A Game Changer
Throughout sports today we see many injuries. The level in which an athlete must preform has changed in the past decade. The athletes are becoming bigger, faster, and stronger. Being an athletic training you must now raise your level of expertise in order to meet the demand of the athlete. With this increase level of play we can see injuries becoming more and more outstanding. I will be talking about the injury called an Unhappy Triad. This is one of sports uncommon yet very serious injury. This injury is an athletes worse nightmare; it is when the knee has so much force exerted onto it three structures are injured in the process. This is ultimately a career-ending injury if you are unfortunate enough to sustain it. Another …show more content…
Sports such like these are where we find the most athletes being treated for it, in which case the only real known cause of the injury is a direct blow or force. When the foot is planted in the ground and an opposing force causes the knee to twist in the wrong direction. With this unnecessary force, it causes three main structures of the knee to be torn. This injury does not have a gender bias to it. We find it in both males and females, but there is a more female dominance towards this injury. The reason for this is because girls are more susceptible to knee injuries (Quinn Sports Medicine). The structures damaged through this injury are the most necessary part of the knee. One ligament that is injured through this process is the anterior cruciate ligament, or otherwise known as the ACL. This part of the unhappy triad is to be considered the most serious of the structures damaged. This is because the ACL provides stability to the entire knee. It can also be very difficult to walk or move with a torn ACL. The ACL is connected to the femur and the tibia, in normal ACL tears cases it can take up to 6-9 months to recover from the injury. The next structure injured is the meniscus. In about 80% of …show more content…
The doctor will go through many ligament tests to asses the condition of all the ligaments in the knee. The doctor will go through a physical exam. This is where he will test everything and sees what has been damaged and what has not. The next step a doctor will take is an MRI. The doctor could very well do an ultrasound or an x-ray depending on if he/she needs more evidence. If there is still any uncertainty of the injury a arthroscopic test will be used. This is where a camera is inserted into the knee through a small incision. When using an MRI in an Unhappy Triad this will allow the doctor to get a better look of the tears in the ligaments. It can help identify the location and size of the tear as well as differentiate between both soft and hard tissue. The Ultrasound can be used secondly after the MRI. This will help the doctors get an image of the knee while it is in motion. With MRI’s it must be in a immovable state while ultrasounds you are able to move around and be able to identify something like a Meniscus Tear. X-rays can also be used but this is not to look at the ligaments but to more so eliminate the possibility of broken bones. Lastly, if needed, an Arthroscopic test will be preformed; this will just help ensure the doctor of the damage done to the knee (Unhappy
Throughout sports today we see many injuries. The level in which an athlete must preform has changed in the past decade. The athletes are becoming bigger, faster, and stronger. Being an athletic training you must now raise your level of expertise in order to meet the demand of the athlete. With this increase level of play we can see injuries becoming more and more outstanding. I will be talking about the injury called an Unhappy Triad. This is one of sports uncommon yet very serious injury. This injury is an athletes worse nightmare; it is when the knee has so much force exerted onto it three structures are injured in the process. This is ultimately a career-ending injury if you are unfortunate enough to sustain it. Another …show more content…
Sports such like these are where we find the most athletes being treated for it, in which case the only real known cause of the injury is a direct blow or force. When the foot is planted in the ground and an opposing force causes the knee to twist in the wrong direction. With this unnecessary force, it causes three main structures of the knee to be torn. This injury does not have a gender bias to it. We find it in both males and females, but there is a more female dominance towards this injury. The reason for this is because girls are more susceptible to knee injuries (Quinn Sports Medicine). The structures damaged through this injury are the most necessary part of the knee. One ligament that is injured through this process is the anterior cruciate ligament, or otherwise known as the ACL. This part of the unhappy triad is to be considered the most serious of the structures damaged. This is because the ACL provides stability to the entire knee. It can also be very difficult to walk or move with a torn ACL. The ACL is connected to the femur and the tibia, in normal ACL tears cases it can take up to 6-9 months to recover from the injury. The next structure injured is the meniscus. In about 80% of …show more content…
The doctor will go through many ligament tests to asses the condition of all the ligaments in the knee. The doctor will go through a physical exam. This is where he will test everything and sees what has been damaged and what has not. The next step a doctor will take is an MRI. The doctor could very well do an ultrasound or an x-ray depending on if he/she needs more evidence. If there is still any uncertainty of the injury a arthroscopic test will be used. This is where a camera is inserted into the knee through a small incision. When using an MRI in an Unhappy Triad this will allow the doctor to get a better look of the tears in the ligaments. It can help identify the location and size of the tear as well as differentiate between both soft and hard tissue. The Ultrasound can be used secondly after the MRI. This will help the doctors get an image of the knee while it is in motion. With MRI’s it must be in a immovable state while ultrasounds you are able to move around and be able to identify something like a Meniscus Tear. X-rays can also be used but this is not to look at the ligaments but to more so eliminate the possibility of broken bones. Lastly, if needed, an Arthroscopic test will be preformed; this will just help ensure the doctor of the damage done to the knee (Unhappy