Orthopedics-Online

Torn knee ligament - how dangerous is it?

Synonyms

Inner ligament rupture
Injury to the medial collateral ligament

Also read our related topic: External ligament injury on the knee

English: rupture / injury of collateral ligament

Definition of inner band

The Medial collateral ligament (Inner band) runs from Thigh bone (Femur) to the Shin (Tibia). It runs diagonally, so a little forward and down. The ligament is relatively wide and fused with the joint capsule and thus stabilizes it.
In addition, it is firmly attached to the medial via a few strands of fibers meniscus connected. The inner ligament is tight when the knee is extended and rotated outward. When the knee is extended, it serves, together with the outer ligament, for stabilization, when bending in the Knee joint the two ligaments limit the external rotation.

definition

In the case of internal ligament injuries, it is usually a tear of the same. Usually the tear is complete - there are hardly any incomplete tape tears.

Appointment with a knee specialist?

I would be happy to advise you!

Who am I?
My name is dr. Nicolas Gumpert. I am a specialist in orthopedics and the founder of .
Various television programs and print media report regularly about my work. On HR television you can see me every 6 weeks live on "Hallo Hessen".
But now enough is indicated ;-)

The knee joint is one of the joints with the greatest stress.

Therefore, the treatment of the knee joint (e.g. meniscus tear, cartilage damage, cruciate ligament damage, runner's knee, etc.) requires a lot of experience.
I treat a wide variety of knee diseases in a conservative way.
The aim of any treatment is treatment without surgery.

Which therapy achieves the best results in the long term can only be determined after looking at all of the information (Examination, X-ray, ultrasound, MRI, etc.) be assessed.

You can find me in:

Lumedis - your orthopedic surgeon
Kaiserstrasse 14
60311 Frankfurt am Main

Directly to the online appointment arrangement
Unfortunately, it is currently only possible to make an appointment with private health insurers. I hope for your understanding!
Further information about myself can be found at Dr. Nicolas Gumpert

causes

The inner ligament usually only breaks as a result of trauma. This can be a kinking, a rotational trauma or a knee joint dislocation, such as those that occur when skiing or playing soccer.

Symptoms

Symptoms of an inner ligament tear include:

Painful restriction of movement
Possibly. Instability of the knee joint
Pressure pain on the tape
Possibly. Joint effusion, including bruise in the joint
Feeling of instability

Pain

The Pain typically occur at the Inside of the knee, so directly over the affected inner ligament on. They can usually be left there reinforce by pressure. Often they are from one Swelling in this area accompanied. However, pain can also occur in the entire knee joint, especially if this is also stressed by the ligament that has become unstable. This will be Often more painful when flexed. Likewise, if you push the knee inwards with the leg extended. Most movements also intensify the pain, which together with the instability in the knee, which is usually felt, makes any movement difficult. However, the pain is often difficult to localize immediately after the injury. This is because often already a joint effusion or a swelling that irritates the entire knee. As part of the treatment, it is important to do something about this pain, as otherwise it can delay healing and lead to relieving postures. As a simple measure, that often helps Cooling and elevating the knee. In addition, painkillers from the NSAID group, e.g. Ibuprofen or Diclofenac, which usually get a grip on pain. Overall, it is better to take pain medication for a few weeks and thus make good progress in therapy than to want to endure the pain and therefore not be able to train properly.

How dangerous is an inner ligament tear?

A torn inner ligament of the knee can usually be treated well and has a good prognosis. In most cases, conservative treatment in the form of immobilization and physiotherapy is sufficient to build muscle.

An operation is usually only necessary for more complex injuries when other structures in the knee are involved

diagnosis

Both Sidebands In order to make a diagnosis, it is particularly important to assess whether it can be opened. This must be assessed both with the knee extended and with the knee flexed 30 °. If the inner ligament is injured, i.e. torn, it can Knee joint can be "opened" from the inside. The examiner presses against the lower leg from the inside with the thigh fixed. You can feel that the joint space opens slightly.

For a more precise diagnosis, the Knee joint MRI images prepared.
roentgen allows only an assessment of the bony involvement, but cannot directly prove the ligament injury. Theoretically, a knee mirror, the so-called Arthroscopy of the knee, possible, but which the MRI scan of the knee has given way.
Besides, she's more likely to come Cruciate ligament tears for use because an arthroscopic operation is also possible here.

Illustration of an inner ligament tear

Illustration of the inner ligament tear: right knee joint from the front (A)

Inner band
(= inner sideband
of the knee joint) -
Ligamentum collaterale tibiale
Inner meniscus -
Meniscus medialis
Joint capsule -
Articular capsule
Femur - Femur
Kneecap - patella
Outer band
(= outer sideband
of the knee joint) -
Ligamentum collaterale fibulare
Outer meniscus -
Lateral meniscus
Anterior cruciate ligament -
Ligamentum cruciatum anterius
Fibula - Fibula
Shin - Tibia

You can find an overview of all Dr-Gumpert images at: medical illustrations

therapy

Therapy for the torn inner ligament depends on the extent of the injury. If the ligament is simply strained or overstretched, a short-term immobilization is sufficient (some days) of the joint, followed by muscle building training.
In the event of a rupture of the inner ligament, it depends on whether this injury has complex side effects. If there is no bony involvement (i.e. if the structure of the thigh and the lower leg bone is not damaged) and there is no instability of the knee joint, conservative treatment in the form of a splint takes place for about 6 weeks. Complex ligament ruptures with bony involvement and / or instability of the knee joint require surgical treatment.
The torn band is reattached by means of a seam. If parts of the bone are torn out, they are fixed with screws.

Read more on the topic: Therapy of an inner ligament tear on the knee

rail

Depending on the extent of the inner ligament tear, it may be necessary to start with a rail to stabilize. This Rail systems limit the range of motion of the joint from the outside and thus prevent excessive stress. At the same time they have one important support function. The possible mobility can be adjusted so that it enables movement appropriate to the respective healing state. The main purpose of the rail is to do one to prevent excessive flexion. The knee should not be fully extended in the initial phase. For diffraction, the Initially only about 60 ° allowed be. After a few weeks, the splint will be adjusted so that it has a Flexion of 90 ° allowed. However, there are a number of other concepts that indicate this setting of the flexion dimensions, some of which provide for significantly larger or smaller angles. Most of the time they have to Splints worn for about 6 weeks become. During this time will be anyway physiotherapy exercises carried out. The splint can then be removed and the knee can now be trained without the additional protection.

(Kinesio) tapes

The On the one hand, taping is supposed to relieve the knee joint lead and the other Relieve musclesthat otherwise stabilize the joint. In this respect, it can be used in the event of a tear in the inner ligament on the knee. It can However, tape is by no means a substitute for a proper splint to be used in the initial phase. Neither can taping replace the often lengthy and strenuous training. However, if instability continues to occur in the knee joint after the actual therapy has been completed, tapes can provide a short-term remedy. In this case, bandages are probably the simpler solution. In general, however, you should consider that any external support to the muscles this means that they have to perform less and thus tend to become weaker in the long term. In this respect, a Tape or a bandage add to the problem here.

OP for an internal ligament tear

Unlike one Outer ligament tear, heals Inner ligament tear usually very good under conservative therapy. A Surgery is only necessary in the case of very pronounced cracks or severe instability necessary after the end of conservative therapy. Even if there are more knees like that Meniscus or that Cruciate ligament are affected, surgery is carried out. Even with a complete tear of the inner ligament, splinting can usually achieve similar results as surgery, which is why conservative treatment seems to be recommended here as well. Especially since A long rehabilitation and training phase following an operation connects. However, if after completing the physiotherapeutic and conservative treatment, the knee joint is still not stable, the Use of a ligament replacement be necessary.

Appointment with a knee specialist?

I would be happy to advise you!

The knee joint is one of the joints with the greatest stress.

Which therapy achieves the best results in the long term can only be determined after looking at all of the information (Examination, X-ray, ultrasound, MRI, etc.) be assessed.

You can find me in:

Lumedis - your orthopedic surgeon
Kaiserstrasse 14
60311 Frankfurt am Main

Sick leave

How long do you stay with a Torn inner ligament of the knee If you are on sick leave, it also depends not least on your job. One week in the rest phase but is always necessary to let the knee come to rest. Whether you will then be able to pursue your profession with one track naturally depends on what you have to do there. The possibility to get to the workplace, since you are not allowed to drive a car by rail, also plays a role here. So it is in each case about weighing up the individual cases. The The duration of incapacity for work can therefore be between one and several weeks lie.

forecast

Usually the forecast for collateral ligament injuries (Inner ligament tear / outer ligament tear) Well. Depending on the type of injury (Overextension, (more complex) Crack) rehabilitation of the knee joint takes time. The worse the initial situation, the longer it will take for the ligaments and all of their muscles to recover.

Healing / duration of an inner ligament tear

As with all diseases, the healing time is very much dependent on individual factors. In addition to the physical requirements, this also includes that Adhering to the accompanying measures. These include, for example Cooling, protection and a partial load appropriate to the respective situation. Also a good one physical therapy and Concomitant treatment with painkillers and if necessary Splint influences the healing process. In general, a tear in the inner ligament usually heals very well with conservative treatment, so that a OP only very rarely is necessary. It is important to first protect the knee for a few days so that the situation can calm down and a possible one Swelling goes down. Only then should the training measures for rehabilitation and further exercise be started.

As with many diseases, this is above all consistent implementation of the physiotherapeutic measures important. This can also be done independently at home. The healing process can progress faster and, above all, the later resilience can be increased. However, you shouldn't overdo it. The time frame up to complete restoration of the resilience of the knee is very much differently. Depending on the severity of the crack, it can take a period of about 2 - 10 weeks act. But a longer process is also possible. With less severe cracks, it is often possible to resume a light exercise program after 2-3 weeks. At ssevere cracks is a prolonged immobilization with rails required. Since the resilience can only be built up much more slowly, a full load, as in sport, is usually only possible after about 2-3 months.

If there is still instability in the knee after the actual healing phase is complete, it may be necessary to perform a surgery perform. The time it takes to heal also depends on whether other structures of the knee are also affected. So it happens with one Inner ligament tear often in addition to one Cruciate ligament tear and or Meniscal tear and the joint capsule, the healing of which then additionally influence the course. Also the Blood circulation of the inner ligament plays an important role and can delay healing. In any case, it is important not to put too much strain on the knee too soon, otherwise there is a risk that it will tear again. With very severe tears in the inner ligament The duration of healing can also be up to 9 months last.

prophylaxis

The dangerous sports like To ski, Play soccer should be carried out with caution. Well-trained, strong muscles are also important for a stable knee joint. These give the knee joint great stability and thus minimize the risk of ligament rupture.

Summary

The Inner ligament of the knee joint is one of the side ligaments and runs - as the name suggests - along the inside of the knee from top to bottom.
It serves, as does that Outer band, the stabilization of the knee joint. The collateral ligaments play with all of the other ligaments in the joint and those around it Muscles together. If the inner ligament travels as a result of an accident (trauma) (mostly in sports) In addition to pain, the joint also becomes unstable. In addition to the test of the Foldability, especially those MRI- Investigation of the nature and severity of the injury.
Therapy is also based on this: is only conservative with splint (Days or weeks) treated or is one OP necessary (if the bone is involved). The prognosis also depends on the type and severity of the injury, but is usually good.
Such an injury can be avoided if you exercise caution in dangerous sports and, above all, a strong, well-trained muscle structure makes a great contribution to the Stability of the knee joint. The more stability such a knee joint experiences, the less easy it is to traumatize.