Archive for the ‘Snowsports Injuries’ Category

aKnee injuries are commonly seen by Tamworth Osteopath and Physiotherapist John Williams at the Staffordshire Atlas Sports Injury Clinic in Tamworth town centre. Another Atlas Sports Injury Clinic can be found in Hall Green Birmingham. Directions can be accessed by visiting www.solihullsportsinjuryclinic.co.uk

As the winter ski season is now upon us the increase in serious knee injuries will once again have to be dealt with. An understanding of the most common of these knee injuries is important for injury prevention to begin to take place.

The anterior cruciate ligament is a common knee injury sustained in sports such as skiing and football. The anterior cruciate ligament plays an important part in knee stability and therefore is important to active sports people who take part in high intensity exercise.

Increased sporting activity has led to a rise in knee injuries and if suffering from a ruptured cruciate ligament the search for surgical intervention is now in demand. Orthopaedic surgeons have risen to the challenge of treating torn cruciate ligaments and a whole series of operations have been devised.

Over the last decade the understanding of this ligament has grown enormously and with the advent of arthroscopy (examination of the knee interior with a camera) surgeons can now see the condition of the internal structures of the knee joint. This is particularly useful for diagnosing menisci cartilage tears and torn cruciate ligaments.

Anatomy of the knee joint Although the knee joint looks like a hinge it is in fact a complex gliding mechanism. The rounded ends of the thigh bone run on the flat upper surface of the shin bone. In between these two surfaces are 2 “C” shaped washers called “menisci”. These act as shock absorbers and carry most of the weight across the knee. The knee is held together by ligaments, an inner and outer collateral ligament and the 2 internal cruciate ligaments.

Most anterior cruciate ligament injuries arise from sporting activity. When the knee is loaded with full weight bearing and then twisted the chances are the anterior cruciate ligament may be torn. This can occur when a footballer suddenly changes direction and his stud’s plant firmly in the turf, resulting in a twisting of the knee joint. For skiers the long levers of the ski’s can add severe stress to the knee if you fall and the bindings fail to release. Injured casualties often describe a popping or snapping sensation with swelling occurring within an hour.

Often the cruciate tear is not alone and it is very common for the medial collateral ligament and the medial menisci to be damaged at the same time. Diagnosis is key and this can be done via an MRI scan or arthroscopy and should be done as soon as possible.
Signs of a torn anterior cruciate ligament could be a tendency for the knee to give way without warning and instability if walking down stairs.

Once the cruciate tear has been identified then it is vital that you find yourself a good knee surgeon, preferably one who specializes in sports injuries. This is important because the attention to detail will be likely be afforded to patients who need to resume sporting activity again. Some surgeons show more attention than others and may have higher standards of fine detail which means the difference between just taking part or winning.

While you are waiting for surgery it is wise to wear a knee brace for stability which will help prevent falls and further injury. Strengthening the quadriceps and hamstrings muscles will be a great help to stabilize the knee before surgery as they will demonstrate wasting post surgery because of the enforced rest.

Different surgeons have different techniques for cruciate repair and the 2 most common are harvesting one of your hamstring muscles or taking a slice of your patella tendon.
As both options are your own living tissue you will not get rejection and excellent results have been recorded from both versions.

Following surgery it is important that you undergo a knee rehab programme designed to restore full range of motion and increase strength of muscles around the knee joint.

More information can be obtained by visiting the Atlas website www.atlaspainrelief.com