What Is Hyperextension Of The Knee?

In older children and adults, overextension of the knee can produce a tear of a ligament, especially the anterior cruciate ligament.

Hyperextension of the knee is an injury that occurs  when this joint has to stretch back, beyond its range of normal movement. When this occurs, great stress sets in the structures of the knee and in their posterior part.

Anyone can suffer from this injury as it normally occurs when landing poorly after a jump. However, it tends to be more common in people who exercise. The injury can damage ligaments, cartilage, and other structures that contribute to the stability of the joint.

Also, it should be mentioned that,  in young children, this condition can cause a small piece of the main bone to come off  if the ligaments are stretched too much. This is because younger people have softer bones as they are growing.

In older children and adults, overextension of the knee can cause a ligament to tear, especially the anterior cruciate ligament.

Causes of hyperextension of the knee

Hyperextension of the knee  is usually the result of a direct hit to the knee or forces generated during hard braking. Ultimately, among the most common causes that produce this lesion, we find:

• Push the femur or kneecap against the tibia and place too much stress on one or more of the large ligaments inside the joint.
• Unexpected impact on the frontal part of the knee,  which will cause the joint to move backwards. This usually happens in traumatic physical situations.

What are the symptoms produced by this lesion?

When this injury occurs, the knee, as we already know, bends excessively, causing swelling, pain, and tissue damage. In the most serious cases, the ligaments,  whether it is the anterior cruciate ligament or the posterior, can be injured. Moreover, the cruciate ligaments also tend to break with this type of injury.

Depending on the severity of the injury, the symptoms may vary. They will also depend on the person and the knee strength of each. However, patients, regardless of the degree of injury, often tend to develop a series of common symptoms such as:

• Reduced knee stability:  when the injury is slight, the knee may lose stability and the patient may feel that their joint is going to “let go”.
• Pain:  As in almost all physical injuries, hyperextension of the knee results in localized pain. This pain will affect one area or another depending on the ligament affected.
• Loss of mobility:  after this injury, the mobility of the joint may also be impaired. This may be due to the swelling that has started.
• Edema and swelling:  Once an injury has occurred, inflammation may appear immediately or may take a little longer to appear. Nevertheless, it always ends up happening. It is also normal for edema to form as well as bruising around the joint as this is the body’s way of responding when it has damaged tissue.

Diagnosis of knee hyperextension

When it comes to identifying this lesion,  it is important to detect a series of characteristic symptoms. As we already know, it can cause serious damage to the ligaments of the knee.

Imaging can thus help us determine if a larger lesion has occurred in the soft tissue. Among the signals that may appear, if a serious injury has occurred in the ligament, we find:

• When straightening the knee, a sort of crunch occurs.
• The injured leg is unable to support weight.
• There is swelling.
• The joint becomes inflamed, emits heat, and reddens from internal bleeding.

Conclusion

Hyperextension of the knee is a lesion in this joint that occurs when  it strains backward, beyond its limits. Ligaments can therefore break, which leads to a long recovery period.

If this injury occurs, seek immediate medical attention to treat the problem as quickly as possible and promote treatment and recovery.