What are the symptoms of a torn ligament
Almost every sports injury, provided it is a closed injury to the musculoskeletal system, is accompanied by symptoms of bleeding into the affected tissue. This results in a haematoma (bruise). During sports, it is often not possible to carry out a more detailed examination directly on the spot.
It is therefore difficult to make a further distinction between the injury. Is it a simple contusion, or is it a strain, a torn muscle fibre or a stretched ligament. Many sports injuries, although they differ in the severity of the complaints, have a similar symptom pattern:
- Immediate, often severe pain…
- Weakness of the affected muscles, limited movement and even immobility
- Swelling and pressure sensitivity
As a rule, the torn ligament symptom is a clear swelling in the area of the outer ankle, which is caused by water retention and the bruise (haematoma).
There is a strong pressure and movement pain over the injured ligaments. The occurrence and loading of the foot usually leads to severe pain. If the pain is not too great, the ankle joint can be “unfolded”, i.e. the joint surfaces can be moved away from each other due to the loss of the outer ligament function when the foot is turned inwards or the lower leg is pressed towards the heel when the ankle joint is fixed. If one sees external symptoms such as a bruise with corresponding discoloration of the skin, this is a first indication of a torn ligament. The bruise is a typical symptom of an injury to structures that are supplied with blood, such as the joint capsule and ligaments, but it can also be an indication of an external ankle fracture.
Symptoms of torn ligaments in various joints
The symptoms of a torn ligament in the knee are quite different, depending on which of the ligaments is torn. In the knee there are the so-called cruciate ligaments, which run inside the knee joint. If a torn ligament occurs in the anterior or posterior cruciate ligament, the patient complains about different symptoms.
On the one hand, many patients hear when their cruciate ligament tears because there is a cracking sound. In addition, the patients feel the torn ligament in the knee. Further symptoms of a torn cruciate ligament in the knee are for example swellings directly after the tear, which become stronger and stronger.
In addition, there is knee pain and bleeding, so-called haematomas, which usually only become more noticeable after several minutes. Furthermore, symptoms such as instability of the knee and knee buckling when trying to walk occur. In addition to the cruciate ligaments, there are also external ligaments in the knee.
If a so-called tear of the outer ligaments occurs, similar symptoms occur, but they are usually easier to localize than in the case of a torn cruciate ligament. If a torn ligament occurs in the outer ligament of the knee, the patient usually complains of pain and slight swelling in the outer area of the knee. Haematomas are rather rare here and knee buckling is also rather unlikely.
The symptoms of an isolated torn inner ligament in the knee are similar to those of a torn outer ligament, except that the patient localizes pain and swelling to the area of the inner knee. The shoulder has a very flexible shoulder joint which is surrounded by several ligaments to contribute to the stability of the shoulder. If a torn ligament occurs in the shoulder, however, the patient does not always have direct symptoms, as the shoulder is mainly stabilized by muscles and their tendons (the so-called rotator cuff).
However, if a torn ligament of the so-called acromial-clavicula joint (short: AC joint) occurs, the patient sometimes shows very clear symptoms, depending on whether the torn ligament is complete or incomplete. There is a ligament between the acromion and the clavicle, and there is also another ligament between the coracoid and the clavicle. If the ligament between the acromion and the clavicle is torn, the patient has only a few symptoms, usually only slight pain or swelling.
If, on the other hand, the ligaments in the shoulder are torn completely, the patient has clear symptoms such as shoulder pain, swelling, bruising (haematomas) and above all a visible protrusion of the clavicle upwards because a muscle, so-called Musculus sternocleidomasto videos, now pulls the clavicle upwards and the ligaments are no longer able to counteract this and keep the clavicle in its original position. However, this extreme case occurs very rarely and so a partial ligament rupture in the shoulder shows only slight symptoms in many patients. The hand consists of many bones which are all connected to each other by ligaments.
If a torn ligament occurs in the wrist, the patient has various symptoms. Especially often, a torn ligament between the lunate bone (Os lunatum) and the scaphoid bone (Scaphoid), also called scapholunar ligament, occurs. Many patients hardly notice this torn ligament in the wrist at first.
Symptoms such as slight pain or swelling are also attributed to a compression but are not taken seriously. Nevertheless, it is possible that the tear may cause a permanent weakness in the area of the wrist, which is always associated with painful periods. This leads to immobility and stress problems, which then lead to the fact that the patient, due to the torn ligament in the wrist and the accompanying symptoms, can only open everyday activities like a honey jar, make them more difficult and sometimes not manage them at all.
Torn ligaments can also occur between the other eight bones in the wrist, which usually only cause slight symptoms. Nevertheless, these should be taken seriously, as untreated they often lead to incorrect loading and/or incorrect positions, which in the worst case are then accompanied by premature joint wear (arthrosis in the wrist) and the resulting immobility of the wrist. Although a torn ligament in the wrist usually only has slight symptoms such as slight pain in the hand, swelling and an impaired ability to bear weight, torn ligaments can have fatal consequences if left untreated and should therefore always be examined and treated by an accident surgeon, or at best by a hand surgeon.
