Torn Ligaments and Tendons

How to Avoid Torn Ligaments and Tendons

Torn ligaments and tendons can be one of the most painful injuries you can sustain. Ligaments connect one bone with another. Whereas Tendons connect the bone with muscles. The Knee is most prone to a ligament tear. The knee is divided into 4 ligaments. These are Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL), Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL), and Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL). 
Ligament tear is caused due to sudden twist motion. If you're an athlete who plays a sport that requires sudden bursts of speed, such as track and field or hockey, these injuries are more prone to you. Torn Ligaments can be classified into 3 grades. The first is a mild ligament tear, the second is a moderate ligament tear and the third is a complete ligament tear. 

Reasons for Torn Ligament

The most common reason is pressure on ligaments. It may include

  • A sudden change of direction
  • Collision or direct blow to the knee
  • Accident or injury
  • Incorrect form in sports

Tips to Avoid Torn Ligament

  1. Warm-up: Many injuries can be avoided with a proper warm-up. Do warm-up of specific muscle and ligament which is used in sports. Like for football include warm-up of the knee ligament. 
  2. Improving the form: In any sport, form plays an important role. Make sure your form of exercise is perfect. Even during sudden movements like jumping keep your core included. Like when jumping bend your knees a little which leads to a change of stress to the core, and hamstring. 
  3. Using proper Accessories: In sports, it is important to use proper accessories. Like your footwear needs to be perfect and according to sports, you are performing. Similarly, add knee bands and other accessories which can reduce the stress on the ligament and improve flexibility.
  4. Listen to your body: If you start to feel pain in joints or ligaments then you should stop your exercise. In sports, many times the body starts to get extremely fatigued and your knees or joints start to pain. In those conditions, your body is more prone to Ligament tears caused by sudden stress.
  5. Proper Sleep and Nutrients: One easy way to prevent Ligament tears is taking proper diet and sleep. The diet helps in strengthening the muscles surrounding the ligaments. Sleep helps in the full recovery of your mind and body. In sports, both are equally important to avoid any injury.

Treatment of Torn Ligament and Tendon

The treatment of ligament or tendon tears depends upon the grade of the tear. If the tear is mild or moderate then treatment can be done without surgery. But if there is a complete tear then ACL surgery is needed. In grade 1 tear the R.I.C.E approach to treatment is done. In R.I.C.E. treatment R stands for Rest, I stands for Ice, C stands for Compression and E stands for Elevation. In Grade 2 tear a brace is used for support. In grade 3 tear, surgery is required for the repair of the torn Ligament and Tendon.

Conclusion

Torn ligaments and tendons can be a huge setback to any athlete. It is better to prevent the injury with simple precautionary steps. The prevention focuses on better mind connection and proper form of the body. In sports, ligament injury is common, and to avoid it the best step is to never leave warm-up exercise. If you think you already hurt your ligament then it is best to visit a doctor. You can visit us for proper consultancy. Our experts do proper check-ups for your ligament injury. X-rays and MRIs can also be used in process of check-ups. After the check-up, the grade of the Ligament injury is decided and the treatment according to it gets started. In case of grade-3 injury, an Arthroscopic surgery is advised by our experts.