Sports injuries are injuries that occur in athletic activities like running or jumping from a height & non-guided exercises. It is very important to have an active participation in warm ups, stretching & exercises specially designed for a particular muscle group. The most common out of the sports injuries are ligament injuries.

Symptoms–
Pain
A Popping Sound during activities leading to instability in knee
Swelling
Diagnosis
Ligament injuries can be best detected by MRI scanning.
Most injured ligament of knee is the ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament). It is a ligament which provides stability to the knee. It is injured due a sudden ‘twist movement’ of the knee. In injury the ACL is either stretched, partially torn or completely torn.

Treatment –
Those who have high activity levels, arthroscopic repair via ACL reconstruction is recommended. ACL reconstruction- is a surgical fissure graft replacement of ACL to restore its function after an injury. After surgery patient is allowed to walk very next day with a brace, he is allowed to bend knee to a range suggested by the orthopedic doctor/surgeon.

Rehabilitation time is between 3-6 months.
The other most important ligament of knee is PCL (Posterior Cruciate Ligament). It is infrequently injured. PCL is usually injured when an athlete falls to me ground with a bent knee.

PCL surgery involves reconstructing the torn ligament using a fissure graft which is taken from another part of your body.
Rehabilitation time is between 6-12 months.
The other common type of ligament tear is Meniscus Tear. Meniscus is piece of cartilage in knee that cushions & stabilizes the joint. It protects the bones from wear and tear. It takes a good twist of the knee to tear the meniscus. Sometimes a piece of shredded cartilage breaks loose & catches in the knee joint, causing it to lock up. Meniscus tears are a special risk for older athletes since the meniscus weakens with age.

RICE – Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation of Knee.
Anti-inflammatory medicines.
Physiotherapy
Surgery may be required if tear is large, unstable or causing locking symptoms.
Full recovery may take 4-6 weeks.