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The knee or knees are often traumatized during a car crash. Caused by the knee being forced toward the front of the vehicle (dashboard) and crushed, twisted, or coming into contact with another object, severe knee injury from car accidents are common. The following considers some of the most common knee pain following a vehicle wreck.
Knee Sprains and Strains
Knee sprains and strains are the least severe of the knee injury types (full tears are most severe), although they can still be both very painful and debilitating. Sprains and strains are both considered to be soft tissue injuries. The former, a sprain, is when a ligament is stretched or torn; the latter, a pressure, occurs you hurt a muscle or tendon.
While a grade-three sprain can make the joint nonfunctional and may require intensive medical intervention, most sprains and strains can be treated with RICE.
- Rest
- Ice
- Compression
- Elevation
MCL Injury
The medial collateral ligament (MCL) is the ligament that stabilizes the inner knee. When the knee is unexpectedly and forcefully twisted to an unnatural position this tears the MCL. Some MCL injuries may heal on their own over approximately six weeks’ time; others will require surgery and rehabilitative therapy to correct.
ACL Injury
The ACL stands for anterior cruciate ligament and is the ligament in the knee that crosses over the front of the knee joint. The majority of ACL injuries are complete, or nearly complete, tears. Often, the ligament must be rebuilt surgically to correct the damage.
PCL Injury
The last most common type of ligament injury is an injury to the post cruciate ligament or PCL. In a PCL injury, the PCL—which is the strongest ligament in the knee joint and the least likely to sustain an injury—is stretched or torn. In a car accident, the most common cause of harm to the PCL is a direct blow, i.e., the knee coming in forceful contact with another object, such as a vehicle door or dashboard.
Probably the accident that would cause this most forceful impact is one in which a very heavy vehicle, such as a truck, causes a rear-end accident.
Recovering Compensation for a Knee Injury
Severe knee injuries are expensive to correct and can leave the victim unable to walk, perform regular activities, or even go to work for days or weeks at a time. To help provide compensation for damages for a knee injury caused by a car accident, filing a car accident claim or lawsuit can help.
To learn more about car accident claims and litigation in Iowa and how an attorney can help you, call the legal team at Walker, Billingsley & Bair today. You can reach our offices now at (888) 435-9886.
