Regardless of the severity of your knee sprain, your doctor will almost certainly advise that you involve the use of a knee brace to support your joint as it recovers full function. It used to be quite difficult to find a knee brace to suit your personal needs precisely, but nowadays you can find a range of high-quality knee braces available online at the click of a button.
What Are the Different Kinds of Knee Sprain?
All such injuries refer to damage sustained to the ligament within the knee which hold the joint together by attaching to the bones of your leg. There are four major ligaments which work to stabilize the knee joint and damage to each of them results in slightly varying effects.
One of the most notorious knee ligaments is known as the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) which works with the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) to form a cross-shaped structure within the knee joint. You typically see injuries to the ACL in soccer players as they have to pivot their knee joints as they trap and then strike the ball with their feet.
The PCL works together with the ACL to give the knee the stability it needs to function properly. It is typically injured by direct impact to the front of the knee. As such, this kind of injury is really prevalent in sports like football and basketball.
The remaining two ligaments which give the knee most of its structural integrity are known as the medial and lateral collateral ligaments. These tissues are found on the inner and outer sides of the knee respectively. The function of these two ligaments is to prevents the knee from bending too far from side to side. After all, the knee is supposed to be a hinge joint. The lateral collateral ligament is most likely to be injured of the two as it is more exposed to direct impact in traumatic events like soccer tackles.
What Are the Symptoms of Knee Sprains?
The exact symptoms you will experience depend entirely upon the exact tissues that are damaged. Sometimes ligaments are damaged in isolation, but it's more common that other parts of the knee sustain some level of damage as well as the most affected part.
The most severe sprain normally involves the ACL, and you can expect to experience a high degree of swelling within hours of your injury. This will be accompanied by severe pain, significant bruising and a sense that your knee might buckle at any moment, leaving you incapable of continuing your chosen activity. ACL injuries characteristically 'pop' as they occur, giving you a good idea of what has just happened.
On the contrary, a PCL sprain has much more mild symptoms which belie the seriousness of your condition. Knee swelling is mild and you may not experience any sensation of instability in the knee joint. You can expect some difficulty in moving the knee and any pain you do experience will be exacerbated by kneeling.
The symptoms associated with a medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain are rather specific and this will help you understand what has been damaged before you even get a proper diagnosis. Owing to its position on the inside of the knee, damage here means that your knee will tend to buckle towards the outside and you'll feel some tenderness over an area that obviously corresponds to the position of the ligament.
The symptoms associated with a lateral collateral ligament (LCL) sprain are essentially opposite to that of an MCL sprain. As such, you will feel your knee buckling towards the inside and the tender area will correspond to the position of the ligament on the outside of the knee joint.
How Can I Fix a Knee Sprain?
Exactly what needs to be done to heal a knee sprain depends on the precise area of damage and its severity. The treatment prescribed by your doctor will depend heavily on the grade of damage indicated by your symptoms.
A mild or grade I sprain means that you have stretched the ligament beyond its normal functioning range. The small tears that result are not significant enough to affect your knee's ability to bear weight.
A moderate or grade II sprain means that you have partially torn the ligament, leading to a degree of instability. At the extreme end of this type of injury, your knee may even simply give way at times.
A severe or grade III sprain indicates that your ligament has completely separated from the bone, leaving the joint significantly compromised. You can expect your knee to give way unexpectedly at any time.
Of course, the more severe the damage, the longer it'll take to heal. Typically, the mildest injuries will take 2-4 weeks to heal whereas the most severe injuries may need from 4 months to 1 year to recover fully.
At least 80% of people can expect to achieve a full recovery, but to give yourself the highest chance of succeeding in your recuperation, you'll need to follow the advice of your doctor and physiotherapist to the letter. If you're injuries are mild, you may only need to follow the RICE protocol of resting, icing, compressing and elevating your knee. More severe injuries may mean that you have to resort to surgery to achieve the best results.