Knee Ailments

Introduction

You might have felt an excruciating knee pain as an aftermath of the fall you just had or while playing sports, which doesn’t seem to go away. Or your knee might be swollen and you cannot sit or stand or bend your legs. It doesn’t seem to be something that will just heal with pain medications, so you might have had a serious knee injury. This needs to be confirmed by an orthopaedician after further checks.

Knee injuries appear commonly in the form of fractures, ligament tears (ACL, PCL, MCL), meniscus tears, or damage to the other parts of the knee. All kinds of unusual pains that might affect your daily life or activities have to be taken to a doctor for treatment. Every knee injury doesn’t really need surgery, but expert trauma care is very essential to get you back on your feet. Some ACL or PCL tear might certainly need surgery. However, a proper diagnosis and treatment will avoid any long-term damage to your knees and will help you achieve smoother physical health.

At Chennai Orthopaedics, led by Dr. Bharani Kumar Dayanandam, people receive complete trauma assessment and advanced knee care that provides them with long-term results for all kinds of concerns with their knees.

Types of Knee Injuries

The knees are made up of the femur (thigh bone), the tibia (shinbone – lower leg) and the fibula (calf bone) that also contributes to stability.  The bones meet at the knee joint, which is covered by a kneecap, or patella and is cushioned by a cartilage tissue called meniscus to allow free movement and flexibility.

When it comes to knee injuries, they can be anything from sprains, fractures, dislocations, ligament injuries, overuse syndromes, tendon injuries, or anything similar. The injuries, however, vary in their severity and might cause problems in your quality of life. The most common types of injuries are sprains, fractures and dislocations.

Let us look at the major types of knee injuries in brief

Patella Fracture – Occurs when there is a direct hit to the patella or kneecap, usually from a serious trauma like car accidents, intense sports activities or falling from a height. There will be extreme pain, swelling and difficulty in moving the legs during this fracture.

Tibial Plateau Fracture – This type of fracture also occurs during a high-impact trauma like a fall from a ladder or accidents, etc. the tibia or the shinbone, is located in the lower leg and the tibial plateau is a flat and smooth portion connecting to the femur to form the knee. Traumas may cause mild or severe shattering of the plateau, causing fracture. Symptoms include inflammation in the knee, loss of ROM, loss of stability, and immobility.

Femoral Condyle Fracture – This fracture happens as a result of jumping from an unusual height where the ball-shaped femoral condyle that is located at the end of the thigh bone (the femur) breaks. There will be an uncontrollable pain and bleeding in open fractures.

Meniscus Tear – Injuries or tears to the menisci are found to be very common among athletes where sudden movements like catching a ball, running, or twisting the knee might tear the cartilage cushion in the knees. This might also happen with people as a result of ageing where the cartilage starts wearing out and also due to arthritis. You might have a painful and swollen knee and it might feel stiff, stopping you from bending or straightening your legs.

Ligament Injuries – All knee injuries are not necessarily fractures. Ligament tears are common with sports activities or traumatic incidents, where intense movements occur and the ligaments, which are the flexible tissues connecting the knee joints can get overstretched or sometimes torn. This leads to an injury and is accompanied by swelling and extreme pain.

Symptoms & Diagnosis of Knee Injury

Knee injuries show different types of symptoms depending on their type. However, there are some symptoms showing there might be an injury that includes

• Severe and sharp pain in the knee.
• Swelling or inflammation that begins to get worse.
• Difficulty in walking.
• Bruising and inability to bend or straighten the leg.
• Inability to bear weight.

The doctor diagnoses a knee injury by understanding the cause of injury and performing a physical exam and would ask you to take X-rays or an MRI scan. Once the type of injury, whether it is a sprain, a fracture, or a ligament tear, etc. is confirmed, the doctor will formulate a treatment plan, and if required, might perform a surgery.

FAQ’s about the Knee Ailments

Patient Feedback

Treatment Option for Knee Injury

Doctors advise treatments depending on the type of injury and its severity. There are two ways to treat the injuries – surgical and non-surgical ways. 

Non-surgical methods include rest, ice therapy, compression and elevation  (RICE) and might need physiotherapy to strengthen the muscles, but it it delays the healing after a recommended time period, you must immediately visit the doctor.

Surgical Repair & Fixation

Fractures can be really hard to manage but some types of fractures, which are stable, are where there are simple cracks or breaks but the bones are aligned. These fractures can heal with a knee cast or by avoiding activities that put pressure on the knees.

Meanwhile, unstable fractures are serious and need surgical intervention, where open fractures demand immediate surgery to avoid risk of infection and closed fractures will be done at a later time.

When the kneecap gets multiple breakages and the pieces are displaced, surgeons take off the smallest fragments and will reconnect the remaining pieces with screws and wires. Some fractures, like horizontal breaks, will be fixed with screws, plates, or pins or all of them.

All related injuries also will be treated by the doctor. After surgery the knees might still need casting or splints to keep the knee immobilised till full healing.

Knee Injury Recovery Time

The rehabilitation of trauma in the knees needs you to manage injuries effectively and this would require proper aftercare and following of the prescribed guidelines. Physiotherapy helps to restore muscle strength, function, and mobility through strengthening, ROM and balance and stability exercises. The rehabilitation also involves physical therapies that involve electrical stimulation, heat therapy or manual therapy to improve knee function. Along with it, for pain management, you would need medications and necessary supplements for your overall health.

Recovery & Rehabilitation

Knee Injury Recovery Time – The months after a knee surgery is very important and activities and aftercare determine the full recovery. It might last upto a year. Hence, actively participating in physiotherapies and other aftercare measures is very crucial and must be followed religiously.

Recovery begins as soon as the surgery is over. After the required amount of rest in the hospital, you will be able to stand and walk using external equipment like a walker, crutches, or cane sticks. A typical recovery happens in 3-6 months; however, full recovery might take up to a year.

When Can I Walk Again After Surgery?

The first week’s activities will include gait training, ROM exercises and other gentle exercises. By the third week you may notice a huge improvement but the exercises will keep continuing. Most patients will usually be able to stand or walk for more than 10-15 minutes, depending on the doctors evaluations.

Physiotherapy Exercises After Knee Injury

During the 4th to 6th weeks, the physiotherapist will focus on increasing your knee strength more than before and might require you to take longer walks. The exercises may have toe and heel raises and hip abductions.

Weeks 7 to 11 will include advanced ROM exercises to improve mobility and knee strength in an advanced method and may include bicycling on stationary equipment, leg balancing exercises, mini squats, and step-ups.

During the 12th week you might have got into a better position to do more advanced activities like normal bicycling, dancing, playing golf, etc., though you should not do risky activities like skiing, running, aerobics, football, high-intensity cycling or basketball.

Having said that, it is very crucial to follow the instructions of your doctor and adhere to the plan to ensure a full and effective recovery. You must do regular checkups and attend the follow-ups diligently to make sure proper improvement and healing are taking place.

Complications & Prevention

Knee Injury Complications

Some knee injuries or fractures can cause different types of complications or risks that might affect normal functioning and mobility and those include

• Knee arthritis leading to intense pain and stiffness in your knees.
• Loss of mobility that limits the knee activities like bending or straightening the legs.
• Muscle weakness where the quadriceps might never return to its normal functioning.
• Excruciating knee pain may persist even after an initial healing.

Risks of Untreated Knee Injuries 

First of all, knee injuries must not be taken lightly because if left untreated, they might affect your quality of life, as they affect your normal activities like walking, sitting, standing, bending, etc. Your several ranges of motion will be stopped if you don’t visit a doctor and seek help. Only when you get timely evaluation and treatment will you be able to prevent such complications.

Preventing Sports Knee Injuries

If you are an athlete or active in sports activities, then you must keep yourself active in a consistent plan of exercises before getting into them. These include warm-up exercises, strength, flexibility and mobility exercises, balance training, etc. to avoid any repeated injuries. New athletes or sports too have to follow these to prevent any quick injuries or fractures, as prevention is always a step ahead of going through the pain and aftereffects of injuries.

Knee Injuries Treatment Cost & Consultation in Chennai

The cost for knee injury treatments in Chennai depends on the type of injury or fracture and how it is treated, the hospital where it’s done, the surgeon’s expertise, the location of the hospital and the type of treatment.

For a total knee replacement in Chennai, the price starts from Rs 3.2 lakhs to Rs 5 lakhs or more.

For a knee arthroscopy the cost comes to around Rs 1.2 lakhs to Rs 2.8 lakhs or more.

For a partial knee replacement surgery, the costs range from Rs 1.5 lakhs to Rs 4 lakhs or more.

However, the charges vary substantially in different hospitals.

At Chennai Orthopaedics, Dr. Bharani Kumar Dayanandam offers affordable knee injury or fracture treatments with flexible payment options without compromising on quality. It is advised that you contact the team at Chennai Orthopaedics to know more about the price details, as it is determined on the basis of your knee problem.

Why Choose Dr. Bharani Kumar Dayanandam for Knee Injury Treatment in Chennai?

Dr. Bharani Kumar Dayanandam is a prominent orthopaedic surgeon and trauma consultant at Chennai Orthopaedics. He is well known for his patient-centred treatment and care in all his treatments for all kinds of knee concerns. He is a knee and shoulder specialist and brings with him over 26 years of experience in orthopaedic knee surgery and other treatments.

Dr Bharani Kumar has done his MBBS in Tamil Nadu at Dr. MGR Medical University. In 2001 he achieved an Associate Fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and in 2004 he did his Diploma in Orthopaedic Engineering from the University of Cardiff, Wales, at the College of Engineering & Medicine. He also got an FRCS in trauma & orthopaedics in 2010. He has immense experience by working with many senior doctors both in India and in the UK.

His fields of interest are arthroscopic knee surgery, ligament reconstructions (ACL, PCL, MCL, PLC) and meniscal transplants/implants, patella realignment, cartilage-preserving surgery, joint arthroplasty and osteotomy.

His patients trust him completely, as the procedure success rates are positive and reliable. If you face any issues with your knees like pain or mobility issues, or anything similar, you can choose to consult Dr. Bharani Kumar to get a proper diagnosis and precise treatment.

FAQ’s

What is the recovery time for a knee injury?

Recovery time differs depending on the type and severity of the injury and treatment done. Small injuries like sprains heal fast, while serious injuries like fractures might take a longer time like months or up to a year.

Can a knee injury heal without surgery?

Yes, there are many injuries that can heal without any surgical intervention like ligament injuries or damage to the cartilage tissues. All these might require only rest, ice, compression and elevation (RICE) along with the necessary medication.

How do doctors fix a broken patella?

Patella injury treatment depends on the type of it whether it is just an injury or a fracture. If it is a small break then a casting or immobilisation might be enough, while more complex ones require reconnecting pieces with wires and surgical screws.

How long does it take to recover from knee injury surgery?

Typical recovery time for knee injury treatments is 3-6 months but active participation in physiotherapy is crucial to get an effective recovery.

What happens if a knee injury is not treated?

If you don’t get timely diagnosis and treatment for a knee injury, then it can lead to chronic pain, and complications like long-term joint damage, instability, severe arthritis, etc.