Signs that your knee pain or injury could be serious
By Dr. David Geier
Knee injuries are among the most common injuries in sports and exercise.
Fortunately, most knee injuries do not require surgery.
Maybe you injure your knee landing awkwardly from a jump playing volleyball on
the beach on Sullivan’s Island. Maybe you twist your knee playing Mount
Pleasant coed league soccer.
If you suffer a knee injury, how can you know if it is serious and worth seeing an
orthopaedic surgeon? Or do you need to go to an emergency room or urgent
care facility in the Charleston area? This list is far from comprehensive, but here
are some signs you have a knee injury that might require surgery or absence
from sports or exercise.
You heard a pop.
I don't mean a small pop like the one you feel when you crack your knuckles. I'm
also not talking about the popping many of you feel under your kneecaps
normally with knee motion. If you hear or feel a loud, painful pop during an
awkward landing or when you get hit in the knee, you could have torn a ligament.
Many athletes say that their teammates heard the pop when they tore their ACLs.
Your knee buckled or gave way.
If your knee buckled when you landed from a jump or changed direction
suddenly, you could have suffered ligament damage, such as an ACL tear.
Alternatively, if you experience your knee giving out with twisting or landing
movements in sports weeks or months after an injury, you should consider
seeing a sports medicine doctor. True knee instability with activities can risk
further damage to the meniscus or articular cartilage.
Your knee is swollen.
It might not be a big deal for your knee to have a small amount of fluid present.
On the other hand, if your knee swells up like a basketball in the first few hours
after an injury, you could have an ACL tear or fracture.
Your knee is locked.
Younger athletes can often tear the meniscus in such away that the inner, torn
fragment can flip into the center of the knee and block motion. These buckethandle meniscus tears often require surgery. The surgeon must push the
meniscus back into place and repair it with sutures or anchors. Milder or more
chronic forms of knee locking or catching also can suggest you have a meniscus
tear.
You can’t bear weight.
Extreme pain trying to walk is somewhat of a generic complaint. Many injuries
can be serious enough to cause pain when you try to put pressure on the injured
leg. It is still a sign you might consider seeking medical attention.
You cannot fully extend the knee.
Pain, swelling, and inflammation after acute injuries can all make knee range of
motion difficult. If a patient comes to my office days after an injury and I can’t
straighten the knee, I get at least a little concerned. It can be a nonspecific
finding, though. Regardless, I have often found ACL tears, acute meniscus tears,
patellar dislocations, and more in these circumstances.
Your knee hurts in a very specific location.
Patients with meniscus tears usually complain of pain in a very specific spot
along the joint line rather than throughout the knee. Medial meniscus tears often
hurt along the medial (inside) and posterior (back) side of the knee. Lateral
meniscus tears often cause pain along the lateral (outside) and posterior aspect
of the knee. Likewise, stress fractures usually cause localized pain on the bone
at the site of the fracture.
I hope that this list is helpful. Again, it is by no means comprehensive. Also,
please understand that it is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor of
orthopaedic surgeon. If anything, I hope you would consider seeing your doctor
sooner after injury if you have any of these complaints.