 Here is an article about Knee Injuries in
Automobile Accidents.
Issues of Lower Extremity Protection
For many years, the largest
safety worry for companies who make cars was making cars that protect
the driver and passengers from injuries that could kill them, like
injuries to the head, neck, and chest. Because people are using airbags
and wearing seatbelts, drivers and passengers are surviving accidents
that used to kill people. Because the carmakers have been worrying about
protecting the head, neck, and chest, they have not worried so much
about protecting the legs.
The legs are the main way that the body
moves. Injuries to the legs aren’t usually deadly, but a lot of the time
they call for long stays in the hospital and long treatments. New
studies show that legs are the second most often injured part of the
body in car crashes. Also, bad leg injuries can cause even worse leg
problems later. Along with the physical and mental problems leg injuries
cause, they also can cost people a lot of money. Medical care,
treatment, and the time you lose when you are hurt make leg injuries the
second most expensive injuries. For these reasons, it is important to
deal with the problems of the legs in crash testing.
Medline Plus Health Information
How Are Knee Problems
Diagnosed?
Doctors
use several methods to diagnose knee problems.
Medical
history--The
patient tells the doctor details about symptoms and about any injury,
condition, or general health problem that might be causing the pain.
Physical
examination--The
doctor bends, straightens, rotates (turns), or presses on the knee to
feel for injury and discover the limits of movement and the location of
pain. The patient may be asked to stand, walk, or squat to help the
doctor assess the knee's function.
Diagnostic
tests--The
doctor uses one or more tests to determine the nature of a knee problem.
· X ray (radiography)--An x-ray beam is passed
through the knee to produce a two-dimensional picture of the bones.
· Computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan--X rays
lasting a fraction of a second are passed through the knee at different
angles, detected by a scanner, and analyzed by a computer. This produces
a series of clear cross-sectional images ("slices") of the knee tissues
on a computer screen. CAT scan images show soft tissues such as
ligaments or muscles more clearly than conventional x rays. The computer
can combine individual images to give a three-dimensional view of the
knee.
· Bone scan (radionuclide scanning)--A very small
amount of radioactive material is injected into the patient's
bloodstream and detected by a scanner. This test detects blood flow to
the bone and cell activity within the bone and can show abnormalities in
these processes that may aid diagnosis.
· Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)--Energy from a
powerful magnet (rather than x rays) stimulates knee tissue to produce
signals that are detected by a scanner and analyzed by a computer. This
creates a series of cross-sectional images of a specific part of the
knee. An MRI is particularly useful for detecting soft tissue damage or
disease. Like a CAT scan, a computer is used to produce
three-dimensional views of the knee during MRI.
· Arthroscopy--The doctor manipulates a small,
lighted optic tube (arthroscope) that has been inserted into the joint
through a small incision in the knee. Images of the inside of the knee
joint are projected onto a television screen. While the arthroscope is
inside the knee joint, removal of loose pieces of bone or cartilage or
the repair of torn ligaments and menisci is also possible.
· Biopsy--The doctor removes tissue to examine under
a microscope.
for more info on Knees:
“How
Are Knee Problems Diagnosed?” Medline Plus Health Information Home Page.
2001.
If you've sustained a
knee injury in an automobile accident in Oregon or Washington state...
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