If you are sitting in your car and have your knees up or close to the front dashboard, there is a risk that you could suffer knee injuries in a collision. The force of a collision could lead to strains, sprains, tears, dislocations and other serious injuries that leave you with severe injuries to one or both knees.
It is common to hurt your knees in front-end collisions or any collision that forces the knees into the front dashboard. Depending on the way you’re sitting in the vehicle, you could also suffer knee injuries caused by the airbag deploying.
What kinds of knee injuries are common in car crashes?
There are a few knee injuries that are seen often in car crashes. These include the following.
Knee sprains
One of the most common knee injuries is a sprain or strain. This kind of injury happens when you twist your knee during the collision. Fortunately, minor or moderate sprains may only need to be rested, iced and stabilized to heal.
Broken bones
Another common injury is a broken kneecap. A direct impact to the knee could lead to the kneecap breaking. Even a simple kneecap (patella) fracture could take six to eight weeks to recover, which may mean that you need to rest and use crutches for much of this time.
Dislocations
Dislocations may happen in high-speed collisions when the bones of the knee joint suddenly move out of position. This injury may cause ligaments to tear, arterial blockages and other serious complications. Surgery could be needed in some cases.
Torn cartilage
Torn cartilage is another potential issue after a car crash. The meniscus could tear due to opposing forces during a crash. Damaged cartilage may take several weeks to heal. Sometimes, damaged cartilage will need to be removed with surgery.
These are a few knee injuries to watch for after a car accident. To prevent these injuries, the best thing you can do is to sit in your seat properly and to wear a seat belt. Keep some distance between yourself and the front dashboard. Doing this may help prevent direct impacts that damage the knees.
