Full Recovery: What You Should Know About Knee Injuries and MRI Scans

Knee injuries are a common occurrence in the United States. In fact, ACL injuries account for over 150,000 cases in the U.S. each year. Fortunately, knee injuries are no longer the “career-ending” injuries they were in the past. This is largely thanks to improved and more accurate imaging technology in the form of MRI scans. If you experience any pain, swelling, and/or instability in your knee, it’s best to see a doctor as soon as possible. After all, quick diagnosis and treatment is vital in making sure that your knee fully recovers without complications.

What Your Doctor Can See

MRI scans are essential in diagnosing and treating knee injuries like a torn ACL or torn meniscus. With the help of the accurate images that an MRI can provide, doctors can easily see the extent of ligament damage to the affected knee. This is important because treating a partially torn ACL is different from the treatment needed to address a general knee sprain.

 It isn’t uncommon for other forms of knee injuries to occur at the same time as a torn ligament, which is why an MRI is so important. An MRI can easily locate any bone fractures, damaged cartilage, and the like.

Do You Need Surgery?

This depends on the results of your MRI. Significant damage like complete tears will often need surgery. MRI results can easily tell you and your doctor if surgery will be necessary, as well as if any other structures in the knee will also require repairs. On the other side of the coin, MRI results may also show that physical therapy is adequate enough. In either case, your doctor may request another MRI a few months into physical therapy to gauge how well your knee is recovering from the injury.

Sources:

Statistics on ACL Injuries in Athletes, livestrong.com

What to Expect During a Knee MRI, webmd.com