What is knee sprain?
A knee sprain is an injury that, in turn, results in overstretching or partial tearing of one or more knee ligaments: collaterals (medial and lateral) and crossed (anterior and posterior).
Knee sprains usually occur due to a excessive movement or poor twisting of the joint. Precisely for this reason, it is one of the most common sports injuries in sports such as football, tennis, paddle tennis or any physical activity that involves rapid changes in position and sudden and unexpected movements for our knee.
This injury Depending on the intensity with which it occurs, It can present different degrees. In general, the symptoms will vary depending on the type of sprain that has occurred in the patient since the more advanced it is, the more painful it will be.
- Grade I (microscopic tears): This is the most common sprain and at the same time easiest to treat. It occurs due to excessive stretching of the ligaments, without instability. In this injury there is no structural damage to the knee ligaments, so the pain caused by its appearance is mild.
- Grade II (partial tear and lengthening of the ligament): In this injury, which is already more severe, there has been a severe overextension or partial tear of one or more ligaments. This will lead to the presence of inflammation in the joint and pain that will vary from moderate to intense.
- Grade III (severe tear and rupture of the ligament): It is the most alarming degree of knee sprain. The rupture of one or several ligaments occurs with notable inflammation, joint instability and loss of normal function of our joint.
Symptoms of knee sprain
The symptoms, as reported at the beginning They will vary depending on the degree of sprain that has occurred in the patient's knee. As it is a traumatic or trauma injury, the symptoms are notable and appear immediately after the injury has occurred.
These are the most common symptoms when a trauma of this type occurs:
The following signs and symptoms are indicative of such an injury:
- Pain which appears immediately after feeling a clicking or twisting of the knee.
- Swelling and bruising: The swelling arises from small tears around the injured ligament. Hematomas in turn are caused by the rupture of vessels adjacent to the injured ligament.
- Total or partial loss of joint functionality.
Causes of knee sprain
The main cause of a knee sprain is making sudden, dry and unexpected movements that cause our joint to be injured. Some of these movements may be:
- Alterations in the footprint.
- Do not warm up or stretch before exercise.
- Do not use the protective element(s) during the activity.
- Intensity changes sudden training breaks.
- Inappropriate footwear during training.
However, there are other risk factors that, if suffered, can also favor the appearance of sprains in this area of our body. People with joint hypermobility, severe obesity or muscle weakness, are also more likely to suffer this trauma.
How is a knee sprain treated?
Existing treatments
Once the sprain has occurred and the problem has been treated (in the case of grade III injuries, surgical intervention may be necessary), a rehabilitation process will have to be followed with a specialized physiotherapist.
During this process, The professional will take care of reducing pain and inflammation, followed by the prevention of scar adhesions, the correction of biomechanical alterations and the restoration of the sports performance of the affected patient.
The rehabilitation process will require a series of steps that will be applied to the patient over the weeks (between two and five, depending on the severity) and that They will be personalized for each person and their injury.
Benefits of our treatments
- Relieves pain caused by this trauma.
- Prevents the appearance of secondary injuries caused by the sprain.
- Speeds up the recovery process.
- Strengthens the injured area and promotes the patient's return to normal.
In Wellness Retirement We have the best professionals and the most advanced technologies to help you treat your knee sprain. Do not hesitate to contact us.
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