Ligaments and Knee Injuries

Ligaments Fibrous, usually stretchy bands of connective tissue that link one bone to another

Purpose of Ligaments Besides joining together ends of bones, ligaments serve several other important purposes: Provide stability to a joint during movement Control range of motion Restrict excessive movements to make it difficult to hyper-extend Can prevent movements in certain directions Support some internal organs such as the uterus and the bladder

Ligament Injury Because ligaments are so important in stabilizing a joint, they are very susceptible to injury Ligaments withstand a lot of stress in every day life, so add any extra stress on top of this and you can see how it’s pretty easy to injure one Also, there is very little blood supply to ligaments, so injuries take longer to heal

Torn Ligament A torn ligament usually means that the ligament was twisted while bearing weight

Knee Ligaments When talking about ligaments tears, most often we are talking about ligaments within the knee There are 4 knee ligaments I want you to know: Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL)

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Ligament located towards the front of the knee Connects the femur to the tibia Functions to hold the bones of the knee together; required for proper knee movement Prevents the tibia from sliding beneath the femur

ACL Injury Causes Ways to injure your ACL: Changing direction rapidly Stopping suddenly Slowing down while running Landing from a jump Direct contact or collision, like a football tackle

ACL Injury Symptoms You might hear a popping noise and feel your knee give a little You actually may not feel pain right away Within 2-12 hours, your knee will start to swell You will feel pain when you try to stand

ACL Injury Treatment Nonsurgical: nonsurgical treatments are done when the patient is very young, very old, or has a low level of activity Usually the patient has to wear a brace and do pretty extensive physical therapy to try to strengthen the ligament Surgical Treatment: surgical treatment is done in anyone not fitting the above categories Done especially on younger athletes Reconstruction done by replacing torn ligament with a tendon from the knee or hamstring This will be followed by an extensive strengthening and rehabilitation program

Posterior Cruciate Ligament Causes the tibia from sagging backwards If the PCL is torn, it can cause the bones in the knee to rub against each other directly Not nearly as common and usually not as severe as ACL injuries Usually a rehabilitation program will strengthen the ligament without surgery

Collateral Ligament Injuries Collateral Ligaments are located on the inside (medial) and outside (lateral) of the knee joint MCL: also connects femur to tibia provides stability to inner part of knee Keeps knee from buckling inwards LCL: connects thigh bone to fibula stabilizes the outer part of the knee Treat using RICE right away Usually good outcome after rehabilitation