A muscle tear is a fairly common injury, especially among very physically active people. This term indicates the excessive stretching of a muscle caused by excessive or inappropriate use or by damage caused by a trauma or an accident. When you suffer from a knee tear, the muscle fibers surrounding the joint tear or damage the tendons from overstretching. The injury can cause immediate pain as soon as the accident has occurred, or it may not hurt for several hours. If you think you have suffered this injury, it is important to know how to recognize the symptoms, what are the appropriate tests, what to expect while waiting for the diagnosis and what treatments are needed to heal.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Check for Symptoms
Step 1. Pay attention to inflammation and pain
Inflammation is a natural reaction of the body trying to defend itself from injury. To try to protect itself, it tends to swell the affected area, which becomes sore, hot or red. Check if the knee is warm to the touch, swollen, or red by placing a hand on it and observing how it looks. Also assess pain and tenderness to touch.
- The heat that forms in the injured area is due to the increase in blood flow from the chest to the knee to warm the colder peripheral tissues.
- Inflammation is a consequence of increased white blood cell activity.
- The redness is due to an increased blood supply to the injured area.
- The affected area does not always turn red; sometimes it appears dark or bruised due to incorrect twisting or stress due to knee hyperflexion or hyperextension.
Step 2. Look for signs of stiffness or reduced range of motion
When the knee is injured, both of these symptoms are quite common. Stand up with your weight on the sound leg and gently lift the injured leg to check if the knee is particularly weak or unstable. You may feel it rather limp or feel a sense of instability in the affected area.
The tendons or tissues connected to the muscle are damaged causing a feeling of stiffness or weakness
Step 3. Look for numbness or muscle spasms
Sometimes this type of trauma can cause this sensation or cause a sudden and sporadic muscle spasm. Pay attention to a tingling sensation in the knee or surrounding area due to the trauma sustained during the injury.
Numbness is caused by a brief loss of sensory or motor function induced by the accident that damaged muscle tissue
Step 4. Listen for noises and check for flexibility
Move your leg very carefully to hear any unusual noises, such as a screeching or "snap" coming from the knee. This type of noise can indicate that some muscle fibers have been torn. As you perform this check, see if you are able to fully straighten your leg. Failing to fully extend or flex your leg and knee is a clear sign that a muscle tear has occurred.
Step 5. Determine if you can hold weight on the knee
Muscles and tendons are not as strong as they were before an injury. Hold on to the injured leg for a while to see if it can hold up or if it gives way under pressure. Another test you can do is to walk or climb stairs to see if you can move your knee easily. If your muscles, tendons, or ligaments are damaged, you should feel pain and have difficulty.
Part 2 of 3: Getting a Medical Diagnosis
Step 1. Communicate important medical information
During your visit, you need to tell the doctor about any joint problems you have had in the past, any complications from previous surgery, problems with inflammation or injury, and your level of physical activity.
Tell them if you have recently fallen, if you walk or run on accidental paths, if you have twisted or rotated your ankles or legs, if you have tripped, or if you have suffered a sudden blow to the knee
Step 2. Check the knee ligaments
Your doctor may perform various tests for this purpose. It is important to understand how the ligaments work, as they perform the job of stabilizing the knee. The doctor will also be able to check the collateral ones, in addition to the posterior and anterior crusaders.
- Valgus and varus tests allow to check the lateral collateral ligaments.
- The posterior drawer test helps check the posterior cruciate ligament.
- The Lachman test, the anterior drawer test, and the pivot shift test check the anterior cruciate ligament, often abbreviated to ACL.
- If your doctor thinks you have meniscus problems based on the results of these tests, he or she may have a McMurray test.
- If performing standard physical tests such as the ones described so far is too painful, your doctor may order an arthrometric test to measure knee laxity.
Step 3. Undergo further tests if the doctor suspects a more serious injury
They may ask you to perform a physical examination of the injured area to determine the degree of pain, the amount of swelling, the internal stability of the joints and the degree of mobility. At that point, you may request additional tests, such as x-rays, x-rays, MRIs, or an ultrasound. These tests provide an accurate view of what is happening inside the knee.
- Such types of diagnostic tests should only be done when manual tests to check the condition of the knee ligaments do not lead to a conclusion.
- X-rays highlight any fractures or damage to the cartilages.
- X-rays and MRIs allow the doctor to see the internal structures of the joint and check for injuries or soft tissue edema.
- Ultrasound is performed to obtain images of the tissues of the knee, the same principle as ultrasound can be applied with therapeutic purposes.
Part 3 of 3: Treating a Knee Strain
Step 1. Reduce pain, swelling and fever with medication
NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) or analgesics are very common pain relievers that are able to control the pain, swelling or fever associated with the trauma. Ask your doctor for advice before taking any active ingredient, as it could cause kidney or bleeding problems. If these over-the-counter medications do not perform as you expect, you will need to switch to prescription medications.
Step 2. Limit movement to protect the joint
Use a supportive device, such as a splint, brace, knee brace, bandage, or crutches, to reduce movement of the knee during the healing phase. These tools also help you feel less pain by blocking the injured part.
Step 3. Lift and rest your knee
To manage pain, you should keep the knee at rest and elevated. Make sure the joint is higher than your heart to reduce blood supply to the area.
Try sitting in a recliner or chair with a footrest in front, keeping a couple of pillows below the knee; or, lie down on the bed, always resting your leg on some pillow
Step 4. Apply ice and squeeze the knee
Always with the aim of managing pain and swelling, you must place ice on the affected area and compress it constantly. Use an ice pack or bag filled with crushed ice and hold it on your knee for no more than 20 minutes at a time. You can repeat the treatment every hour. This way you avoid further tissue damage. A compression bandage also reduces swelling and pain.
Apply ice in the first 48 hours after the injury
Step 5. Wrap the knee in an elastic bandage
An elastic or compression band can help improve blood flow to the damaged area and support it. Apply it to your knee to aid in recovery or have it done by a doctor.
Step 6. Undergo physical therapy to help your knee recover
Depending on the severity of the tear, your doctor may recommend physical therapy, during which you will learn specific exercises to manage pain and improve strength and range of motion in the joint.
Step 7. Go to the emergency room if you have certain symptoms
In some cases, a knee injury may require immediate medical attention. Go to the hospital right away if:
- You cannot load weight on the injured leg or the joint feels unstable
- You notice redness or red streaks spreading from the affected area
- You have already suffered injuries in the same place in the past;
- The injury looks particularly serious.
