What is the danger of fracture of the knee

In 50% of cases injuries of the lower extremities, injury is knee fracture. Feet play an important role in the functioning of the musculoskeletal system of man. Subjected to daily stress, feet ensure free movement of the person. A serious knee injury has a high morbidity, full immobilization and prolonged rehabilitation period.

Cause of fracture can be excessive physical exertion during sports, extreme sports, falling on the knee. In case of knee injury in connection with the professional sports activities of man, the process of treatment and rehabilitation may last for a much longer period than normal fall.

Types of trauma and fractures of the knee.

One of the most complicated and fragile joints of the human skeleton is the knee joint. In medicine, a definition of "knee joint" means the connection of the fibula and tibia from the upper thigh. Special walls are the menisci, connect the above part of the knee between them. In addition to the meniscuses in the process of connection involves bones ligaments, tendons and muscles. Articular cartilage provides the smooth interaction of all components of the knee.

Clinical cases of knee fracture are divided into many types. The main ones are open and closed fractures. The second large group is the division of this type of injury in extra-articular fractures and intra-articular. To aggravate the diagnosis can offset the bones of a different nature.

The most common reason for this fracture is a fall on the bent knee leg. Some rarer cases of fracture due to the application of a direct blow to the patella. There are cases in which impact was not, and the injury was sustained due to excessive stress on the tendon. This may come off the lower part of the patella.

Most common are the horizontal fractures of the knee, often accompanied by displacement of the bones. A blow received at high speed or with great force, may facilitate the occurrence of multisplintered fracture.

Individual cases include vertical fractures of the knee. As a rule, they are not complicated by offset, with rare exceptions.

Symptoms of a fractured knee

The knee fracture match:

1. A lot of pain. With any fracture, the person feels severe pain. In case of fractureknee joint pain increases when you try to straighten the leg.
2. Locking of the knee joint. In such fractures the person is not able to raise or straighten the bent leg. This symptom does not always indicate the presence of a fracture.
3. Appeared swelling. Consequence of any fracture is internal bleeding. In medicine, the concept denoted by the term "hemarthrosis", which literally translates to "blood in the joint". The resulting fracture lines, the blood gets inside the joint and starts "bursting" from the inside.
4. The appearance of a bruise. Shortly after receiving the injury on the surface of the skin appears bruised. It is formed due to the impregnation of the tissues with blood.
5. Deformity of the knee. One of the signs of fracture of the patella is the "ceasing" of bones and tissues.

First aid at fracture of the knee joint

A significant role in the treatment of such injuries played first aid to the victim. In that case, if the injury is open, the first thing you need to do urgently to stop the bleeding. You have to put some ice, a piece of frozen meat or snow to the injured area. Wrap the "cold" in a towel or clothes low temperature can damage the skin. In that case, if you are alone and not around people who are able to provide you with first aid, take the following steps:

1. Rigidly lock the leg in one position, to avoid a larger divergence of the edges of the fracture and possible bone fragments.
2. Build a simple bus. As available tools, you can use any two solid object straight shape, firmly fixed with bandages or clothing. If the injury happened in nature, for the construction of the tyre is ideal for two-with three straight strong tree branches.
3. If the pain is unbearable, take pain medication.
4. Fixing the leg, do not try to set the bones yourself. This can lead to painful shock, followed by loss of consciousness and increase the degree of displacement of the bones. Upon arrival and admission it will take the doctors.
5. Attach to the injured location, ice (important in an open and in a closed fracture). Do not keep the ice on too long. This can lead to frostbite of the tissues.
6. If you are not able to stop the bleeding with applied to the wound cold, bandage the knee with a sterile bandage. In their absence, use any clean cloth.

Treatment of fractures and injuries of the knee joint

The arrived ambulance sent the victim to the hospital. Fractures of the knee include the mostthreat of injury and require a detailed diagnosis and treatment. Starting with a questioning of the patient, the doctor will proceed to the examination of injury. By palpation doctor will determine the area of damage, and then prescribe x-rays. X-rays of such injuries is done from several angles, so the surgeon will thoroughly study and examine the site of fracture.

In some cases (if the bones are strongly shifted or split into multiple fragments) of x-rays are insufficient, as additional tests may be assigned to computed tomography.

After receiving all the detailed information about the nature of the fracture, the doctor prescribes the treatment. In simple cases of fracture, the injury will be plastered. The plaster is overlaid on at least 1.5 - 2 months.

In complicated cases of fracture, a physician is assigned a comprehensive treatment. Compound fractures with a significant displacement of the bones and the presence of splinters of bone, may be taken by surgical intervention. During the operation, the surgeon returns the split of the knee in their anatomically correct location and restores destroyed structure of the joint. With the help of special devices created from surgical steel, the doctor holds the particles of the knee. These helper tools are all kinds of pins, metal plates and screws. The process of treatment and recovery from such injuries can drag on for months.

The rehabilitation period

The time required to complete the restoration of the knee depends on the severity of the injury. After removing the plaster, the patient can be assigned to the following rehabilitation activities:

1. You may be prescribed a course of physical therapy. Medical practice treatment of complex bone fractures has proven the efficacy of this method. A few weeks injured place will be under the influence of electrophoresis, magnetic therapy, UHF, and other similar procedures.
2. The appointment of medical procedures. For the systematic development of the knee joint, the patient must attend physical therapy sessions. In any case, do not do physical rehabilitation training by themselves. Such procedures should be conducted only under the supervision of the doctor - rehabilitologist.
3. Maintaining a special diet included in the plan of rehabilitation. To speed up the recovery process of the bone tissue, patients are advised to eat foods rich in calcium. Such productsinclude dairy products, fish, eggs and cheese.
4. During the rebuilding process should avoid excessive physical stress on the joint.
5. To saturate the body with all the essential trace elements, involved in the restoration of bone and cartilage, the doctor prescribes a course of multivitamins.

It is important to remember that any fracture requires examination and treatment by a specialist.

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When a strong pain due to a fall or blow, immediately contact your doctor.

Don't forget that the delayed assisted can lead to disability.