy triad is given to it. Let's understand each of these injuries in detail.

ACL Tear: The anterior cruciate ligament tear is very painful and the most crucial of all knee injuries. This ligament helps in balancing of legs. When there is an ACL tear, the person might experience a knee pain and inability to walk properly (occasionally buckling away).

Meniscus Tear: The second of the unhappy triad, meniscus tear involves tearing of the fibrocartilage in the knee joint, thereby reducing the resistance of the knees (since meniscus aids in cushioning the knee bone and reducing friction in bones). Medial meniscus tear can cause inflammation in the knee causing meniscus pain. Some popping sensations can also be felt in the knee.

MCL Tear: The unhappy triad is completed by the tear of the medial collateral ligament which runs along the inside of the knee. This ligament is responsible for providing stability to the knee joint. Symptoms of pain, decreased range of motion and instability indicate an MCL tear.

What Causes the Unhappy Triad?
The unhappy triad knee injury is an outcome of stressful and rigorous sports activities like football and rugby. When a blow is inflicted on the outside of the knee of an athlete (who is in stance position with feet on ground), chances of this unhappy triad injury are maximum. The ACL tear and meniscus tear can occur simultaneously during a plant and turn movement in the game. When the knee, after the first injury continues to move along the same path. The ACL tears further causing the knee to shift. Consequently, the femur and tibia compress against the meniscus causing the soft fibrocartilage to tear. And an external blow on the same spot adds to the MCL tear.

Prominent symptoms felt post unhappy triad injury are swelling in the knee with a bruise around it, severe knee pain, instability (this happens as tibia and femur slide against each other) and rupture in the triad ligaments.

Unhappy Triad Injury Treatment
The most painful part of the unhappy triad injury is the ACL tear. It can be treated only with surgery. A person having undergone this injury can take even months to recuperate completely. Reconstructing the ACL is the primary goal in the surgery after which the MCL tear and meniscus tear gradually start to heal. The unhappy triad recovery time can range between 6-9 months depending on the seriousness of the injury. Post surgery, knee braces can be used for prophylactic reasons. Many athletes use knee braces for running. This will reduce the probabilities of occurrence of this injury.

Unhappy triad injury is definitely a painful condition for players. But with a lot of surgical treatments and proper knee care, such conditions do recover quite fast. So next time, when indulging in physically engaging sport activities, if there is a sharp knee pain and instability felt while walking, do not ignore the symptoms! Check with the doctor at the earliest! Hope this article, on unhappy triad knee injury, was informative!