Knee Injury Symptoms

· ACUTE knee injuries can cause:-
- Pain
- Swelling
- Difficulty bending the knee and weightbearing

· CHRONIC knee injuries can cause:-
- Pain
- Swelling
- Minimal activity (inflammation of the joint)
- Other complaints

· PAIN
- May come and go and may not occur right away the activity but might delay as the
inflammation develops.
§ Meniscus Injury
v Pain when climbing stairs as cartilage is being pinched in the joint as it narrows with bending.
v Popping/grinding
§ Patellar Injury
v Pain when walking down the stairs as kneecap is being forced onto the femur.
§ Ligament Injury
v A feeling of instability/giving away
§ Cartilage Injury
v ‘Locking’ – knee joint refuses to completely straighten. It is due to torn piece of cartilage folds upon itself.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injuries
Symptoms
Symptoms of a severe and sudden (acute) anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury include:

· Feeling or hearing a "pop" in the knee at the time of injury.
· Sudden instability in the knee (the knee feels wobbly, buckles or gives out) after a jump or
change in direction or after a direct blow to the side of the knee.
· Pain on the outside and back of the knee.
· Knee swelling within the first few hours of the injury. This may be a sign of bleeding inside
the joint (hemarthrosis). Swelling that occurs suddenly is usually a sign of a serious knee
injury.
· Limited knee movement because of swelling and/or pain.
· No knee pain, especially if the ACL has been completely torn and there is no tension across
the injured ligament.
· A black and blue discoloration around the knee, due to bleeding from inside the knee joint.

After an acute injury, you will almost always have to stop the activity you are engaged in but may be able to walk.

The main symptom of chronic (long-lasting and recurrent) ACL deficiency is an unstable knee joint. The knee buckles or gives out, sometimes with pain and swelling. This happens more often over time. But not everyone with an ACL injury develops a chronic ACL deficiency.
Other conditions with symptoms SIMILAR to ACL knee pain includes injuries to other knee structures, such as:
· An injury to the cartilage lining the knee joint.
· An injury to the knee cushions (menisci). About 70% of people with an ACL injury
also have a meniscus tear.
· An injury to the knee ligaments that connect the upper leg bone to the lower leg bone
along the inner side of the knee joint (medial collateral ligament) and the outer side of the
knee joint (lateral collateral ligament).
· A break (fracture) in the bones of the knee joint.