A knee injury can damage one part of the constituent structures of the knee. The parts that make up the knee, such as ligaments, cartilage, and bone.
Some of the injuries to the knee often obtained when someone exercising. ACL or anterior cruciate ligament is the most frequently affected.
When the knee is injured, it can causes pain, bruising, or swelling. These three things can suffer minutes after someone has a knee injury. Pinched nerve tissue or damage to the blood vessels are two conditions that commonly occur and cause pain.
Another result that normally generated due to a knee injury is numbness in the lower leg. Moreover, the lower legs may feel weak, cold, tingling, bluish or pale.
The cause of sudden knee injury can be caused by a direct impact on the knees. In addition, the knee can be injured as a footstool when twisting, fall, or bending the knees. A sudden knee injury commonly called acute knee injury.
Types of Knee Injuries
Because the knee is composed of various parts, the knee injury is also divided into different types. Below are some common knee injury:
- Sprain
Sprain is a knee injury on ligament . Ligaments itself is part of the knee that serves to unite all parts of the knee. A knee injury as a sprain subdivided into three based on the degree of damage to the ligaments.
- Knee Sprain level 1: knee remained stable, but no tearing of the ligaments. The pain may also arise in the ligaments.
- Knee Sprain level 2: knee instability causes mild impact because some ligaments fiber run into tear
- Knee Sprain level 3: severe damage on the knee because the ligament fibers actually suffered a severe tear.
- Bursitis
Other common knee injury is bursitis, which is irritation or infection that occurs in the knee or a fluid-filled sac called a bursa. Bursa itself works as a shock absorber to minimize friction between networks that form the knee, such as muscles and tendons around the joints. There are two major bursa in the knee, which is located on top of the kneecap and the other is located at the end of the tibia bone.
- Meniscus Tear
Meniscus injury occurs when there is damage inside the knee. Meniscus itself is the plural of the menisci, the semi-spherical pieces of cartilage that has a function as shock absorbers. Besides shock absorbers, this section serves as a fine cushion for the thigh bone or femur. This type of knee injury can occur due to overuse or naturally as aging.
- Strained hamstring
Strain in the knee occurs when the muscles around the knee or tendon is stretched due to over bend or overstretch when stretching. Apart from causing tremendous pain, it can also lead to disruption of the function of the knee, especially affects the movement flexibility.
- Kneecap/ Patella Dislocation
The kneecap or patella can can move forcibly to the side of the knee. Despite it is very painful, but this condition is not life threatening.
- Joint Dislocation
If the knee receive severe trauma, then the possibility of dislocation is very high. Trauma can occurs during exercise or when you get a traffic accident. This type of knee injury usually cause severe damage to all components of the knee. Damage can also hit the nervous system and blood vessels in the knee.
- Knee Fracture
Fractures in the knee is usually caused by a direct hit to the knee. Usually this is because when falling, the kneecap act as retainer to body weight. Fractures can also override the tibia because the sudden pressure to the knees, especially for those who already suffer from osteoporosis.
Another injury could happen to the knee is patellofemoral pain syndrome, commonly named as runner's knee. There is also an injury called patellar kondromalasia. The cause of both types of knee injury are repeated damage to the structure of the knee based on genetic as well as by moving the knee the wrong way during activity.
- Avoid excessive use of the knee joint. Resting the joints can give a good impact to reduce pain.
- Immediately stop whatever physical activity you are doing.
- Compress with ice water for 15 minutes every two hours to relieve the pain of swelling and internal bleeding.
- To prevent injury getting worse, bandage your knee.
- Lie down with the knees are above the body.
- Do not compress hot water or apply balm on injured joints.
- Do not consume alcohol because it can worsen the swelling and bleeding.
- Bleeding and swelling can get worse if you massage the injured area. Therefore, do not do massage on injured joints.
If the injury is severe and is not possibly heal on its own, contact a doctor or physiotherapist.
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