If you have recently suffered in a vehicle accident in San Diego, there’s a good chance that one of your affected areas of your body is your knee. When you sustain a knee injury, you may be looking at significant costs in the form of medical expenses as well as lengthy recovery periods. What follows is a breakdown of some of the most common knee injuries today. Bear in mind these are not the full scope of the knee injuries you could sustain in an accident. Getting help from an experienced doctor as soon as possible after the crash can help you identify the next steps you should take.

Ligament Damage

An auto accident can damage the muscles and the tendons inside the knee. This is particularly true in any side impact collision. Depending on how serious the impact was the tendons can hyper extend, twist or pull beyond their typical radius. The majority of car accident knee injuries are to the ACL. This is one of the four ligaments that provides assistance with knee flexibility.

Kneecap Damage

In an accident the firewall, the side door, the roof or the window can cave in and crush a driver’s knee. When this happens, the patella can be fractured or broken. This protects the tendons and the ligaments inside the knee and often fixing this type of condition requires a reduction internal fixation surgery. During ORIF surgery, the surgeon reconstructs the bone using pins, screws, and wires and removes any fractured pieces of the bone. Therapy after this surgery can take up to 9 months for full recovery and this surgery and therapy can cost up to $12,000.

Sustaining a critical knee injury in an accident has the potential to shape your life significantly. If this applies to you make sure to get medical attention as soon as possible.