Ligaments are short fibrous bands that connect bone to cartilage and bone to bone, which form a joint and facilitate movement. They ensure bones are aligned, support, and strengthen joints. Some ligaments allow movement, while others limit it. Ligaments are strong, but they are still prone to overstretch and tear, which results in a ligament injury.
A high impact event like a fall could overstretch or tear the ligament to cause different grades of sprains.
What Are the Symptoms of a Ligament Injury?
The symptoms of a ligament injury include:
- It is very painful
- Injured locations are tender to the touch
- You may find it hard to move your joint
- Muscle spasms
- You may experience a tearing sensation or a pop as the injury took place
- Impaired movement
- Looseness of your joint
What Are the Different Types of Ligament Injuries?
A high impact event like a blow, sudden twist, or a fall could cause various ligaments of injuries depending on the location. The different types of ligament injuries include:
1. Knee Injury
Your knee has four main ligaments. They include:
- A posterior cruciate ligament (PCL)
- An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
- Medial collateral ligament (MCL)
- Lateral collateral ligament (LCL)
Out of these four, the most common knee ligament injury is the ACL injury.
2. Ankle Injury
The ankle has various ligaments, including the lateral ligament complex, the medial deltoid ligament, and the syndesmotic ligament. The lateral ligaments are injured more often. They include anterior talofibular, posterior talofibular, and the calcaneofibular ligament.
The medial deltoid ligament injuries are not as common as the lateral ligament injuries. Furthermore, syndesmotic ligament injuries are less common in everyday activities but frequently appear in sports. Syndesmosis ligament injuries are also known as high ankle injuries.
3. Wrist Injury
You can easily enjoy your wrist ligaments if you fall with your hand stretched out. The wrist has 20 ligaments. However, the most commonly injured ligaments include the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) and scapholunate ligament.
4. Neck Injury
Your neck also has ligaments. Whiplash accidents usually injure neck ligaments. A whiplash accident involves sudden back and forth movement of your cervical spine. Whiplash injuries can also damage your bones, nerves, and muscles.
5. Thumb Injury
The ulnar collateral ligament in your thumb can tear during fall injuries. It is a common skiing accident and is also known as the skier’s thumb.
6. Back Injury
Heavy lifting and other physically strenuous work can also cause injury to your back ligaments.
Call Us For Chiropractic Care in Newark
Chiropractic care is one of the treatment approaches for ligament injuries. In Newark, you can get chiropractic care for your ligament injuries from Diamond State Chiropractic. We offer various conditions, including ligament injury, neck pain, knee pain, headaches, migraines, and more.
Contact us today at (302)828-0051 to schedule an appointment or make inquiries.