What are the structures of the cruciate ligaments? Ligaments are rope-shaped structures that hold the bones together.
Each knee has two cruciate ligaments: anterior and posterior, which are placed crosswise. Keeping the thigh bones (femur) and leg bones (tibia) together during leg movements is next to each other.
How are these ligaments damaged?1. Twisting the knee
2. Hit on the knee
3. Excessive knee stretching
4. Jumping and landing on the ground with knee bending
5. Sudden stop while running
6. Sudden change and change of body weight created from one leg to another
Methods of diagnosis of cruciate ligament rupture : - Patient's history
- Clinical tests
- MRA
- Simple radiography is usually normal, unless it is accompanied by fractures in the articular surface of the tibia.
What are the consequences of cruciate ligament injury? If the injury is severe and leads to the rupture of any of the cruciate ligaments, knee instability may occur and the patient may experience so-called emptying of the knee during activity. Knee instability over time leads to Arthrosis or premature wear and tear of the knee joint
Treatments: In cases where the rupture is only in the cruciate ligament and there is no other injury in the knee, what kind of treatment the cruciate ligament injury needs depends on the severity of the injury, the age of the patient, his job, etc. A young person who has a complete rupture of the cruciate ligament and wants to continue active sports needs surgery. On the other hand, the treatment of an elderly person who lives a peaceful life is usually without surgery.
Non-surgical treatment methods for knee ligament injuries include drug therapy, physical therapy and exercise, PRP injection, ozone gas injection, steroid injection and prescription of special medical knee braces.
Prevention of knee cruciate ligament injury Preventing knee ligament injuries is a bit difficult, because these injuries usually occur during accidents, but doing the following can prevent these injuries a little.
1- Performing endurance and stretching exercises to increase the endurance of thigh muscles
2- Performing stretching exercises before and after sports activities
3- Gradually increasing the intensity of sports activities