Learn about the symptoms of loose knee ligaments
Exposure to injuries in the knee area is common and anyone can experience it throughout their normal day, and there are simple ways that can solve the problem that afflicts some individuals without the need to go to a doctor. Follow the following article with us to identify the symptoms through which you will understand the presence of looseness in the knee ligaments and how to deal with it, so let us read the following.
Symptoms of loose knee ligaments
When an individual suffers from a relaxation of the knee ligaments, this may cause local bleeding in the area surrounding the knee, in addition to swelling and inflammation in the affected leg, and the patient will begin to feel severe pain that increases if he tries to move.
In addition, the person with loose knee ligaments is unable to balance while walking because he cannot bear the pressure caused by his weight on the knee, and this makes him feel the presence of dislocation in the knee and loses the ability to balance.
Knee ligament inflammation
When anyone complains of knee ligament inflammation, it is not difficult to deal with this matter, on the contrary, some very simple ways can be dealt with, and that will reduce the severity of inflammation and the resulting pain, and here are some of those methods:
- Home solutions: Inflammation occurs primarily as a result of excessive movement and tendon wear, and for this reason, rest is the basis of treatment, and for this reason, you should avoid any excessive effort for a few days until the inflammation subsides, while doing ice packs during that because they are effective in relieving pain and reducing swelling.
- Avoid sitting for a long time: Excessive rest may backfire during the treatment period and may cause knee stiffness as a result of increased pressure on the tendons due to excessive sitting, and for this reason, it is necessary to move lightly from time to time.
- Treatment using pressure waves: During this treatment, pressure waves are directed toward the inflamed tendons, which helps blood to reach them in a good way and improves the healing process, this method is highly effective in the treatment and reduces the chance of surgical intervention and has no side effects.
- Medicines: Some medicines reduce inflammation and relieve pain.
- Massage: Making some light massage movements on the injured area has a very important role in relieving pain and enhancing blood circulation in the affected area.
- Physiotherapy: It is very important whether or not there is a surgical intervention because it helps to strengthen the muscles that surround the knee and increases its flexibility and facilitates the flow of blood and nutrients to it, which speeds up the process of its recovery.
- Steroid injections: They may be used in cases of severe pain, as they remain effective for up to a few weeks.
- Surgery: If none of the methods prescribed by the doctor succeed in treatment, then surgical intervention is a must in order to get rid of the problem once and for all.
Types of knee ligaments
Ligaments are divided according to their function and where they are located as follows:
- Articular ligaments: They work to connect both bones and joints, and they are connective tissues consisting of thick ropes that naturally determine the movement of the joint and prevent any reaction that may cause damage to it.
- Capsular ligaments: It is a part of the articular ligaments that surround the synovial joints, forming the capsule that encapsulates them. This type provides mechanical support to the joint.
- Extracapsular ligaments: They are the ones that work to connect the bones together in the joint and are responsible for the stability of the bone and joints.
- Peritoneal ligaments: Some of the peritoneal folds (peritoneum) are called ligaments, and they surround blood vessels with very important characteristics, the most prominent of which is fixing the internal organs in place and reducing their movement, such as the uterus.
- Residual ligaments: These are peritoneal ligaments that have retracted over time to become empty tubular structures.
Knee strengthening
In order to strengthen the knee, you must do some exercises determined by the doctor, which are preferably under the supervision of a specialist to avoid any wrong movement that may lead to many problems, such as:
Foot lift exercise
This exercise focuses on the front thigh muscles and the knee, in addition to the stomach muscles, and it is done by following these steps:
- Lie on your back.
- Keep the left foot extended while bending the other foot.
- Suck the abdomen inward to keep the back straight on the floor with the hands aside.
- Raise the left foot to the top, provided that it does not exceed the bent foot.
- Keep the foot lifted for a while before lowering it slowly.
- Repeat these steps on one foot up to three times.
Foot extension exercise
This exercise strengthens the muscles of the thigh and knee, and it can be done by following these steps:
- Sit on a chair.
- Place your feet flat on the ground, keeping them hip-width apart.
- Bend one foot while lifting the other straight.
- Hold this position for a few seconds.
- Repeat these steps more than once on both feet.
How do you treat knee ligaments?
Care must be taken to follow the doctor’s instructions exactly when suffering any injury to the ligaments, such as:
- Take pain relievers in order to reduce the severity of the symptoms that the individual feels.
- Complete rest and avoid pressure on the affected foot until the healing process is complete.
- Use ice packs more than once a day, as they reduce inflammation.
- Wear a knee brace in order to keep it stable in place and prevent its movement because the injury does not worsen.
- Persistence in physical therapy sessions and exercises recommended by the doctor.
- Make sure to raise the injured foot from the rest of the body.
- If the previous treatment methods fail, surgical intervention is the appropriate solution.