What is a knee fracture?
A knee fracture is a break or fracture of one of the bones that make up the joint (femur, tibia, fibula and patella). Generally, these bones are injured by falls, traffic accidents, injuries produced in the practice of contact sports and physical exercise, blows and other injuries.
Prognosis of the disease
There are activities that involve the possibility of a direct contusion on the knee and therefore can cause a bill. Some of these activities are climbing, canyoning or contact sports such as soccer, rugby or basketball. In addition, any accident can also be the cause of a knee fracture. However, the prognosis is good although slow and costly and it is always necessary to follow the guidelines of the specialist in Traumatology to recover the mobility of the joint.
There are activities that involve the possibility of a direct contusion on the knee.
Symptoms of the knee fracture
The symptoms of a knee fracture are:
- Pain and tenderness in the joint.
- swelling and inflammation with the possibility of bruising.
- Limited range of motion.
- Deformed leg and inability to walk and move it properly.
Medical tests for knee fracture
The specialist in Traumatology can evaluate in depth the knee fracture. To do this, he or she will first check for any injury to the skin and examine the leg. To make a more accurate diagnosis, the specialist can help with some tests, such as:
- X-ray
- Computerized tomography
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
What are the causes of knee fracture?
The causes of knee fracture can be very varied and may depend on several factors. As mentioned above, there is a high percentage of suffering a knee fracture when practicing outdoor or physical contact sports. It may also be the case that the patient has suffered an accident or a direct blow to the joint. Osteoporosis can also increase the risk of knee fracture.
Can it be prevented?
Knee fracture is difficult to prevent, since in order to prevent it, the causes that provoke it should be avoided. Therefore, do physical sports and outdoors with care, avoid poorly lit areas to avoid tripping, organize the house to avoid accidents, wear your seat belt to, in case of an accident, reduce fractures to a minimum.
Knee fracture treatments
Knee fracture treatment depends on the fractured bone and the type of fracture. If the parts of the bones are well aligned, a splint or knee cast may be sufficient. On the other hand, if the patella is affected, surgery may be necessary. Therefore, the recovery of the injury depends on the fractured bone, the type of fracture, the treatment and its evolution.
Which specialist treats it?
The specialist who treats this pathology is the traumatologist.