Knee Sprain

Prevention

To help prevent sports-related knee injures, you can:

• Warm up and stretch before you participate in athletic activities.

• Do exercises to strengthen the leg muscles around your knee, especially the quadriceps.

• Avoid sudden increases in the intensity of your training program. Never push yourself too hard, too fast. Increase your intensity gradually.

• Wear comfortable, supportive shoes that fit your feet and fit your sport. If you have problems in foot alignment that might increase your risk for a twisted knee, ask your doctor about shoe inserts that can correct the problem.

• If you play football, ask your sports medicine doctor or athletic trainer about specific types of shoe cleats that may help reduce your risk for knee injuries.

• If you ski, use two-mode release bindings that are properly installed and adjusted. Make sure that the binding mechanism is in good working order and that your boots and binding are compatible.

Treatment

If you have a Grade I or Grade II knee sprain, your doctor probably will recommend that you follow the RICE rule:

• Rest the joint.

• Ice the injured area to reduce swelling.

• Compress the swelling with an elastic bandage.

• Elevate the injured knee.

Your doctor may suggest that you wear a knee brace for a short period of time, and that you take a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin and others), to relieve pain and ease swelling. As your knee pain gradually goes away, your doctor will prescribe a rehabilitation program to strengthen the muscles around your knee. This rehabilitation should help to stabilize your knee joint and prevent you from injuring it again.

If you have a Grade III knee sprain or if multiple ligaments are injured, treatment depends on the specific type of sprain:

• Grade III ACL or PCL sprain - Your torn ligament may be reconstructed surgically using either a piece of your own tissue (autograft) or a piece of donor tissue (allograft). Almost all knee reconstructions use camera-guided (arthroscopic) surgery.

• Grade III MCL sprain - This injury usually is treated conservatively with rest, ice, compression, elevation, anti-inflammatory pain medicines (such as ibuprofen) and physical therapy. In certain cases, surgery may be used to repair a torn MCL.

• Grade III LCL sprain - In a severe LCL sprain, the torn ligament often is repaired surgically.

• Simultaneous injury of multiple ligaments - Your doctor will discuss the various surgical options available with you.