How to recover quickly from a knee injury is a question that often interests not only athletes, but also fans of bicycles, regular and roller skates, snowboarding, skiing. One careless movement, and the mobility of the joint is limited, you feel discomfort, pain. If the injury is mild, it will be enough to reduce physical activity and make ice compresses for a few days. More serious injuries will require a professional approach, which will include surgery and rehabilitation.
Let us now dwell in detail on what knee injuries are the most common in practice. We will highlight the symptoms that will indicate the need to seek professional attention. We will describe how the treatment of a knee injury and rehabilitation after it can take place.
Knee injuries that occur most frequently
Considering the question of what kind of knee injuries there are, let’s highlight the most common varieties:
- Fracture. Any bone in the knee can be broken. Most often, as a result of a fall, the kneecap suffers. An increased risk is observed in people suffering from osteoporosis, because their bone density is reduced. If displacement is observed in the fracture, surgical intervention is indicated. When the bone has not moved from its place, then a fixator is applied, keeping the knee in an anatomically correct position. It is necessary to exclude loads on the leg and wait until the body recovers. If the injury occurred as a result of jumping on a straight knee, a CT scan of the entire leg is additionally performed to rule out the possibility of damage to the femur.
- Sprains. Most commonly seen in contact sports, car accidents. And here the bones are displaced, leaving the natural position. Often dislocation is accompanied by damage to nerves, tendons, blood vessels near the knee. In serious situations, surgical intervention is indicated. If the cup has moved out of place, the doctor will set it back and install a splint. Afterwards, fairly simple physical therapy exercises will be required to restore mobility of the knee.
- Meniscus injury. The meniscus is cartilage tissue that acts as a shock absorber in the joint. When it is damaged, stability is impaired and there is a problem with flexion and extension of the leg. Each step is accompanied by a characteristic click. Most often knee meniscus injury is diagnosed in dancers, athletes. To determine the presence of pathology, an X-ray or MRI is performed. In especially serious situations, the meniscus is removed operatively. If there is a displacement, the doctor corrects it and applies a splint or a cast, physiotherapy is prescribed. If meniscus damage is associated with age-related degenerative changes, the treatment program is developed jointly by a physiotherapist and an orthopedist.
- Tendinitis. This is an inflammatory process in the tendons that connect the cup of the knee and the lower leg. Its development is promoted by frequent microtraumas, excessive load. It is manifested by acute pain with physical exertion, unpleasant sensations when touching. The inflammatory process itself is mainly relieved by medication, but for the time of recovery about sports should be forgotten, betting on therapeutic exercise. Surgical intervention is performed only when pathological changes are detected in the tissues.
- Ligament tear, sprain. It is about damage to the soft tissues that connect muscles and bones. If the knee is injured, then the ligaments of the kneecap are affected. The cause of this can be accidental falls, sports activities. To understand whether there was a stretching of the ligaments of the knee or their rupture, X-rays, MRIs are made. Often the problem can be eliminated only by surgery. After surgical intervention, a cast is applied, and then rehabilitation measures are prescribed. Recovery here can be long.
Knee injuries: basic symptoms
Knee joint injury is a problem that can cause disability. If sufficient attention is not paid to its treatment and rehabilitation, irreversible consequences may develop. Bone and cartilage tissue have a low degree of regeneration. With age, this problem worsens, so people over 50 years of age rarely do without medical assistance.
The presence of trauma and its consequences negatively affect the quality of life of the patient, reduce the comfort of movement, cause problems in everyday life, self-care. To prevent this from happening, you should contact doctors when the following symptoms appear:
- swelling of the leg after a knee injury: also involves nearby tissues;
- inability to fully bend and straighten the knee;
- crunching during any movement;
- deformation of the bone visible to the naked eye;
- sensation of increased strain when carrying heavy objects;
- increase in local temperature;
- the presence of constant, aching pain, which is observed even in a sitting or lying position;
- loss of sensation in the knee area.
Symptomatology, level of painful sensations, intensity directly depend on the type of injury. But in any case it is necessary to consult a doctor. The earlier you do it, the lower the probability of complications, infectious processes. It is especially important not to delay a visit to the clinic for patients with weak immunity, those who have previously undergone surgery on the knee joints, children.
Initially, the doctor will conduct a visual diagnosis, examine and palpate the knee. Next, an X-ray is prescribed. He will allow to accurately determine the type of injury. If there are suspicions of a tear, you should undergo an MRI.
Factors that increase the risk of knee injury
The likelihood of knee injury will be higher in patients who have:
- Lack of muscle flexibility. Strong, well-trained muscles provide additional stabilization of joints, preventing joint mobility. Good tissue elasticity extends range of motion, minimizing tears, sprains.
- Overweight. It is the knee joints that suffer the most from it. And it is observed not only during sports. Enough of the usual walking, climbing stairs. Also, people with excess weight will more intensively destroy articular cartilage, which can cause osteoarthritis, osteoarthritis.
- Old injury. If your knee already hurts from an old injury and you hurt it again, the consequences can be much more serious.
Most often this problem is faced by people who are fond of basketball, downhill skiing, jogging, especially without special shock-absorbing shoes. In order not to launch the problem, it is necessary to consult doctors with a certain periodicity. So the damage to the joint can be detected as early as possible and begin treatment without waiting for the situation to worsen. And this is the key to a quick recovery from the injury.
Treatment of knee injuries: basic techniques
Treatment of knee ligament injury and other injuries is performed in different ways depending on the complexity of the situation. Mild cases involve taking medications, using therapeutic exercises, physical procedures. If the problem is serious enough, the doctor may prescribe:
- Metallosynthesis. It involves the installation of metal implants that will hold the bone fragments in an anatomically correct position. It is performed for intra- and periarticular fractures, including multiple fractures. It ensures correct bone fusion.
- Arthroscopy. A minimally invasive intervention that is performed using an arthroscope and a microvideo camera that is placed directly inside the joint through small incisions. Provides a quick recovery.
- Knee joint replacement. One of the most complex endoscopic surgeries involving total replacement of the damaged joint. It is necessary in case of improper bone fusion after a sports injury of the knee, severe arthrosis, arthritis, tissue necrosis, purulent inflammation, etc.
Quick recovery after knee injury: rehabilitation methods
Rehabilitation after a knee injury is a set of activities that will help:
- effective restoration of lost functions;
- rapid return to a normal, full life, restoration of basic household functions;
- improvement of the general physical condition of the organism, increase of muscle tone;
- prevention of repeated traumatization, etc.
The whole rehabilitation process takes from 2 to 8 weeks on average. It all depends on the complexity and severity of the pathology. So, recovery after a meniscus injury takes 2-4 weeks, the kneecap – 4-6 weeks, ligaments – 6-8 weeks.
Based on the clinical picture, the doctor will determine what LFC exercises after knee injury will be shown to this or that patient. So, along with therapeutic exercise, the following rehabilitation methods can also be used:
- kinesiotherapy: increases range of motion;
- chivamate therapy: reduces swelling;
- electrostimulation: improves muscle tone;
- Tecar therapy: improves local blood circulation;
- TENS therapy: has an analgesic effect;
- cryotherapy: hardens the tissues, provides tangible pain relief.
In some cases, knee massage may be indicated after an injury. But it should be performed only on the advice of a doctor and experienced professionals.
We offer to apply to the medical center “Prizma” in Kiev for professional and quick help. Our doctors will conduct a comprehensive diagnosis and help you choose the right treatment and rehabilitation for you. They will also tell you when you can start training after knee injury, what to emphasize and what to avoid to prevent negative consequences and ensure rapid recovery.
You can get advice over the phone or via online contact services.
