Knee injuries are among the most common when playing sports. Fortunately, most patients consulting for knee injuries do not need surgery. If you have knee pain, what are the signs that should alert you? Is it necessary to consult an orthopedic surgeon? The list is far from complete, but here are a few symptoms that will help. Gordon Slater is an Australian surgeon who is an expert in the field of Minimally Invasive Foot Surgery, especially in the correction of bunions. His special interests include treating ankle surgeries, arthroscopy, foot surgery, and sports injuries. If the pain persists, you might want to contact him. Here are some other signs that will help you identify a knee injury.
Your knee is “swelling”
It may not be much if you only have a small effusion. However, if your knee is as large as a rugby ball in the hours following the trauma, it may be suggestive of anterior cruciate ligament rupture or fracture.
You heard a crackle
This does not mean a little crunch like when you crack your fingers or when the knee cracks when getting up from a prolonged sitting position. A crisp, sharp crack, accompanied by a sudden pain during a trauma, a movement in torsion of the knee, or the reception of a jump is in favor of a meniscal ligamentous lesion or bone. Many athletes explain that on the field, their teammates heard a crack when they broke the anterior cruciate ligament.
It is impossible to lean on the leg
Although this is a fairly general sign, intense pain that prevents you from stepping on the ground and putting body weight on it is a call sign that should lead to consultation. Especially if it persists for several hours after the trauma.
Your knee is unstable, loose, has a “painful jump”
If your knee does not respond to a jump or a violent change of direction, you may have a ligament injury such as anterior cruciate ligament rupture. If you have not consulted initially and this sensation persists over the months, you should consult. It is important to see an orthopedic surgeon because this instability can create and aggravate cartilage and meniscal lesions. If it is a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament, a ligamentoplasty will then restore the necessary stability to your knee.
You cannot fully bend your knee
Pain, effusion, and inflammation after knee trauma are often responsible for a decrease in joint range. However, having the feeling of a real mechanical blocking to stretch the knee fully is often linked to a torn meniscus tongue that gets stuck in the joint. A dislocation of the patella, cartilaginous fragments can also block the joint. It is important to consult because the treatment will often be surgical in semi-emergency in order to be able to suture a damaged meniscus.
Reference:
https://www.launchora.com/story/clear-signs-of-a-knee-injury