How to Tackle Knee Injury without causing further trouble to your knee

KNEE JOINT:
Knee joint is the most important and most complex joint of the body where three bones Femur,Tibia and Fibula meet with Patella to cover the joint face. The bones are joined by means of Ligaments and Cartileges where as Tendons to provide the Strength to the knee by interactig with Strong Muscles of Hamstring, Quadriceps and Calf. Knee helps a person to walk properly by bearing his weight and injury to it causes little to no locomotion.

LIGAMENT INJURY:
Ligament or soft tissue injury is the most gruesome of all because unlike the Bone Fractures, it can not be healed by itself if torn completely. There are four ligaments of the knee joint which helps it to create different postures and also protect the joint not to give away under stress or impact namely ACL, MCL, PCL and LCL. ACL tear is most common and most crucial of them all which is caused due to twist in the upper knee portion while keeping the below knee intact in its place.

MENISCUS INJURY:
Meniscus is the C- Wedge shaped hard rubber glove between the Femur and Tibia which serves the following purposes; 1) It helps the Tibia to glide smoothly on Femur so no friction or grinding which ultimately prevents Arthristis. 2) It absorbs the weight of the body and distributes to the Tibia and Femur properly without putting it to Fibula.

If the injury occurs to Lateral side of Meniscus then it can be difficult to heal because of minimal blood supply to it.
Condition ACL Knee Injury & Reconstruction (Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture) Torn Cartilage Knee Injury (Meniscus Tear) Runner's Knee (IlioTibial Band Friction Syndrome) LCL Knee Ligament Injury (Lateral Collateral Ligament Injury) MCL Knee Ligament Injury (Medial Collateral Ligament Injury) Osgood Schlatters (Osgoods) Knee Arthritis (Osteoarthritis of the Knee) (Knee Arthritis) Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD) (Loose Bone Fragments in the Knee Joint) Patella Fracture (Knee Fracture) (Broken Knee Cap) Jumpers Knee (Patella Tendonitis) (Patella Tendinopathy) Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (Anterior Knee Pain) (Patellafemoral Maltracking) (Chondromalacia Patella) PCL Tear (Posterior Cruciate Ligament Tear) Common Signs & Symptoms Pain Swelling Stiffness Weakness Instability Locking

WHAT TO DO IF KNEE IS INJURIED IN ACCIDENT

These steps are most optimized and most effective steps that should be taken to prevent any loss. These steps are designed on the basis of Experience and Observance of the Mistakes of the Specimen.

1) First of all when knee injury happens, yes you will be in deep pain I know but Pray to ALLAH at that very instant and ask of Forgiveness and health. Believe me if you pray with your heart and soul then Insha ALLAH you will not get any fatal inury. 2) After the injury, put ICE on the affected area and elevate your leg by putting Pillow or Something else underneath your ankle not the KNEE. 3) Dont Panic and Practice the RICE therapy. Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation 4) Dont dare to try limp walk as it will further cause damage. 5) Go to the hospital in Orthopedic section and tell complete history to doctor. He will ask you to do the X-Ray and if the X-Ray report is fine then ask the doctor to test the knee for possible ligament and Meniscus injury. There are actually three to four physical tests which can tell whether or not you have ligament or Meniscus injury. If the test is positive then ask whether or not MRI is necessary. If he says it is necessary then go for it otherwise not try to think about it. 6) For atleast 3 months, try the RICE therapy as it is very effective and help in reduction of Swelling and Pain. 7) Do not walk. Use Knee brace to go to Washroom and nothing else, the more you try to put weight more it will create problem. 8) Try to extend and Straight your leg as much as possible so to avoid Knee locking and stiffness. 9) In Ligament/Meniscus injury, person losses muscles quickly and it is a bad sign. So in order to strengthen muscles, try this exercise for 100 reps. www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb_2OVC4TuM 10) After a week, now try to bend your leg until it touches the thigh. (You will feel pain but you have to do it) 11) Try these exercises http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZspIJrWAgY 12) Also after two weeks when you feel less pain, try to exercise on the Static Bike. 13) After a month or two Insha ALLAH you will feel less pain and atleast will walk properly. 14) For the stability of knee in the initial stage, Knee brace is necessary. Try to wear OPPO knee protection brace easily available at big Medical shops like TIME medico. 15) If in your walk, you feel that the Knee is giving away and dont walk regularly and concentrate on above exercises for better recovery. 16) If after 3 months, you are still can not walk properly then go to the hospital for MRI scan and ask doctor what degree of tear you have. If it is first or second degree tear (Partial tear) then you can take a relief here and try to build your muscles by doing above exercises with 2kg weight. Curl bench is the best option available in almost every gym. 17) If your doctor says that you will need Surgery (in case of 3rd degree or Complete tear) then I will recommend you to please do keep these things in mind before going for a surgery as it will create a impact on your whole life: If you can walk properly then please do not go for Surgery

 If you can walk but with little bit pain then try to build your Hamstring, Calf and Quadriceps Muscles by doing these exercises either in Gym or in Home but dont for the Surgery. http://drmillett.com/downloads/rehab-protocols/acl-rehab-protocol.pdf If you can not even walk then and only then you can think for Surgery. One can ask why I am discouraging the patient for Surgery. In order to explain the reason first it is necessary to elaborate you the Surgery Procedure. FOR LIGAMENT SURGERY: The surgery procedure required for Ligament injury is called a Arthroscopic Ligament Reconstruction. For complete Surgery details go to http://www.arthroscopy.com/sp05018.htm FOR MENISCUS SURGERY: The surgery procedure required for Meniscus tear is called Menisectomy. In this procedure a arthroscopic camera is used to located the affected area and tools are used to remove and shave the meniscus. In General, it means to take the portion of your Meniscus out of the body. Is it right thing, I do not think so since loss of Meniscus will cause further cause Crackling, Popping in the side of the knee ,cause pain in Weight bearing and can develope the risk of Arthritis.For further details of Menisectomy, please refer to http://www.arthroscopy.com/sp05018.htm Now the major Post Operation complexities include; 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) Arthritis Patellar Tendoitis Screw Bumping and Pain Slow Healing of Patellar Tendon Ofen Crackling and Popping of Knee. About 6 to 8 months of Rehabilitation Loss of Motivation Cause injury to another knee because you are now putting more weight on unaffected knee 9) Pain in Ankle and leg. 10) No sleep due to uncomfort There is also a minimally invasive procedure which requires no Surgery but only small portions of injections onto the affected area to stimulate the rapid healing and recovery of torn ligaments and meniscus. This procedure is called Prolotherapy .It is not currently available in Pakistan. For complete details http://www.prolotherapy.com/