Knee Sprain
Knee Sprain what is it? This is an injury which is most common in people who play sports which put high levels of stress on the knees, i.e., alpine skiers,soccer players and in judo contestants. A musuloskeletal injury (knee sprain) can range from a mild tear to a completely torn ligament in the knee. One common way to tear the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee is when direct force is applied to the front of the leg while in a stable position, a good example for this is when a soccer player is tackled from the side.
Studies have shown that women are more prone to ACL injuries than men. This has been suggested that the sexes anatomy are different from muscles strength,muscle contraction and training techniques.
Knee Sprain Prognosis
ACL injuries are often heard by the sound of popping, signs of knee swelling and a wobbly sensation. Knee pain also given you an indication of an ACL injury and can range from mod to intense. If the activity that is being undertaken is continued the knee sprain could lead to immense cartilage damage and an increased chance that osteoarthritis will develop later on in life.
Knee Sprain What to Except
Caused when the person reduces speed to quick and then turns sharply. Another factor which can cause ACL is heavy or twisting of the knee on landing. This can be seen sports like netball and basketball. This force on landing is directed up the tibia to the knee it’s self and results in the tibia sliding forward of the femur.
Diagnosis of a ACL
As mentioned above the tell-tell sound of popping with Knee Sprain Swelling and intense pain when the leg is bent or the knee locks up on movement.
But the most accurate form of diagnosis of a knee sprain is by MRI scan, more accurate than a clinical examine.
There are 3 types of clinical examine which can be used:
1. The pivot-shift test.
2. Anterior drawer test.
3. Lachman test
Prevention
Neuromuscular training to enhance proprioception, your balance along with movement training and muscle development. All this has been shown to reduce the chance of a knee sprain from 20% to 80%.
Treat a Knee Sprain
stabilizing the knee to the extended position and to have the muscles around the knee relaxed, having strong muscles in this area can help a lot. Fluids can also help with the muscle strengthen process.
Using ice to reduce the swelling of the knee sprain in the first few hours can help,along with the use of pain killers to ease the pain. R.I.C.E is the most effective form of treatment to reduce swelling
Other treatments include physical therapy and the use of a knee brace but if the knee sprain is severe then surgery would be an option.
Once surgery has been completed the person then enters a Knee Sprain Rehabilitation program which has 6 phases and this program can last much as 3 to 6 months but this all depends on the surgeon.