Knee ligament injuries can occur during sports or strenuous physical activity. This condition can cause various knee functions to be disrupted, making it difficult for the sufferer to walk. Therefore, action steps need to be taken immediately.
Ligaments are fibrous tissue that looks like elastic bands and acts as a connector between bones in the body. This tissue is found in various parts of the body, such as the shoulders, arms, and knees.
Knee ligaments are one of the tissues that determine body movement, including walking, running, and jumping. However, various things can overwork the knee and lead to knee ligament injury.
Causes of Knee Ligament Injury
Knee ligaments are prone to injury and can cause permanent changes in a person's ability to move. The injuries that are often experienced by these athletes can also be experienced by anyone, especially those who have the following conditions:
- Get pressure or a hard impact on the knee
- Rotate your knees with your feet still on the ground
- Transferring body weight from one leg to the other suddenly
- Spread your knees too far
- Jump and land with bent knees
- Stop running suddenly
Knee ligament injuries can cause sudden or painful pain when lifting heavy weights, swelling of the knee, a creaking sound from the injured knee, and a loose feeling in the knee joint.
To detect a ligament injury, the doctor will perform a physical examination and supporting examinations, such as X-rays and MRI. In some cases, the doctor will use a needle to suction and drain the blood in the swollen knee.
Management of Knee Ligament Injury
If not treated immediately, the impact of knee ligament injuries can be felt for months, even years later. Therefore, the injured ligament should not be ignored and immediately take steps to treat it. The following are some things you can do to speed up recovery:
- Compress the knee with ice cubes wrapped in a cloth for 20-30 minutes every 4 hours.
- Rest your knees and limit body movement.
- Place your knees on a pillow while lying down.
- Take pain relievers, if needed.
- Use a knee pad or bandage to limit the movement of the injured knee and prevent the injury from getting worse.
- Do stretching exercises to build muscle strength around the injured knee ligament.
In addition to some of the things above, the doctor will also recommend physiotherapy to restore the function of the injured knee. However, sooner or later the recovery period depends on the severity of the injury and the type of treatment given.
In some knee ligament injuries, such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) is torn, reconstructive surgery is required to recover. This ligament connects the femur to the tibia or shinbone.
ACL injuries are very common among all forms of sports injuries. This injury to the knee ligaments cannot be completely repaired and can only be reconstructed.
Reconstructive surgery has the opportunity to restore more than 80 percent of knee function. In other words, surgery is not able to restore the ability of the knee as it was before the injury.
In addition, reconstructive surgery carried out is also at risk of causing other health problems, such as infection and blood clots. After receiving treatment, do not rush back to activities until your knee shows the following signs:
- No more swelling
- The injured knee is as strong as the uninjured one
- No pain in the knee when walking, running, and jumping
- No pain when bending and straightening the knee
If you keep exercising even though your knee ligament injury hasn't fully healed, this can increase your risk of a permanent knee injury. Well, to prevent knee ligament injuries, there are several things you can do, namely:
- Warm up before exercising or doing activities.
- Do stretches regularly.
- Strength training regularly to maintain muscle flexibility.
- Avoid increasing the intensity of exercise suddenly.
If knee ligament injuries occur during sports or activities and do not improve immediately after resting, especially if the injury causes difficulty walking, knee swelling gets worse, or severe pain is unbearable, immediately consult a doctor for proper treatment.