Tendon & Ligament Injuries
At Aptiva Health, we offer same-day and walk-in appointments for tendon and ligament tears to evaluate, diagnose, and make the appropriate referral for additional treatment based upon your specific injury or condition. We treat these conditions in our General Medicine, Orthopedics, Sports Medicine, Pain Management, Imaging, and Physical Therapy departments.
Types Of Injuries
sprains
A sprain is an injury to the ligaments which are soft tissue structures that stabilize a joint. Ligaments are strong, flexible fibers that hold bones together. When a ligament is stretched too far or tears, the joint will become painful and swell. Sprains are caused when a joint is forced to move into an unnatural position. For example, "twisting" one's ankle causes a sprain to the ligaments around the ankle.
Tendons are the soft tissues that connect muscles to bone and allow joints to move. Overuse activities can cause inflammation of the tendon and this is called tendonitis. Tendons in the upper extremity can also be cut in deep lacerations.
Symptoms of a sprain or tendon injury include:
Joint pain
Muscle pain
Swelling
Joint stiffness
Discoloration of the skin, especially bruising
tears
Tendon and ligament tears or ruptures are injuries to the soft tissues that connect muscles and joints. Common symptoms of tendon and ligament tears are pain and swelling. You may also hear or feel a pop when you tear the tissue. Treatments can include a brace, medicine, or surgical repair.
Tears or ruptures to the tendons and ligaments can:
Cause extreme pain.
Happen at any time.
Limit or prohibit proper joint function.
Types of ligament or tendon tears
Tendon and ligament tears and ruptures can affect many joints in the body, but our knees often take the brunt of these injuries.
Below are a list of common ligament injuries by body part.
Ankle ligament injuries, such as:
Shoulder ligament injuries, such as:
Wrist and hand ligament injuries, such as:
Finger sprain or thumb sprain
Spinal ligament injuries, such as:
Whiplash
Text neck
Ligament & Tendon tear causes
The main cause of torn tendons and ligaments is traumatic injury, such as:
A sudden impact to the joint
Quickly stopping or starting
An abrupt movement to the joint
Football and basketball players tend to be at a higher risk for ACL tears, but they can happen to anyone at any time.
Symptoms
Off all the possible tendon and ligament injuries that can occur, the two most common are tears to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in the knee.
Tendon & ligament tear symptoms
When you tear your ACL, the knee becomes unstable.
Other symptoms of an ACL tear include:
A popping sound or feeling in the knee at the time of injury
A great deal of pain
Some symptoms of a meniscus tear include:
Pain
Swelling
Popping or clicking sensation
Inability to straighten the knee
Diagnosis
You should see a doctor immediately after tearing or rupturing a tendon or ligament. Swelling can affect the diagnosis of your injury.
To diagnose a tendon or ligament injury or rupture, your doctor will collect your medical history and perform an exam.
He or she will ask you questions such as:
How and when did the injury happen?
Did you hear a popping sound?
How intense is the pain?
Have you had any previous injuries to the knee?
Your doctor also might recommend one or more imaging tests to get a closer look:
X-rays. These can help your doctor find bone spurs, arthritis, and other bone-related causes of your wrist pain.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. This uses radio waves and a powerful magnet to make detailed images of your wrist.
Computerized tomography (CT) scan. This is a series of X-rays taken from different angles. When they’re put together, they can give your doctor a better look at what’s happening with your wrist.
Electromyography (EMG). This measures the electrical activity in your muscles to see if there are any problems with your nerves.
Treatment
Tendon and ligament tears or ruptures are painful injuries that require an experienced orthopedic or sports medicine specialist to properly diagnose and treat them.
At Aptiva Health, we offer nonsurgical and surgical treatments for tendon and ligament tears and ruptures.
Choosing the best treatment option will depend on the extent of the tear or rupture, your desired activity level, and other factors.
MEDICATIONS
Your doctor may prescribe NSAIDS or other medications in order to treat an acute ligament or tendon tear.
PHYSICAL THERAPY
Strengthening the muscles around your affected joint will make it more stable if the tear does not demonstrate an immediate need to surgically intervene. Your doctor may recommend physical therapy or different types of strengthening exercises based on the specific condition that is causing your pain.
If you are physically active or practice a sport, you may need exercises to correct movement patterns that may be affecting your knees and to establish good technique during your sport or activity. Exercises to improve your flexibility and balance also are important.
INJECTION THERAPY
In some cases where surgical intervention is not immediately indicated, your surgeon may suggest injecting medications or other substances directly into your joint. Examples include:
Corticosteroids. Injections of a corticosteroid drug into your knee joint may help reduce the symptoms of an arthritis flare and provide pain relief that may last a few months. These injections aren't effective in all cases.
Hyaluronic acid. A thick fluid, similar to the fluid that naturally lubricates joints, hyaluronic acid can be injected into your knee to improve mobility and ease pain. Although study results have been mixed about the effectiveness of this treatment, relief from one or a series of shots may last as long as six months.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP). PRP contains a concentration of many different growth factors that appear to reduce inflammation and promote healing. These types of injections tend to work better in people whose knee pain is caused by tendon tears, sprains or injury.
Stem cell injections. The cartilage covering the ends of the bones enables the bones to glide smoothly against one another with only slight friction. Osteoarthritis causes damage to the cartilage and leads to increased friction — resulting in pain, inflammation, and ultimately, a loss of mobility and function. The goal of stem cell therapy is to use the body’s own healing mechanisms to help repair and slow the deterioration of body tissues, such as cartilage.
Stem cell therapy for joints aims to:
slow and repair damaged cartilage
decrease inflammation and reduce pain
possibly delay or prevent the need for knee replacement surgery
In simple terms, treatment involves:
taking a small amount of blood, usually from the arm
concentrating the stem cells together
injecting the stem cells back into the affected joint
SURGERY
If you have an injury that requires surgery, it's usually not necessary to have the operation immediately. Before making any decision, consider the pros and cons of both nonsurgical rehabilitation and surgical reconstruction in relation to what's most important to you.
Arthroscopic surgery. Depending on your injury, your doctor may be able to examine and repair your joint damage using a fiber-optic camera and long, narrow tools inserted through just a few small incisions around your knee. Arthroscopy may be used to remove loose bodies from your affected joint, remove or repair damaged cartilage (especially if it is causing your knee to lock), and reconstruct torn ligaments. Most of our sports medicine and orthopedic team prefer to repair torn ligaments and tendons arthroscopically, including, but not limited to:
PCL tears
MCL tears
LCL tears
Achilles tendon tears