Knee Injury Lawyers in Pittsburgh
While some injuries are easily treated or don’t even require treatment, knee injuries tend to be far more complex and nuanced. Even a knee that has fully healed may still feel different for the rest of your life or leave you with a slight limp.
Unfortunately, since the knee is such a complicated part of the body, there are many ways it can get hurt. If you’ve been injured in a collision, make sure you’re fighting for the compensation you deserve. Call Caroselli, Beachler & Coleman at 412-391-9860 to schedule a consultation now.
Complex Knee Anatomy
Despite its small size, the knee is incredibly intricate. It works through a careful collaboration of four bones, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. When any of these components are damaged, the entire knee may fail to function. Other components may work harder to take over the slack of the injured part, increasing the risk of further injury.
Symptoms of a Knee Injury
A little bit of pain and soreness is common after an accident. This is true even if you don’t have anything more serious than superficial injuries. However, some symptoms point to knee injuries. If you experience any of them, it’s important to get to a doctor right away so you can get assessed and start treatment.
Continuing to walk around on an injured knee can make your condition even worse. Symptoms to look out for include:
- Any type of pain in the knee. This is fairly obvious, but make sure you don’t write off the pain as normal soreness. Localized pain in the knee is always a sign that something’s wrong.
- Your body’s attempt to heal your knee can cause warmth in the area.
- Swelling and discoloration. If the knee starts turning red, blue, or black, that’s a warning to get checked out right away, especially in combination with swelling of the knee.
- Popping sounds. If your knee suddenly starts making popping noises while you walk, this could be indicative of an injury. Even if you aren’t experiencing pain in your knee, a popping sound is a worrisome symptom.
- Difficulty moving or bearing weight. Notice a sudden decrease in the mobility of your knee or an inability to bear weight on one leg? Not only are you likely injured, but chances are also good that you have a severe injury.
Common Knee Injuries
Impacts can lead to a range of painful and debilitating knee injuries. They include:
- Torn ligaments: Tears of the ACL, PCL, or MCL are often incredibly painful and create serious limitations for victims. Consider this—athletes in the prime of their fitness and health are often waylaid for entire seasons because of knee ligament damage. The rest of us are going to feel it even worse.
- Broken patella: A broken kneecap can go several different ways. In the best-case scenario, the kneecap is technically broken but nothing has moved out of place. You’ll need to keep it immobilized until it heals. In the worst-case scenario, bone fragments have shifted and you’ll need surgery to heal.
- Dislocated knee: If your knee immediately swells and you find yourself unable to use it or bear weight on it, you may be suffering from a dislocated knee. This is a very painful injury, and you’ll need a doctor to pop the knee back into place and then tend to any secondary injuries caused by the dislocated knee.
- Damage to the muscle: While painful, muscle strains and sprains are on the mild end of the knee injury scale. As long as you get substantial rest and don’t try to jump right back into normal life, you may need minimal intervention to recover from this.
- Cartilage damage: The menisci of the knee keep the bones from rubbing directly on each other. Damage to this cartilage can put you at risk of painful pressure on the bones of your knee.
Considering a Personal Injury Claim? Call Caroselli, Beachler & Coleman
If you have sustained a knee injury because of someone else’s negligence, take a few minutes to find out if you are entitled to compensation. Call Caroselli, Beachler & Coleman at 412-391-9860 or fill out our contact form to discuss your legal options.
