I twisted my knee while skiing on the weekend, and now I have a giving away feeling in my knee when I turn. What should I do?
The classical symptom of a ligament injury in the knee is the feeling of giving away. If you are experiencing this you should call us at Nose Creek Sport Physical Therapy to get a proper diagnosis of your injury. A “ligament” is the soft tissue that keeps the joint together, and provides stability. A true giving away feeling is usually a torn or ruptured Anterior Cruciate Ligament with likely Medial collateral ligament damage as well. There are 3 grades of these ligament injuries.
First degree = irritation of the ligament, but no physical lengthening of the ligament. Usually you recover within 3 weeks.
Second degree = partial tearing of the superficial fibers of the ligament which results in laxity in the ligament. Usually you recover within 6 to 8 weeks.
Third degree = full tearing or rupture of the ligament that often creates a feeling of giving away or instability. Usually you recover within 12 weeks, but we will refer you to a knee orthopaedic surgeon for consult to see if you are a candidate for an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
Each of these degrees of knee injury severity would benefit from attending Physical Therapy to have the optimal recovery time. If you your family members, friends or work colleagues have experienced a twisted knee and do not have your function back, then you should call us at Nose Creek Sport Physical Therapy, where we get you moving faster and feeling better.
Blair Schachterle on behalf of the Nose Creek Sport Physical Therapy team.
