{"id":7738,"date":"2019-07-03T05:40:28","date_gmt":"2019-07-03T05:40:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=7738"},"modified":"2021-04-19T15:58:14","modified_gmt":"2021-04-19T15:58:14","slug":"14-facts-about-knee-ligaments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/14-facts-about-knee-ligaments\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Facts About Knee Ligaments"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Knee ligaments are comprised of soft tissue that connects bone to bone. It allows movement of the knees. When the knee becomes injured due to a fall or any type of injury, the knee becomes unstable. 
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Your knee can buckle and cause pain. Knee injuries shouldn\u2019t be ignored. They need to be dealt with as soon as they become apparent. That way you can get relief and go back to doing what you love to do. A lot of times if you don\u2019t do anything about a knee ligament injury, it can turn into something serious, such as arthritis because the bones and cartilage can become affected. 
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There are eight facts about knee ligaments that you need to know. The more you know about knee ligaments, the better. That way you\u2019ll know how to properly take care of your knees when there is an injury instead of letting yourself suffer in pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. ACL or anterior cruciate ligament is usually the knee ligament that suffers from an injury. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The ACL connects the bone of the thigh to the shin bone. People who play sports or do high-intensity exercises can suffer from ACL injuries. When you have an ACL injury, RICE or rest, ice, compression, and elevation is the best option. 
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In an ACL injury, it is painful and will cause instability. Some ACL injuries can be healed at home while others need rehabilitation and\/or surgery<\/a>. It just depends on how severe the injury is. You shouldn\u2019t continue to work out on an ACL injury because it will cause it to not only be painful but cause more swelling. It will prevent it from healing.\u00a0
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By walking on an injured ACL won\u2019t make the injury heal any faster. You will just suffer in pain and have a difficult time walking. You may even end up falling.
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2. Posterior cruciate ligament or PCL will rarely be injured. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

PCL is only injured when you have a car accident or tackled in football. Just like any other injury, rest, ice, compression<\/a>, and elevation is the first thing you need to do to help relieve the pain and swelling.\u00a0
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You will be in a lot of pain, so taking over-the-counter pain medication will relieve the pain as well. When you injure your PCL in a sports activity, it could ruin your career because the tackle could tear your ligament. 
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In a car accident, you can\u2019t prevent it because that\u2019s a situation you can\u2019t avoid. On the other hand, with sports like football, you may have to change sports because after so many tackles it can end your football career. 
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Your knee injury could put you into a position where you won\u2019t be able to play any kind of sport ever again.
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3. Losing weight will help your knee ligaments. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you are overweight<\/a>, that extra weight puts a lot of pressure on the ligaments and joints. It will cause your knees to hurt even without an injury. It\u2019ll become difficult to walk because of the extra weight. It is a good idea to lose weight if you are overweight. It is not good for your knees or your overall health.\u00a0
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Once you start losing weight, you will notice that your knees don\u2019t hurt anymore. When you have a knee injury, your knees will hurt because of the extra weight. It will take longer for the injury to heal even if you go to rehabilitation. Also, as an overweight person, since it\u2019ll be difficult to walk, you\u2019ll need to use a walker or wheelchair to get around. 
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When you need to get up, you\u2019ll need assistance. There is no need to lose your independence by having extra weight on your body.
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4. Popping is heard and felt when you have a knee injury. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The knee ligament will pop and be heard. It will be painful when this happens. It is a good idea to stop whatever you\u2019re doing and place an ice pack over it. You\u2019ll need to elevate it, but since you\u2019re in so much pain<\/a>, that may be difficult to do at the time.\u00a0
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A lot of times when you hear your knee pop, you may think it\u2019s because your knee is stiff and needs to be stretched. Some people will continue to try to pop it if there is no pain. The more you pop the knee ligament, the more you are damaging it. Stay off of the knee during this time. This means no playing sports or exercising. 
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All of that will have to be put on the back burner until the knee injury heals. It can take weeks to months before it heals completely.
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5. Stretching and strengthening your knees will help your knee ligaments. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After every exercise, you should stretch the entire body, including your knees. In order to stretch your knees, sit on the floor and massage them. Massage <\/a>them gently back and forth for a few seconds.\u00a0
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Another stretch is by bending your leg and stretching it out. Do this a few times at a slow pace. The more you bend your knees, you are helping them. Going up and down the stairs strengthens your knees. There is no need to run up and down. Walking slowly will strengthen them. 
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Also, sitting against the wall will strengthen your knee ligaments. Sit against the wall for 30 seconds to a minute. You will feel the stretch in your quads as well. 
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By doing knee stretches and strengthening them will help to prevent any injuries. If they do become injured, it won\u2019t take long to heal the knees.
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6. Age plays a factor when it comes to how your knee ligaments react. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As you get older your knee ligaments weaken. It is important to take care of your ligaments as a young adult so that when you get older you won\u2019t experience pain. 
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For instance, a young male who plays basketball at the age of 16 and has numerous injuries, when he becomes 50, he will experience arthritis<\/a>. He could experience arthritis at a much younger age. It just depends on how damage his knee ligaments have become.\u00a0
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The same thing can happen to women. As she gets older, her knee ligaments are prone to injury. She has to be more careful about how intense she works out. Her body isn\u2019t like it used to be. One intense workout could put her down for days or even weeks. Resting and icing a knee injury are just some of the things you can do.
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7. Protect the knee ligaments during exercise is important. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A person with bad knees should wear a knee brace to prevent a knee injury during exercise. The knee ligaments will stay in place since the knee brace is made to keep the ligaments from moving. 
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For instance, a runner can wear a knee brace if they are prone to injuries. The knee ligaments will stay protected. The knee brace should be taken off when you\u2019re not exercising. Without a knee brace and you exercise, there is potential for the knees to become injured. 
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Low-impact exercises have a low probability of causing knee injuries, but with a high-impact routine, it can happen. With high-impact exercises, some of the exercises include jumping and being on your knees<\/a>. If you don\u2019t use a mat or protective knee wear, your knees will suffer.\u00a0
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On the other hand, you can modify your exercises to save your knee ligaments, such as using a wall to do push-ups.
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8. Arthritis can develop in the knee ligaments. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A knee injury can cause arthritis to develop, especially if the knee injury occurs often. Some people are prone to knee injuries. Once they get over one injury, they get another one. 
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Most knee injuries will end up becoming arthritis for a person as they get older. Whenever it becomes cold or the weather is bad, the pain will be felt in the knees. With arthritis in the knees, you could be doing anything and your knees will give out on you. 
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If you are away from the home and the pain is intense, you may need to call an ambulance. With arthritis in the knees, swelling <\/a>will occur as well. Arthritis can\u2019t be cured, but there are treatments that will help relieve the symptoms. With arthritis, heat therapy may be the best option because arthritis gets worse with the cold.\u00a0
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The knees should always be protected with some form of covering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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