Diagnosing Your Ligament Injury
Ligament injuries or tears are caused from forcing a joint out of its normal position. Any sudden movement, fall, or blow to the body can be a cause of a ligament injury. They are especially common during athletic activity due to the stress and consistent action the joints are under.
Ligaments that are commonly affected including the ankle, knee or wrist, and your injury may be diagnosed as:
- Ankle: A common type of ankle injury happens to be an ankle sprain, but it’s less common for everyday life and seen often in competitive athletes.*
- Knee: The knee ligaments are the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), medial collateral ligament (MCL) and lateral collateral ligament (LCL). The most common type of knee ligament injury is an ACL tear.*
- Wrist: Tears in the ligaments of the wrist most often occur due to falling on an outstretched hand.*
- Thumb: The ulnar collateral ligament can be torn during an injury, especially when the thumb is bent in an extreme position.*
- Shoulder: Tears associated with the shoulder are often categorized as shoulder dislocation, AC joint injury or rotator cuff tear.*
- Spinal (Neck or Back): Most often, ligaments in the neck can be torn during whiplash which causes an extreme movement of the cervical spine. The ligaments in the back can also be torn if you lift something heavy.*