If you happen to dislocate your knee then you have a rare but serious injury to deal with. Simply put, a knee dislocation is brought about when your thigh bone and shin bone are no longer in contact with each other. Some people tend to confuse a knee dislocation with patellar dislocation. A patellar dislocation or dislocated knee cap, means that the knee cap is dislodged from its joint within the thigh bone. Knee dislocations typically result from trauma caused by high velocity accidents namely car accidents, dangerous falls and contact in sports.
Knee ligament damage
When you suffer a knee dislocation, the ligaments in your knee are usually damaged. As a result, healthcare providers need to find out which ligament has been damaged. Typically it is the anterior cruciate (ACL) and posterior cruciate (PCL) ligaments which are torn.
The PCL is the strongest ligament in the knee and is usually damaged by overextending the knee - whether by landing incorrectly after jumping awkwardly or by suffering direct blows for example on the dashboard of a car in an accident.
Knee dislocations are so serious that they may impact upon other body parts. Interestingly, in common knee dislocations, the collateral ligaments, cartilage, and meniscus; all of which are parts of the knee may be also damaged. Knee dislocations have been known to result in critical damage to surrounding nerves and blood vessels.
Diagnosing a dislocated knee
The most trusted way of proving that your knee has in fact dislocated, is through the use of X-rays. When your knee is in fact dislocated, the doctor will then endeavor to reposition your knee joint. After which, the doctor will need to monitor the status of the nerves and blood vessels which surround the injury. For this purpose angiogram tests may be used.
Symptoms of having a dislocated knee
- Knee swelling and tenderness in the space behind the knee
- Knee joint instability
- Knee joint pain
Treating a dislocated knee
In treating knee dislocations a doctor is usually expected to tend to any apparent nerve or tissue damage. Also, if ligament, cartilage and meniscus damage was also experienced the doctor would treat those as well. In this regard, ligaments such as the ACL and PCL are often surgically reconstructed. The more immediate strategies of treatment may include splinting, applying cold compresses to the area, taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for pain, limited physical activity and physical therapy. This concludes the ways in which this injury may be treated.
Sources:
- Cluett, J. (2010) Knee Dislocation. retrieved from About, on 28/09/2011.
- Posterior Cruciate Ligament Injury (n.d.) Retrieved from Healthtools.aarp on, 28/09/2011.
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