Knees are a major part of our mobility, yet they are one of the most common areas of the body to sustain personal injury in a car accident. This is because in a collision, passengers and drivers are often thrown forward, crashing knees against the dashboard or the seat in front of them. Knee injuries are often very painful and require extensive treatment. The most common knee injuries sustained in car accidents include:

1) The ACL tear. The ACL is the ligament holding the knee joint in place. It is located closest to the joint. This type of personal injury requires a long recovery time and long-term pain. Some patients do not initially know they have sustained a knee injury when they have an ACL tear, because this injury does not present a lot of initial pain. The ACL tear is one of the more severe knee injuries one can sustain in a car accident.

2) The PCL tear. The PCL ligament is located towards the back of the knee. The PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) helps to maintain a knee’s stability and when injured in an accident the result is swelling and pain. Patients with this type of injury require long-term treatment and may have trouble walking for an extended period of time.

3) Torn meniscus. This injury essentially refers to a torn cartilage. Cartilage is a softer type of substance which is linked to the ligaments and helps to prevent friction in the knee joint. When the cartilage tears in an accident, patients may not be able to move easily, their knee joint may pop or snap, and they may suffer from pain.

4) The MCL (medial collateral ligament) tear – The MCL ligament helps promote the flexibility of the knee. When it is torn or damaged in an accident, a patient may feel a great deal of pain. A patient with a torn MCL will also generally have trouble walking and trouble with everyday activities.

Knee injuries are a difficult personal injury to experience because patients with these types of injuries often have trouble with basic mobility for extended periods of time. In car accidents, as well, it is common for multiple ligaments to tear, and this of course delays the recovery proves. Many patients who have sustained knee injuries in a car accident require multiple surgeries and physiotherapy.