Reconstruction of knee ligaments is a common reason for patients to visit a traumatologist. Getting such an injury is more common among young people leading an active lifestyle and athletes. The cause of joint damage is considered to be increased stress and excessive movement. Less commonly, injury occurs as a result of a fall or blow. Patients with such injuries complain of severe pain and a sharp decrease in motor activity. Only timely therapeutic measures guarantee a complete cure and the absence of complications during the recovery period.
joint
joint
Sprained knee ligaments are considered one of the most common injuries. The problem is especially relevant for athletes. Until recently, injuries of this nature could mean a premature end to a sports career. Some anatomical features also contribute to the development of pathology. The main reasons that knee reconstruction is required after a torn ligament are:
- increased physical activity;
- engaging in strenuous sports;
- falls, blows, other injuries;
- excess weight;
- wearing high-heeled shoes.
Depending on the specific cause of the damage, specialists at Dr. Glazkov’s clinic prescribe effective treatment that allows you to get rid of unpleasant symptoms once and for all.
Bad habits
How to keep your joints healthy? Avoid alcohol, smoking, drugs, and inhaling toxic substances. They destroy all organs and systems, including bad effects on the musculoskeletal system:
- toxins slow down the absorption of substances beneficial to bones and joints, which leads to their premature wear and deformation;
- Due to disruptions in the functioning of the cardiovascular system, the supply of useful substances slows down, bone tissue ceases to renew itself quickly, becomes fragile, and joints lose mobility.
Prevention is important for joint health, so it is necessary to get rid of a sedentary lifestyle. If the office is within walking distance (30–40 min. walk), it is worth walking to work. A walk will invigorate you, start your metabolism, and strengthen your muscles and joints. The time loss will be no more than 15 minutes. Even if the car ride takes 10 minutes, during rush hour you can stand in traffic jams for a long time. And if you choose to travel to work by minibus, you can spend a lot of time waiting for it.
Anatomical features
From a medical point of view, knee sprains require recovery due to the severe muscle spasm that occurs immediately during the injury. Damage to any of the bones will lead to the development of joint disease. Some injuries immediately manifest themselves as unbearable pain. But it also happens that a person continues to lead an active lifestyle, ignoring alarming symptoms, thereby aggravating his condition. Treatment in this case will be longer; it is difficult to guarantee a 100% positive result even for the best specialists. Therefore, if the slightest symptoms appear and suspicions that recovery is required after a sprained knee joint, it is better to immediately contact Dr. Glazkov’s clinic in Moscow. Here, patients will be given an accurate diagnosis and, based on the data obtained, qualified treatment will be prescribed.
Doctor
Doctor
If you have such signs, you should immediately make an appointment with a specialist. Inaction will worsen the situation and make treatment longer and more difficult. During the diagnosis, doctors at Dr. Glazkov’s clinic will find out the cause of the disease and select qualified therapy, taking into account the characteristics of a particular patient.
Wall Squats
Stand with your back to the wall, looking straight ahead. Feet shoulder-width apart and at a distance of 40-50 cm from the wall. Squat down slowly until your thighs are almost parallel to the floor. Hold this position for 10 seconds. Smoothly return to the starting position. 2 sets of 15 reps. Gradually increase the hold time to better strengthen the quadriceps muscle.
Severity and recovery from a knee sprain
Typically, therapists diagnose damage to several ligaments at once. Then other structures of the knee, for example, the meniscus, also suffer. The internal collateral ligament and the cruciate ligament located in front are especially often injured. Based on the intensity of symptoms and the course of the rehabilitation period, several degrees of damage to the knee joint are distinguished. In this case, recovery from a sprained knee ligament also follows a different pattern.
- Mild degree. Diagnosed with minor injuries. Pain and discomfort go away on their own within 1-2 weeks. Additional therapeutic measures are not required for this clinical picture.
- Average. With such damage, it is already difficult for the ligaments to maintain integrity. Characterized by noticeable stiffness of movement and incessant aching pain when trying to bend and straighten the leg. For sprained knee joints, recovery takes longer; treatment is delayed for 1-2 months.
- Heavy. A ruptured knee ligament takes a long time to recover from. It is characterized by severe pain, up to a state of shock. Complete stiffness or, conversely, looseness of the kneecap appears.
Severe damage is often accompanied by internal bleeding due to rupture of blood vessels and nerve fibers. Also, this stage of severity may be accompanied by ruptures of muscle tendons or their complete separation from the bone.
Computer tomogram
Computer tomogram
Sometimes it is enough for a traumatologist to use only one of the above methods to accurately determine the degree of tissue damage and prescribe qualified treatment. In severe cases, the patient may need surgery to repair knee ligaments. This is a safe procedure that can effectively eliminate problems with lower limb mobility. Next, the patient is recommended a list of activities and procedures necessary to speed up the rehabilitation period.
Meniscus injury
Meniscus injury
Early rehabilitation is considered to be the period when soft tissue healing occurs. They are damaged during surgery. The patient is in the hospital for an average of 2 weeks. This is how long early recovery after a meniscus injury and its surgical treatment continues.
The main goals that are achieved through rehabilitation measures:
1. Elimination of pain and inflammation. They always occur in the postoperative period. Moreover, it does not matter what kind of operation was performed. Swelling and release of inflammatory mediators are a standard response to traumatic tissue damage.
2. Stimulation of contractile activity of the thigh muscles. To do this, isometric exercises are performed.
3. Combating knee contracture. This term refers to the limitation of passive (not carried out by the patient himself, but with the help of external influence) movements. The knee is designed to ensure normal mobility.
4. Improvement of joint trophism. That is, access to blood, and with it oxygen and nutrients. The recovery time of damaged tissue directly depends on the intensity of blood circulation. This is evidenced by many facts. For example, wounds on the face heal twice as quickly as on the leg. With diabetes, blood supply deteriorates, and any damage takes a very long time to heal. Areas of the meniscus that are not supplied with blood are not capable of regeneration at all. And fragments of the pink zone heal much more slowly than parts of the red zone, which is located near the joint capsule and is better vascularized.
5. Maintaining the patient's body. A person must be able to take care of himself and not experience severe discomfort.
Treatment and rehabilitation after knee sprain
Therapy begins immediately after the patient’s admission to the hospital of Dr. Glazkov’s clinic. Depending on the severity of the patient’s condition, doctors choose the optimal treatment regimen. Today, rehabilitation of sprained knee joints is carried out using the following methods:
- Surgical intervention. It is used if the patient has a complete rupture of the ligaments, and the situation is further aggravated by instability of the knee joint. This is perhaps the only case when conservative treatment methods are ineffective.
- Anesthesia. To relieve pain, the patient must be prescribed an intramuscular injection of an antibiotic.
- Immobilization and cryotherapy. To minimize the load on the injured limb, the traumatologist may recommend applying a splint. Cold compresses are also widely used in traumatology.
- Puncture. It is carried out if, during a joint rupture, blood enters its cavity. This is necessary to avoid suppuration, which can cause sepsis.
The patient undergoes knee ligament restoration after surgery under the supervision of experienced specialists, so you should not be afraid of surgical intervention, because in some cases this is the only opportunity to completely restore motor activity and return to a full life and sports career.
Proper nutrition
To keep your bones and joints healthy, you need to eat right.
A healthy diet will not only provide the body with nutrients, but will also prevent obesity. Extra pounds create additional stress on the musculoskeletal system and accelerate its wear and tear. Doctors of the clinic “Hello!” To support joint health and flexibility, special nutrition is recommended:
- You need to eat protein (lean meat, fish) daily. It contains substances that promote the regeneration of bones, cartilage, and tendons. A lack of protein reduces the absorption of healthy fats, calcium, and other substances important for joints, and impairs bone tissue renewal.
- It is necessary to include fish oil and vegetable oils in the diet. They contain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which strengthen cartilage tissue, preventing the destruction of joints. They also control cholesterol in the blood, preventing plaque from depositing on blood vessels, allowing plasma to quickly deliver nutrients to the joints.
- You shouldn't ignore carbohydrates, but you should be aware of obesity. It is important to limit the consumption of foods with a high glycemic index (sugar, premium flour, fried potatoes). When thinking about how to maintain joint health, it is best to give preference to oatmeal, buckwheat, wheat porridge, green vegetables, and carrots.
- It is necessary to refuse or reduce the consumption of harmful foods - smoked, fried, fatty foods, do not drink sweet soda and remember the dangers of alcohol.
- It is very important to stick to fractional meals. It is easier for the body to digest small portions five times a day than to process large amounts of food at one time.
To keep your joints healthy, you need to take vitamin and mineral complexes, which are recommended by the doctors at our clinic. It is difficult to calculate the diet yourself so that it contains all the substances useful to the joints. The preparations contain the optimal amount of calcium, zinc, vitamins A, B, C, D, K, which help maintain youth and healthy joints.