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Knee twisted - symptoms, treatment and first aid
Distortion as a result of a twisted knee is one of the most common injuries to the knee joint. If we twist the knee, the articular surface is moved out of its normal position by the action of force. It is not a stretch out yet. The knee returns to its original position, but suffers from a strain and overstretching.
contents
- The knee joint
- What is a distortion??
- Causes of a distortion
- Risk for athletes
- How does a twisted knee feel??
- What to do with a knee twist?
- The tests
- Where are we going?
- Strains and strains
The knee joint
By nature, the knee joint is designed for loading and thus one of the most robust joints. As a connection between the upper and lower leg bones we use it permanently to move on. It is a hinge joint. We can stretch and bend it. But the knee joint also has a roll-sliding movement. At the same time as we bend or stretch it, the surface between the upper and lower leg bones glides. As a result, walking does not cause us any problems.
The knee joint connects the thigh bone, kneecap and tibia. (Image: m3ron / fotolia.com) The muscles around the knee joint, as well as the menisci and cruciate ligaments keep the flowing movement together. Although the knee joint is a "tough guy", we still hurt it most frequently from all joints. No wonder, it is the most exposed to the various injury hazards. Twisting the knee, ligament tear of meniscus, cruciate ligament or cartilage are typical injuries of athletes.
What is a distortion??
In the middle of the knee joint lie the two crossbows, on the sides the two sidebands (inner and outer band). The fibers of these ligaments stabilize the knee joint. Distortion sprains the knee. One or more ligaments will be overstretched beyond its ductility, and fibers will be damaged.
In a first degree distortion, less than ten percent of the fibers are cracked, the second degree many fibers, but the bands still work. At the third degree the tape is torn.
Causes of a distortion
Causes of a distortion are a strong twisting of the knee joint, an excessive burden of the displacement of the body weight, for example when skiing, a false impact in a jump, injury outside or inside the knee.
Risk for athletes
Athletes twist the knee of all people most often and certain sports stand out. Skiing, football and martial arts are the activities that cause the most accidents resulting in a twisted knee.
In general, this is how it works: The athlete falls to his knee and this twists into a non-body position. Now strong forces on the knee joint, and serious injuries can be the result. The worst of all it affects the ligaments of the knee, the KreuzbND, the joint capsule, the muscles or menisci.
Sports such as football or skiing involve an increased risk of knee twist. (Image: Andrey Popov / fotolia.com) Other risk factors include slack ligaments, inadequate coordination and poor sense of balance as well as insufficient flexibility.
How does a twisted knee feel??
Immediately after twisting the joint, severe knee pain will follow. Then the knee swells, usually a bruise forms (bruise), the joint overheats. The symptoms themselves do not give a precise indication of the nature of the injury. For this purpose, X-ray and imaging procedures are necessary.
The movement is very limited by the twist, but those affected may continue to moderate the knee joint. The extent of the injury is barely recognizable at first. In general, a strain causes much more pain than stretching. Seldom does the knee swell without pain.
What to do with a knee twist?
If you twist your knee, stop your physical activity immediately. Store the damaged joint and cool it. If the joint swells and forms bruises, then consult a doctor.
The therapy depends on the type of injury. If only the ligaments are overstretched, then it's about keeping your knees cool and upright. This reduces the swelling and the cold relieves the pain. Painkillers such as ibuprofen, paracetamol or novamine sulfone help. To relieve the knee, you can temporarily use crutches.
Crutches provide for a twisted knee for a relief of the joint. (Image: highwaystarz / fotolia.com) However, if ligaments are torn, the meniscus is injured or a joint capsule is damaged, surgery may be necessary. This also applies to cruciate ligament tears, where surgery is the rule. The operations are as gentle as possible, and the doctors are careful not to remove muscles or tendons.
After the operation, physiotherapy is required to "learn to walk properly" again. The patients wear crutches or a splint and step by step, they strain the joint again.
The tests
Which knee injury is shown by tests. The front drawer test gives the physician an insight into the function of the calf by pulling the lower leg of the patient forward with the knee bent. If he can pull it beyond the normal position, there is a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament.
In the case of the posterior drawer test, the position of the patient is identical, the physician grasps the tibia on the tibia and presses it backwards. Again he sees how far the shin can push, whether there is a tear of the (posterior) cruciate ligament.
The valgus stress test shows if the inner ligament is torn. In a knee joint bent at 30 degrees, the ankle is held steady and the knee is pushed inwards. If the knee pushes too far inward, there is an internal ligament tear.
If the doctor presses the knee outward during the same test, he will detect if the outer band is damaged.
Using various tests, the doctor can find out what type of knee injury it is. (Image: rocketclips / fotolia.com) Where are we going?
If the knee joint is painfully twisted, it is best to go straight to the hospital emergency room because it has the technical equipment to perform an MRI scan of the knee or an X-ray. Specialists are orthopedists, sports physicians and Unfallchirugen.
Strains and strains
If it is "only" a distortion, then it usually heals alone. With slight stretching it takes about two weeks, but also in the weeks after you should protect your knee, and after three months, the knee is fully resilient. However, severe distortion can lead to long-term consequences such as osteoarthritis or ongoing knee joint pain. (Dr. Utz Anhalt)
Specialist supervision: Barbara Schindewolf-Lensch (doctor)