How to Treat Knee Sprains
What are knee sprains?
Knee sprains are very common injuries where one of the four major ligaments in the knee joint are torn or overstretched. These ligaments all provide stability to your knees to ensure you are walking comfortably and participating in your daily activities.
The ligaments that may be damaged are the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), the medial collateral ligament (MCL), and the lateral collateral ligament (LCL). The ACL forms a bridge the inside of the knee joint, constructing a cross pattern that provides stability to the knee when engaging in front-to-back and back-to-front forces. The main causes of a sprain to the ACL may be a sudden stop, a twist, pivot or fast change in direction. This typically happens when playing basketball, soccer, rugby, wrestling, running, gymnastics and skiing. The PCL ligament, however, sprains due to direct impact to the front of the knee, such as hitting the knee directly on a hard object or landing hard on a bent knee during sports. Next, the MCL provides stability to the inner side of the leg, and may be injured by a severe knee twist during physical activities. Lastly is the Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL). This supports the outer side of the knee and is the least likely area to be sprained because in the event of an injury, usually the other leg will protect the opposite side. If injury does occur, they are usually caused by a hard impact to the inside of the knee.
Each location will have swelling when injured, it depends on the area/severity of the sprain. Some patients may also experience bruising and instability while they are performing light activities such as walking or light running.
Treating knee sprains
The recommended at-home treatment for a knee sprain is following through with the RICE method and wearing a knee brace for a short period of time.
Rice Method
R- Rest the joint.
I- Ice the injured area to reduce swelling.
C- Compress the swelling with an elastic bandage.
E- Elevate the injured knee.
We also recommend coming in for physiotherapy treatment to rebuild strength and flexibility in the thigh and leg muscles, while working to restore full range of motion to the knee. After a sprain, muscles are also damaged such as your hamstrings, quads and adductor muscles due to the impact and trauma to the knee. We typically recommend four to eight weeks of treatment. At FLXME, Nicole, our physiotherapy resident will evaluate the severity of your sprain to determine the recommended rehabilitation period and at home exercises that can be incorporated for the best outcome!
Sources:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/a_to_z/knee-sprain-a-to-z
https://www.betterbraces.com/injury-info-center/knee-injury-guide/knee-sprain