Most common knee injury from a car accident

The most common knee injury resulting from a car accident or motorcycle accident is a fractured patella.  Like most injuries, the severity of the patella fracture can vary. Fractures of the knee are pretty hard to miss.  They can be severely painful and can even affect a person's ability to walk. If you suffer a knee fracture, this is not the time to "be brave" and "tough it out."  You want to seek medical attention as soon as possible.  

If you fracture your patella, you may notice swelling, notable bruising and/or discoloration (black, blue, redness, etc.) of the knee and leg, definite pain while trying to walk, pain when trying to straighten your leg, and pain when putting weight on your knee.  You probably will need to keep weight off your knee and in some cases, keep from walking altogether.  If there is visible injury to the knee (i.e., swelling, bruising, discoloration), make sure you take good photos.  Insurance adjusters will want to see proof.

If you suffer such a knee injury, whether it is a fractured patella or other suspected serious fracture, you should go to the emergency room or other urgent care facility.  Even if you suspect the pain is minor, you don't want to take chances or "guess" at the severity of the fracture.  This is not the time to "wait and see" how you progress.  Get x-rays to evaluate the extent of the injury.  If there are any shattered fragments in your knee, the doctors may be able to remove the fragments.  

​In some cases, a cast or splint will be helpful. At some point, an MRI may be necessary. Worst case scenario, surgery may be required to fix your knee.  The real bad news in my experience is that in many cases, a person is never quite the same even after a successful surgery.  Physical therapy performed before the surgery and/or after a surgery is critical in your ability to get your knee back to normal - as much as you can.  If you have a residual injury that won't get better, even after surgery, you should be mindful of that when settling your personal injury case.

If you need help with your personal injury case, call my office at (661) 414-7100.  We serve Santa Clarita and its communities of Valencia, Castaic, Stevenson Ranch, Newhall, Canyon Country, Saugus, and beyond.