How Car Accidents Can Cause Knee Injuries

Cars have become exponentially safer throughout my lifetime

, but these innovations generally focus on the upper body - leaving the lower body vulnerable to serious injury. When people hear about car accident injuries, they tend to automatically think that it must occur in the upper body, but some of the most painful and expensive injuries I have seen in my line of work have been to the lower body.

One of the most vulnerable lower-body parts in a serious auto accident are the knees. Not only is the knee rather fragile, but its proximity to the steering wheel, door and dashboard make it susceptible to serious injury. The knee is more of a general term for the ligaments and bones that make up the connection between the thigh (femur) and lower leg (tibia and fibula). The makeup of the knee allows for great mobility, but also accounts for the number of injuries that occur in that part of the body. Car accidents are amongst the most common causes of knee injuries because the force that is created in a high speed collision can do serious damage to the cartilage and bones that create the joint. As with all auto accident injuries, the injuries become more serious due to the drivers natural response to tense up. When this happens, the bones, tendons and ligaments are forced to deal with all the pressure from the accident rather than allowing your muscles to take the shock.

The majority of knee injuries affect the ligaments in the knee. These are the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), MCL (medial collateral ligament), and PCL (posterior cruciate ligament). The most commonly injured part of the knee is the ACL, which is hurt in 70% of all knee injuries. Car accidents can cause damage to the ACL by forcing the knee to twist in an unnatural way, or by forceful contact with the inside of the car. The PCL is usually injured in head on collisions when the knee makes hard contact with the dashboard. As is the case with all ligament injuries, the ACL, PCL and MCL injuries can vary from a minor tear, to a complete rupture. Each of these injuries has unique symptoms and may require different treatment.

An ACL tear can be diagnosed in a number of ways. Pain and swelling are immediate and very noticeable. Various stress tests or an MRI on the knee can confirm the extent of the injury. Not all knee injuries will require surgery to fix, but most ACL tears will be better served by surgery. This surgery is called an ACL reconstruction, because it is actually reconstructed using another ligament or tendon. This surgery is generally very successful, and rehab can help prevent the ligament continue to be unstable in the future.

In order to recover the money you need to treat your knee injury, you consult with an experienced personal injury attorney for advice. Insurance companies make record profits by lowering and denying claims, but a personal injury attorney can level the playing field on your behalf.

by: Jason G Epstein

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