Knee Injuries Lawyers in Austin

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Knee injuries can be debilitating. When you cannot walk properly, you may put more weight on your other leg resulting in a poor compensation mechanism. The uneven load balancing puts you at a risk of falling and further injuring yourself. Many people find it difficult to drive and just get around when they have suffered a knee injury.

austin knee injury

Although knee pain can occur from everyday wear and tear or over use, the most common cause of knee pain is injury. An injury can be caused by sports, a work related injury, a slip and fall injury, or a car accident.

Sudden injuries may be caused by a direct hit to the knee from a car dashboard, or from twisting, bending or falling in just the wrong way.

Structure of the Knee

The knee is comprised of ligaments and discs in addition to the bones of the knee.

The Anterior Cruciate Ligaments and Posterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL and PCL) are found inside your knee joint and form an X kind of like a pretzel. These ligaments control the back and forth motion in the knee as well as offering stabilization of the knee.

The upper and lower bones of the knee are separated by the menisci which is cartilage that acts as a shock absorber between the bones. The menisci, which is plural for meniscus, protects the knee joint surface. The menisci absorb shock from daily activities such as walking and running.

The types of knee injuries are overuse injuries, sprains and strains, ligament tears in the ACL or PCL, fractures, and kneecap dislocation more common in 13-18 year old girls.

Types of Knee Injuries

A sprain or strain is an injury to the ligaments and tendons that connect and support the kneecap. The tendons can either twist or pull, hyper-extend or even go beyond their intended radius depending on the force that a collision occurs between vehicles.

A fracture of the kneecap can occur in the lower portion of the femur or upper part of the tibia or fibula. These types of serious injuries are most commonly caused by abnormal force such as falling on the knee or a severe twisting motion or when the knee hits an object very hard like the car in a car accident.

Another common type of knee injury that one can get is the tear of the meniscus. The meniscus is said to be a disk-like mass that has cartilage and soft tissues located behind the knee. When an accident occurs, the force created due to the impact can tear or rapture one’s menisci. A slight tear has got a moderate discomfort and pain, unlike a rapture which is very much painful.

Knee Injury Treatment

The treatments for serious knee injuries involve everything from ice and rest to the more invasive treatments such as surgery. The type of treatment is determined by the location, type, and severity of the injury.

When should you seek treatment and call the doctor? If you can not put weight or straighten the knee, severe pain, increased swelling within 30 minutes of an injury, or if the swelling and pain do not improve in 2 days of home first aide and medical treatment.

If you are experiencing numbness or tingling or cannot move the knee normally because of weakness, then you should seek medical attention immediately.