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Injuries Commonly Caused by Accidents

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Knee Injury Treatments

Last week we reported on typical knee injuries encountered by victims of common slip and fall accidents. This week we would like to take the time to discuss treatments available for these ailments suffered by many of our clients involved in premises liability accidents, and others out there as well.

Knee injuries which are often seen are usually underestimated by the injured party. These are typically sprains and fractures. Home care for these are easily available and helpful, although fractures should been seen by a medical professional right away before. Home care should not be used in lieu of medical attention--home care should supplement medical care--especially in the time before one can see a doctor. These help the knee from becoming even worse. The following is helpful home care:

Rest: Stay off the injured knee to prevent worsening any condition that may be around or developing
Elevate: Keeping the injured knee elevated helps decrease swelling and knee pain
Ice compresses: Applying ice packs 15-20 minutes at a time, 4 times a day, is recommended. Do not put ice directly on your skin but instead wrap it in a towel first
Pain relief: Medicine such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) or naproxen (Aleve) are arguably the best for knee injuries as they reduce pain and inflammation.

Medical treatment is the only way to ensure a correct diagnosis of injury. Doctors will most likely splint any broken bones found on X-rays. Some patients need to be seen by orthopaedic surgeons for further evaluation. Depending on the severity of the break, surgery may be necessary to keep the structure of the knee in line correctly. X-rays, however, do not show fractures most of the time. The main concern will then become injury to ligaments or knee cartilage. If your knee is too swollen or painful, the doctor may not be able to obtain a good examination. In this case, the knee is placed in an immobilizer and you will be given a follow-up appointment. Once swelling and pain have decreased, doctors can more easily test ligaments and cartilage for sprains or tears.

Meniscus tears are also commonly seen injuries that require treatment. In short, treatment options include:

Nonsurgical treatment: This entails rest, ice compression, elevation, and possibly physical therapy. Temporary knee braces are also helpful
Surgical repair: This will sew the tear together
Partial menisectomy- This is surgery to remove the torn section
Total menisectomy- This surgery removed the entire meniscus. This option is avoided if possible, as it can increase the risk of osteoarthritis in the knee.

Meniscus surgery in general is done using arthroscopy instead of through a large cut in the knee. It is always preferable to preserve as much of the meniscus as possible. If it can be repaired successfully, saving the injured meniscus reduces the occurrence of knee joint degeneration. Meniscus repair tends to be more successful in younger people, but have success rates in the older generation as well.

The Jurewitz Law Group is located in San Diego, has offices in Carlsbad, California, and serves all of San Diego County including the following cities and towns:

San Diego, Chula Vista, Escondido, Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos, El Cajon, Carlsbad, Poway, Encinitas, La Mesa, Santee, National City, Imperial Beach, Lemon Grove, Coronado.