If you’ve read our previous blog posts regarding knee pain, you will know that the knee is a complex joint with a variety of structures that can cause knee pain for various reasons. For our third and final blog post, we will be discussing trauma and, more specifically, highlighting the ligaments and menisci of the knee. This information is here to empower you with knowledge, take care of your body, and minimize the risk of injury.
What types of traumatic injuries occur?
When it comes to knee trauma, the most common types are injuries are ligament tearing or sprain, meniscal tearing or fraying, dislocations, or fractures. Knee fractures occur with a sudden trauma, as do dislocations, but dislocations can also occur with specific underlying predispositions. Traumatic injuries have two aspects. The first is sudden acute trauma and the second is repetitive microtrauma. The ligaments and menisci may undergo both types of traumas. For this post, we will be focusing specifically on the trauma of these two structures.
Firstly, when do we see these the most? Sports. Let’s go into more detail.
Ligament tears:
When there is ligament tearing it commonly affects one of the four primary ligaments, being the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), lateral collateral ligament (LCL), and medial collateral ligament (MCL). The most common way any of these ligaments are injured is with a sudden and forceful movement that has put excessive stress on the ligaments. These include sports-related injuries that normally high impact on the knees such as football, netball, skiing, or rugby. Trauma results from a direct blow to the knee such as a fall or motor vehicle accident. Overuse with specific activities, such as long-distance running, causes repetitive microtrauma resulting in a greater tear.
- The ACL is the most injured knee ligament. This normally occurs during activities that involve sudden stops, changes in direction, or pivoting motions.
- PCL is less common and often occurs because of a direct blow to the front of the knee or from hyperextension.
- The MCL is located on the inner side of the knee and is typically injured from a direct blow to the outer side of the knee.
- The LCL is located on the outer side of the knee and is less commonly injured than the MCL. These injuries typically result from a direct blow to the inner side of the knee.
Symptoms:
- Sudden pain
- Swelling – sudden onset
- Clicking or popping sound
- Reduced range of motion
- Feeling that the leg may ‘give way’.
This has the potential to be an exceptionally painful injury, but the degree of pain is proportional to the amount of tearing that has occurred. It can affect anyone of all ages and activity levels. It is important to know this information for early detection and proper treatment.
We’ll give an example. Angela has been playing netball multiple times per week for the past six years. It became a passion of hers at 16 years old and hasn’t looked back. She arrived at Chirolink a month ago suffering from severe knee pain. Two days before her appointment with us, she had stopped very suddenly during her match, hearing a pop, and feeling a searing pain in her knee. Since then, it has remained painful, accumulated a large amount of swelling, and had a significantly limited range of motion. After a physical examination, we determined that Angela had most likely sprained her ACL. This is a painful and tricky condition to navigate, but in our hands, we managed to assist her with recovery seamlessly. Later in this blog post, we will discuss her Chiropractic treatment.
Meniscus injury:
A meniscus injury is a prevalent type of knee injury. The knee has two menisci each. They are a C-shaped piece of cartilage located in the knee joint, serving as a cushion between the thigh bone (femur) and the shinbone (tibia). This type of injury generally occurs due to sudden trauma but can also occur with slow progressive degenerative changes with time.
The most common causes include –
Traumatic injuries: meniscus injuries often occur during sporting activities that involve sudden twisting or pivoting movements, such as soccer or basketball. Direct impact or forceful twisting of the knee can cause tears or strains in the meniscus.
Age and degeneration: as we age, the meniscus becomes more prone to degenerative changes. Over time, the cartilage weakens, making it more susceptible to tears or fraying even with minimal stress or movement.
Symptoms:
- Pain that is localized over the knee joint. It may be sharp or dull, depending on the severity of the injury.
- Swelling.
- Limited range of motion that may feel as if it is ‘locking’ or ‘catching’ during movement.
- Instability or feeling that it may ‘give way’.
Another example would be Dave , 24 years old and is a passionate player for his local football team. He arrived at Chirolink complaining of pain that felt as if it were coming from deep within the knee joint. Firstly, it had started one week before the appointment after hearing a popping sound when he quickly turned during a football game. The pain was made worse with turning movements and found he was struggling to fully straighten his knee. The swelling had been noticeably progressing over the week. It was one of those pains he was hoping would have faded with time but this time it wasn’t. after a thorough assessment, we determined that Dave had torn the meniscus in his left knee.
A key point to note is that ligament and meniscus injuries have mostly the same symptoms, but the speed of swelling and method of injury are the two differing factors. Another important fact to note is that these two injuries do commonly occur simultaneously.
These will be diagnosed with your Chiropractor after a physical examination. If a severe injury is suspected and with little response to conservative treatment, it may warrant further imaging (x-ray or MRI) and a specialist consultation.
These are two completely different causes of knee pain, with different diagnoses. We use our knees non-stop with walking. When there is any form of injury involved, there are immediate compensatory changes within the ankles, pelvis, and spine. To prevent overload of these joints, we use Chiropractic adjustments to ensure they are all moving properly to manage the added load better. The nervous system is highly complex and as Chiropractors we can tap into that ability and harness it to significantly reduce the healing time.
The last key point to remember is that we can reduce the risk of both injuries with a few simple steps. This includes strengthening exercises, proper sporting technique, and ensuring we warm up before activities and stretch afterwards.
To conclude our blog series, there are many different causes of knee pain. Some of which haven’t been mentioned in these blog posts at all. Each condition is different, and each person is different so if you are struggling with knee pain, book with us at Chirolink and we will be able to help.