Ligament injuries of the knee

What is a knee ligament?

A ligament is a short band of tough fibrous connective tissue that connects your bones to other bones. Ligaments limit the amount of mobility of a joint, or prevent certain movements altogether.  The ACL most commonly ruptures (Grade 3 sprain: complete tear) when injured, this means all fibres of the ligament are no longer attached to each other.  A grade 1 sprain only stretches the ligament fibres and no tearing occurs. Grade 2 sprains cause partial tearing of ligament fibres.

• ACL rupture
• MCL sprain
• PCL sprain
• LCL sprain.

What causes knee ligament injuries?

You can cause injury to one of the ligaments of the knee through a sharp change in direction, landing wrong from a jump, or the most common a blunt force hit to the knee, such as in tackle in football.  The incident usually needs to happen at speed. Muscle weakness or incoordination predispose you to a ligament sprain or tear.

Signs and symptoms

• You heard a “pop” or “snap” when moving or exercising
• Swelling or bruising around the knee
• Restriction of movement, may not be able to straighten knee
• You are unable to weight-bear on your leg
• Your knee “gives way” or “buckles”
• Pain with certain activities
• No pain at rest usually.

Treatment

• Exercise program and functional rehab
• Balance and proprioception retraining
• Pain and inflammation reduction
• Soft tissue techniques
• Taping or braces to stabilise
• Correct any underlying causes.