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When ligaments in the knee are torn or ruptured due to impact sports and accidents, a cruciate ligament injury may result. The cruciate ligament injury may affect either or both of the anterior and/or posterior ligaments which connect the thigh bone to the shin bone. A person or athlete suffering cruciate ligament injury experiences pain, swelling and instability on the knee. Treatment also ranges from conservative medications to surgery, depending on how damaged the ligaments were.
What Posterior and Anterior Ligaments Do
Both posterior and anterior ligaments function as connective tissues for the adjoining bones, in this case, the hip and shin bone. Both ligaments help provide stabilization to the knee – the anterior ligament prevents the forward movement of the tibia, while the posterior ligament prevents the backward movement. Both posterior and anterior ligaments form an "X" inside the knee, and these two manage the forward and backward knee motions.
Why do Cruciate Ligament Injuries Occur?
There are several reasons why cruciate ligament injuries occur, but the main reason why they are so painful and sometimes disabling is because the knees are forced forward or backward beyond their normal capacities. When the knees are overextended, this results to either partial tear of the ligaments, or in severe cases, total rupture.
Cruciate ligament injuries occur in several scenarios, but the most common among them is in sports. Athletes who are most prone to this type of injury are basketball, football and soccer players. People who are involved in skiing are also prone to cruciate ligament injuries.
Aside from sports, other instances where cruciate ligament injury may be incurred is when extreme force has been directly applied into the knees or when a person pushes his knees against something very hard very suddenly, say in a vehicle accident.
Symptoms for Cruciate Ligament Injury
Athletes may hear an audible "pop" at the moment of injury, followed by pain and swelling within the next several hours. The patient may not be able to stand up and move his knees. This instability may also be accompanied by a feeling of knees giving in.
The inflammation of the knees may subside in a week or two, although the patient may still feel weak and unstable. Bruises may appear, but not at all times. The bruises are caused by blood clots forming on the surface of the skin.
Diagnosing Cruciate Ligament Injury
If the patient feels pain in the knees after a fall, accident or any painful contact while playing sports, he should see a doctor right away. However, if the knees are swollen, the doctor may not be able to draw out the correct diagnosis yet. Once the inflammation has subsided, the doctor will conduct a clinical and visual check up the knees. An MRI scan may further help draw out correct diagnosis, while an XRAY procedure will help assess if there have been damages to the bones.
Treatment and Rehabilitation Program for Cruciate Ligament Injury
If possible, the patient must stop any sport or activity upon hearing a popping sound on his knees, followed by severe pain and instability. A sports health professional or doctor should look into the injury right away and apply first aid treatment.
PRICE (protection, rest, ice, compression and elevation) should be administered for the next 72 hours. The patient must rest his injured knee in an elevated position to prevent blood from pooling into the injured area as well as incurring further damages. Ice wraps will help numb the pain and reduce the inflammation, but they should never be applied directly into the skin. Compressing the area for 10 minutes at a time will also provide relief for both pain and inflammation. Crutches and ACL braces may be recommended for patients if they need to be mobile.
A physical therapist will aid in the rehabilitation of the injured knee. Depending on the severity of the damage, the physical therapist will work with the patient for range-of-motion, stability, flexibility and stretching exercises.
While there's really no foolproof way of protecting your knees against cruciate ligament injury, it is important to talk to your doctor or physical therapist should you engage in demanding sports and activities. It is also best to continually integrate knee flexibility and strengthening exercises into your physical routine, whether you've had knee injuries in the past or not.
When ligaments in the knee are torn or ruptured due to impact sports and accidents, a cruciate ligament injury may result. The cruciate ligament injury may affect either or both of the anterior and/or posterior ligaments which connect the thigh bone to the shin bone. A person or athlete suffering cruciate ligament injury experiences pain, swelling and instability on the knee. Treatment also ranges from conservative medications to surgery, depending on how damaged the ligaments were.
What Posterior and Anterior Ligaments Do
Both posterior and anterior ligaments function as connective tissues for the adjoining bones, in this case, the hip and shin bone. Both ligaments help provide stabilization to the knee – the anterior ligament prevents the forward movement of the tibia, while the posterior ligament prevents the backward movement. Both posterior and anterior ligaments form an "X" inside the knee, and these two manage the forward and backward knee motions.
Why do Cruciate Ligament Injuries Occur?
There are several reasons why cruciate ligament injuries occur, but the main reason why they are so painful and sometimes disabling is because the knees are forced forward or backward beyond their normal capacities. When the knees are overextended, this results to either partial tear of the ligaments, or in severe cases, total rupture.
Cruciate ligament injuries occur in several scenarios, but the most common among them is in sports. Athletes who are most prone to this type of injury are basketball, football and soccer players. People who are involved in skiing are also prone to cruciate ligament injuries.
Aside from sports, other instances where cruciate ligament injury may be incurred is when extreme force has been directly applied into the knees or when a person pushes his knees against something very hard very suddenly, say in a vehicle accident.
Symptoms for Cruciate Ligament Injury
Athletes may hear an audible "pop" at the moment of injury, followed by pain and swelling within the next several hours. The patient may not be able to stand up and move his knees. This instability may also be accompanied by a feeling of knees giving in.
The inflammation of the knees may subside in a week or two, although the patient may still feel weak and unstable. Bruises may appear, but not at all times. The bruises are caused by blood clots forming on the surface of the skin.
Diagnosing Cruciate Ligament Injury
If the patient feels pain in the knees after a fall, accident or any painful contact while playing sports, he should see a doctor right away. However, if the knees are swollen, the doctor may not be able to draw out the correct diagnosis yet. Once the inflammation has subsided, the doctor will conduct a clinical and visual check up the knees. An MRI scan may further help draw out correct diagnosis, while an XRAY procedure will help assess if there have been damages to the bones.
Treatment and Rehabilitation Program for Cruciate Ligament Injury
If possible, the patient must stop any sport or activity upon hearing a popping sound on his knees, followed by severe pain and instability. A sports health professional or doctor should look into the injury right away and apply first aid treatment.
PRICE (protection, rest, ice, compression and elevation) should be administered for the next 72 hours. The patient must rest his injured knee in an elevated position to prevent blood from pooling into the injured area as well as incurring further damages. Ice wraps will help numb the pain and reduce the inflammation, but they should never be applied directly into the skin. Compressing the area for 10 minutes at a time will also provide relief for both pain and inflammation. Crutches and ACL braces may be recommended for patients if they need to be mobile.
A physical therapist will aid in the rehabilitation of the injured knee. Depending on the severity of the damage, the physical therapist will work with the patient for range-of-motion, stability, flexibility and stretching exercises.
While there's really no foolproof way of protecting your knees against cruciate ligament injury, it is important to talk to your doctor or physical therapist should you engage in demanding sports and activities. It is also best to continually integrate knee flexibility and strengthening exercises into your physical routine, whether you've had knee injuries in the past or not.
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