KNEE DISLOCATION
Among the many injuries that can happen to the knee, one of the most painful is knee dislocation. Basically, this happens when the shin and thigh bones (tibia and femur) are not in the proper alignment, or out of place. These bones are held together by ligaments, and when the ligaments become torn, usually due to an injury of some sort, the bones can dislocate.
This can happen after traumatic injuries such as falls, auto accidents and other serious injuries. Sometimes patients with knee dislocation will require surgery, while in other cases, the knee goes back into place on its own, which can be very painful and will cause swelling. When a person has a dislocated knee, the leg will look crooked or deformed because the bones are not properly aligned. If there is a lot of swelling, some patients report not being able to feel their foot or not having any feeling at all below their knee.
The most common symptom of knee dislocation is pain. Other symptoms may include swelling, to the point where the patient may not be able to feel a pulse in their foot. The knee will look crooked or deformed, and there may even be numbness in the foot, especially if there is a lot of swelling. If you think that you may have a dislocated knee, it is important that you seek medical treatment right away. Take a trip to your local emergency room, where x-rays will be taken to ensure that it is a dislocation, and not something even more serious, such as a broken bone.