LIGAMENT INJURIES

A ligament is a band of tissue connecting bone to bone. These structures are capable of being stretched, torn, or ruptured. This results in pain, swelling, and instability. The goals of treatment are to repair the torn ligament. Depending on the severity of the injury, your doctor may recommend surgery.

A ligament is a band of tissue connecting bone to bone. These structures are capable of being stretched, torn, or ruptured. This results in pain, swelling, and instability. Sports and exercising are common causes of ligament injuries but can happen with everyday activities as well. Typically, these injuries are categorized into two types: acute traumatic injuries and overuse injuries. Acute traumatic injuries are caused by trauma like a fall or blow to the body. Ligaments can be damaged from these sudden injures, including being sprained, strained, or completely torn. Overuse injuries are ones that happen over time, typically from repeated activity that uses a specific part of the body.

Since these injuries typically involve swelling and instability, initial treatment includes resting, splinting, icing, applying compression, and elevating the injury. Resting and splinting will relax the injured area and allow the swelling to go down. Along with rest, icing is an easy and effective way to ease the pain and reduce swelling. If the ligament is torn and depending on how severe the injury is, your doctor may recommend surgery to repair the tear.