Your knee is said to have hyperextended when it bends backward, causing pain and swelling. Most of the damage can happen in two ligaments: ACL (anterior cruciate) or PCL (posterior cruciate) ligament which connects your shinbone with thigh bone. These ligaments help stabilise the knee for movements, rotation and pivoting.
Is it possible for a hyperextended knee to recover on its own?
It might take months before your knee regains its full mobility and is pain-free. After a hyperextended knee injury, most children and adults may resume their typical activities if the pain goes away quickly. If you have a slight sprain, you will recover more quickly than if you've had a more significant injury.
Individuals may be able to resume their athletic activities. However, a serious knee injury may restrict how much farther they may exert their muscles.
Healing takes longer in older people. They may also have persistent pain or tightness in their knees. Exercise can help to reduce this.
If some sports or activities put your knee at risk of damage, you may need to cease or decrease your involvement. Also, until you've fully recovered, avoid or postpone explosive sports like basketball or skiing.
What are the early symptoms of Hyperextended Knee?
A hyperextended knee is usually simple to spot. The leg is bent upwards outside its normal posture of straightness and the knee is bent backwards.
A hyperextended knee is accompanied by several distinct symptoms.
The most evident sign is pain. The pain is strong, severe, and concentrated around the knee, which is where the damage occurred.
Most people will hear or experience a snap in their knees when they are injured. This "clicking" sound is a strong indicator that the discomfort you're experiencing is caused by a hyperextended knee.
Bruises emerge around your damaged knee shortly after the accident happens.
Your mobility is hampered by a hyperextended knee. You discover that you would be unable to move your leg normally.
You can also observe a build-up of fluid in your knee joint. It begins to bulge. Any movement is highly unpleasant in this condition known as "water in the knee."
The discomfort may be less intense in less serious instances. However, if you experience weakness in your knee and a continual sense of folding, you might well have a hyperextended knee.
Hyperextended Knee: Causes, Treatment, and Recovery Time
Causes
"Why do you develop a hyperextended knee?", you may be wondering.
When your knee joint ligaments are overworked, your knee hyperextends, or moves outside of its normal range of motion. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) are the most often damaged ligaments.
Sports and accidents are frequently associated with the types of forces that cause hyperextended knees.
While direct strikes to the knee are possible, twisting or straining injuries (hyperflexed/hyperextended) are more common, putting the joint through a larger range of motion than it was designed to handle.
Kinds of Treatments
Almost every knee injury will necessitate many medical visits. If surgery is not required, RICE (rest, ice, compression, and elevation) along with some stretching exercises and maybe rehabilitation will be required. The option to have surgery is sometimes postponed to see if RICE and physical therapy are beneficial. Each injury is different, and treatment options are determined by the expected level of function. A damaged ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in a sportsman or worker, for example, would normally require surgery, but in an 80-year-old who is not particularly active, the ACL might be rehabilitated nonoperatively with physical therapy.
Most knee injuries that require surgery may now be repaired successfully using an arthroscope, which uses a camera to assess the damage and tiny punctures in the knee to implant equipment to heal the injury. Within days following the operation, patients commonly begin post-operative rehabilitation.
Time for Recovery
The time it takes to recuperate from a knee injury varies depending on the kind of damage and might range from days or even weeks for a sprain to months for anterior cruciate ligament repair surgery.
How to prevent Hyperextended Knees?
Here are some but effective preventive measures against hyperextended knee:
- Become more aware of your knee positions as you go about your daily tasks.
- When you're in a static position, make sure your knees are aligned properly. When standing, for example, avoid locking out the knee; when seated, avoid resting the ankles on a footstool since this causes the knee to sink into extension, stretching the posterior tissues.
- When doing dynamic duties like rising from a seated position or stair climbing, make sure your knees are properly aligned.
- Practice single-leg balance with the knee in good alignment to enhance proprioception.
- Consider preventing hyperextension of the knees while in sports, especially ones that involve pressure, such as leaping.
- Exercises and stretches that drive the knee into extension should be avoided. Standing hamstring and calf stretches, for example, should be done with caution.
When to See a Doctor?
If a knee injury does not improve with regular home treatment, such as rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE), medical help should be explored. Frequent pain and discomfort are two more indications that may indicate the need for medical attention.
Final Words
People who have a hyperextended knee injury may fully heal after their accident.
For the greatest chance of a complete recovery, a person should seek medical assistance as soon as possible after an accident and follow all treatment recommendations.
Resting might be tough for athletes and energetic individuals, but it is essential for a full recovery from a hyperextended knee.
Exercising and stretching can help to lower the chance of developing a hyperextended knee. It is critical to have strong muscles surrounding the knees. Stretching is also important before and after exercise, while the muscles are warm.
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