Do You Have a Personal Injury Claim for a Knee Injury in Charlotte, North Carolina?

Knee injuries are among the most common health issues that people experience. Sometimes, they are unavoidable. Other times, they are caused by avoidable personal health issues or by avoidable strain from running or lifting, for example. There are many cases where the injury occurs at work, and the victim may be able to pursue a workers’ compensation claim if the injury occurred as the result of some accident or deviation from the normal course of the employee’s work habits or responsibilities.

Then, there are the knee injuries that are caused by the negligence of someone else. In these cases, you can pursue a Charlotte, North Carolina, personal injury claim to recover compensation for your various damages. These damages can be extensive because we rely on our knees for so much in life. You can struggle to walk, exercise, work, and potentially require expensive surgical procedures, medical devices, and rehabilitation. If your injury was caused by someone else’s negligence, contact the Charlotte, North Carolina personal injury attorneys at Brown Moore & Associates for a free consultation.

Understanding the Complex Anatomy of Your Knees

To fully understand how knee injuries happen and how they can disrupt your life, let’s take a quick look at the complex anatomy of your knees. To begin with, there is no joint in your body that is larger or more easily injured than your knee joints. The knee is composed of bones, ligaments, tendons, and cartilage, all of which can be damaged. There are three bones that meet at the knee and form the joint. These are the knee cap itself, the thigh bone, and the shin bone.

The ends of your thigh bone and your shin bone have cartilage on them to help your bones easily bend around the knee joint. There is more cartilage between these bones to absorb the shock of your steps and movements. The ligaments are the rope-like parts of your body that hold bones together, and there are multiple different ligaments in your knees that could become damaged. Then, you have the tendons, which connect your muscles and can also become damaged.

Most Frequently Observed Knee Injuries in Charlotte

Because there are so many different parts of the knee, there are plenty of ways that it can be injured. The first indication of an injury, regardless of what kind of injury it is, will usually be swelling and pain. There may even be a sense that your knee is unstable and won’t support you. In some cases, you might feel that your knee is catching or locking in place. The most common knee injuries are fractures, sprains, ligament tears, and dislocation. Yet, each of these injuries will typically also affect other parts of the knee, which is why you may experience multiple symptoms.

When a knee injury involves a bone fracture, it is usually the actual knee cap that is broken. However, it is also common for the thigh bone and the shin bone to be fractured where they meet the knee cap. Most fractured knee injuries are caused by falling and landing on your knee or by the knee being crushed in serious incidents, like automobile collisions.

When the bones that meet to form the knee joint become partly or fully dislocated, this can cause extreme pain and prevent the knee from working as it should. This is often caused by sports accidents, falling from a height onto the knee, or again, auto accidents.

The most frequent causes of ligament tears in the area of the knee are athletic activities. Various sports that involve running, jumping, and overstraining for various purposes can cause this kind of injury. These kinds of activities can also cause damage to your cartilage. In many cases, these kinds of injuries are quite painful and require the injured person to rest and recover, but will heal on their own. In some cases, however, knee injuries will require surgical treatment, medical devices, pain medication, and physical therapy or rehabilitation. Then, there are the cases where knee injuries are so severe that they may cause long-term or permanent disability. They may also require knee replacement surgery.

Knee Injuries May Require a Variety of Different Treatment Approaches

When you have suffered from a knee injury, however, it was caused, you are likely to be instructed to rest, put ice on it, stop putting weight on it, and use minimal compression and elevation to recover. If you have serious pain and other symptoms of different knee injuries, you need to seek medical treatment quickly. In fact, if your injury was caused by someone else’s negligence, then you need to seek medical treatment right away to be absolutely sure of your diagnosis.

Some indications that your knee injury requires immediate attention include any popping sounds, a sensation of your knee buckling or giving out, the inability to move your knee at all, significant swelling, or intense pain. You will want to report all of this to the doctor who examines you and make notes about how the injury occurred for your own reference and to have evidence of what happened. If your injury occurs on someone’s property, due to a hazard, you should take photos of that hazard. If your injury occurred in a motor vehicle wreck, take photos of your injuries and the property damage. All of this will be useful as evidence at a later date when you seek compensation.

When you seek treatment for your injury, the doctor will probably attempt to address it at first without surgery if possible. This might include immobilizing your knee, wearing a brace or a cast, and using crutches. It may also include special exercises in physical therapy to strengthen your muscles and improve the functioning of your knee. You are also likely to be prescribed pain medication or instructed to purchase over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen.

If non-surgical treatment does not address your injuries effectively, then you may require surgery. This does not mean that the various non-surgical methods will not be used, but they will follow the surgical procedure, after some time for healing and when appropriate to restore function. In the worst cases, you may even require knee replacement surgery. Typically, doctors try to avoid surgery, especially knee replacement surgery, by using other methods to improve your condition.

Recovering Compensation for Your Knee Injury with a Charlotte, North Carolina, Personal Injury Claim

If you have suffered a knee injury due to the negligence of another party, contact the experienced Charlotte personal injury lawyers at Brown Moore & Associates to find out how we can help.