Knee Injuries During Vehicle Accidents Can Be Serious

The dashboard and a drivers knees meet far too often. In fact, knee injuries as a result of an accident are referred to as dashboard knee injuries. The impact of an accident pulls bodies from restraints and pushes them against the dashboard with tremendous force. 

There are a variety of knee injuries that can occur with an impact to the dashboard. A common and painful fracture is to the patella. The patella is an oblong disk of bone which covers the compilation of the knee. Hard trauma to the knee can also cause damage to the cartilage located under the patella. This injury is called chondromalacia.

Sufferers of this kind of damage feel aching, sharp pain and a grinding sensation when the knee is in use. The ACL, MCL, LCL or PCL ligaments can become torn or ruptured and once unstable, require surgery to repair. A popping sound at the time of the accident or right after is a sure sign that the knees have been damaged. A red, swollen, bruised or tingling sensation are other symptoms that point to knee damage.

If left untreated the damaged knee can pop, grind and lock up completely due to cartilage that is ripped or free floating in the knee itself. Severe cases can even result in an immediate deformity of the knee which worsens without treatment and can become crippling.

An ACL or anterior cruciate ligament tear or fracture will affect the victims ability to walk. The ACL stabilizes the knee and when it is damaged walking is painful and unstable. Each movement of the knee increases the level of pain. These types of ligament injuries can occur alone or in conjunction with an injury to the meniscus. Surgery is required to repair this type of injury.

Posterior cruciate ligament damages are another painful dashboard knee injury. This ligament is far stronger than the ACL and so this type of injury happens far less. It does happen as a result of an accident as it most often requires the knee to be bent, such as when riding in a vehicle, when impacted. A posterior cruciate ligament fracture is the result of a violent impact and is rarely isolated. It almost exclusively occurs with other injuries. 

The most common of all dashboard knee injuries is a fracture or tear of the medial collateral ligament or MCL. In fact, this fracture occurs in most any knee injury. The medial collateral ligament can be torn, strained or sprained. When it occurs it feels like tearing or ripping and the knee will become red, swollen and bruised. If any of these ligaments are stretched as opposed to ripping, tearing or dislocating, the the knee has been sprained. 

Approximately 10% of injuries in an auto accident occur in the knee. Most of the 10% are non-serious sprains and strains associated with lacerations and frontal impact accidents. Whether a dashboard knee injury is serious or non-serious, medical help is required to repair it. Often times, the victim is unable to work and earn a living. The help of a car accident attorney like Moseley Collins will ensure that proper financial retribution is aquired.