Ligament injury (Ligament ruptur)
Rehab for the injury

Rehab 1 – Rehab 2 – Rehab 3 – Rehab 4

Focus on training the rest of the body, so you do not lose your current mobility, stability and strength. Then find out what you can do from workout programs and work out according to the level you have. Exercise of the rest of the body accelerates healing of your injury, among other things due to increased nerve activity and circuits.

Description of ligament injury in the knee

Joint injury / ligament injury in the knee is a serious condition because the passive stability of the joint is impaired. These types of injuries are just as common as meniscus injuries and affect especially athletes in contact sports such as football, handball, ice hockey and basketball as well as runners in races, etc.

Injury mechanics

Ligament injury in the knee occurs especially in collisions with opponents in contact sports. The knee’s different ligaments cooperate to maintain the joint’s stability, and the stronger the impact on the joint, the more ligaments are involved. Therefore, in cases of more severe trauma multiple injury combinations should be considered, which become more serious, the more extreme the impact is. Injury to the ligaments in the knee may be caused by different types of trauma, the following being the common:

  • Valgus trauma is impact on the knee from the lateral side / outside or on the foot from the medial side / inside, where the lower leg is moved outward relative to the femur.
  • Varus trauma, impact affecting the knee from the media side / inside.
  • Trauma resulting in hyperextension / backward motion of the knee or strong flexion / bending of the knee.
  • Rotational impact without body contact.

Stability injuries in the knee usually refer to valgus and varus trauma. The lateral / outer complex should prevent any varus, which may arise from trauma to the medial / inner side of the joint in the knee. This rarely happens because the other leg is often in the way. The medial / inner complex must try to prevent valgus trauma, and although the complex is five times stronger than the lateral, valgus trauma occurs much more frequently. The reason for this is found in the cause. Valgus trauma is a result of trauma to the lateral / outer joint of the knee or trauma on the medial / inner side of the ankle. Varus traumas can’t occur by lateral / external stress in the ankle as this will cause a twist in the ankle.

As described earlier, it is important to take into consideration the possibility of multiple injuries when a ligament injury occurs in the knee. This is because a ligament injury of the inner / medial or outer / lateral ligaments often leads to twisting and additional strain on meniscus, cruciate ligaments, joints, etc. This could thusly mean that the injury is actually greater than assumed initially.

Symptoms of ligament injury in the knee

The meniscus itself has a small sensory section with nerve supply its outer part. Therefore, you will see far more symptoms in this part than the deeper part, despite the fact that the deeper meniscus injuries are more serious as it rarely can regenerate itself. It is also a signal to the therapist that many meniscus lesions could be overlooked if you diagnose based on pain alone. However, the deeper “painless” damage could potentially give rise to classical problems; Often including locking symptoms, irritation of the joint by the meniscus center causing swelling.

  • Pain on the inside or outside of the knee.
  • Pain in rotation or knee bending.
  • Pain along the edge of the joint.
  • Weakness or instability of the knee.
  • The leg becomes instable, gives in.
  • Possible lock-up of the knee joint.
  • General knee pain.
  • Swelling / bagging (Seen out of approximately 43% of patients with ligaments and meniscus injuries on the inner side of the knee)
Examination of ligament injury in the knee

Most importantly before embarking on an examination of knee stability is to rule out swelling and internal bleeding, which could give a false negative to any of the tests. Lack of doing so is often times the biggest mistake made by clinics and hospitals when examining an acute knee trauma or a fluid-filled knee. Remember therefore, stability can’t be investigated in case of acute injury.

  • Analysis / Inspection / Palpation / ROM, visual and physical comparison to opposite side.
  • Stability test.
  • Measurement of atrophy.
  • Inspection of the joint through arthroscopy provides the final diagnosis.

If the tests are positive, it is recommended that an orthopedic surgeon examines the patient to assess the extent of the injury, and may also, if necessary, operate and reconstruct.

Treatment of ligament injury in the knee
  • Rehab.
  • Active rest.
  • Ultralyd (pulserende), 3 Mhz, 2 W cm2.
  • TNS.
  • Cryotherapy (ice massage).
  • Thermal treatment (heat).
  • Traumeel (2tabl. 3 g. daily for 9 days).
  • Kinesiology taping (stability).
Rehab for the injury

Rehab 1 – Rehab 2 – Rehab 3 – Rehab 4