Featuring Carl Petersen, BPE, BScPT
Duration: 1 minute, 50 seconds
In badminton a knee alignment sprain is an acute injury that occurs from a quick stopping and twisting action where the knee is rotated and twisted.
If we look at our knee, we see the tibia below; the femur above; the patella or knee cap in the middle; and the ligaments are what help support these two structures and hold the bones together.
On the inside you have the medial collateral ligament which is a broad ligament. We have on the outside, the lateral collateral ligament; and inside the knee we have the anterior cruciate ligament and the posterior crushet ligament which cross like this to help give more stability and support to the knee.
The severity of injury is graded one, two or three. First degree means there's just a few fibers that are stretched and maybe torn. Second degree is where you have more fibers torn and it's a more severe injuy, and third degree is when there's a total tear or total rupture of that ligament.
In dealing with knee ligament sprains it's most important to one, know what the severity is and also know which structures have been involved. Once you know that, you can use braces to try and help to decrease the stress on the area.
You can do a variety of different strengthening, balancing, and stabilizing exercises to help improve the function of the joint; and as well decrease the inflammation with ice and a variety of other tools.
And in dealing with knee ligament sprains, it's important that you see a physician or physiotherapist to get an accurate diagnosis to the severity of the injury and the tissue involved. And it's also important to try and help minimize the amount of scar tissue and inflammation that's in that ligament.
Presenter: Mr. Carl Petersen, Physiotherapist, Vancouver, BC
Local Practitioners: Physiotherapist
