Glen AtwellA hypothetical guide to knee reconstructions... Part two!
August 15th 2006 00:30
In this Sport Talk series we delve into the world of knee reconstructions. You take the role of a young football star, whose career turns chaotic after an on-field rupture of his anterior cruciate ligament. Part two deals with diagnosis and doctors!
As the lengthy diagnosis process begins, there is something you should know. There is a good-to-great chance that your ACL was not the only part of your knee damaged during the accident. Depending on which direction your knee gave way, you probably tore the medial or lateral meniscus – the cartilage-like tissue that provides structural integrity to the knee when it undergoes stress.
A grade II to III tear of your medial collateral or lateral collateral ligament is also common. A combination of a ruptured ACL, meniscus and tear of the MCL and/or LCL is often described as the ‘Unhappy Triad’.
Luckily, most MCL and LCL injuries can be healed with rest and physiotherapy. A meniscal tear would be repaired during an ACL reconstruction.
Now you have to get to the doctors. Forget about going straight to a knee specialist or orthopaedic surgeon, just see your local general practitioner. Provided the swelling and acute trauma has subsided adequately, your knee will be put through a battery of physical tests, designed to evaluate the integrity of the joint.
Anterior / Posterior Drawer – Tests integrity of cruciate ligaments.
Lachman’s Test – Performed when you are sitting and with your knee bent 20 to 30 degrees. The doctor will pull and push on your tibia and attempt to displace it from the femur.
Mc Murray’s Test – Checks the integrity of the meniscus by rotating the tibia onto the femur.
Despite the excruciating descriptions, all these tests are relatively pain-free! As soon as your GP has established a basic understanding of your injuries, you will be referred to an orthopaedic surgeon (OS). Phone the reception, book an appointment and get ready to begin a long and often depressing journey towards recovery.
Whatever you do, try not to self-diagnosis too much on the Internet. It can be addicting, and dangerous. If you start to convince yourself that a small race of aliens invaded Earth and decided to set up camp in your knee joint – give Wiki a rest.
As the lengthy diagnosis process begins, there is something you should know. There is a good-to-great chance that your ACL was not the only part of your knee damaged during the accident. Depending on which direction your knee gave way, you probably tore the medial or lateral meniscus – the cartilage-like tissue that provides structural integrity to the knee when it undergoes stress.
A grade II to III tear of your medial collateral or lateral collateral ligament is also common. A combination of a ruptured ACL, meniscus and tear of the MCL and/or LCL is often described as the ‘Unhappy Triad’.
Luckily, most MCL and LCL injuries can be healed with rest and physiotherapy. A meniscal tear would be repaired during an ACL reconstruction.
Now you have to get to the doctors. Forget about going straight to a knee specialist or orthopaedic surgeon, just see your local general practitioner. Provided the swelling and acute trauma has subsided adequately, your knee will be put through a battery of physical tests, designed to evaluate the integrity of the joint.
Anterior / Posterior Drawer – Tests integrity of cruciate ligaments.
Lachman’s Test – Performed when you are sitting and with your knee bent 20 to 30 degrees. The doctor will pull and push on your tibia and attempt to displace it from the femur.
Mc Murray’s Test – Checks the integrity of the meniscus by rotating the tibia onto the femur.
Despite the excruciating descriptions, all these tests are relatively pain-free! As soon as your GP has established a basic understanding of your injuries, you will be referred to an orthopaedic surgeon (OS). Phone the reception, book an appointment and get ready to begin a long and often depressing journey towards recovery.
Whatever you do, try not to self-diagnosis too much on the Internet. It can be addicting, and dangerous. If you start to convince yourself that a small race of aliens invaded Earth and decided to set up camp in your knee joint – give Wiki a rest.
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