Dislocated Legs - What To Do And How To Treat?

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Dislocated legs

Of all the injuries to the limbs, the most common injury should be considered a dislocation of the leg. According to statistics, it is most often encountered by people between the ages of 20 and 50, and this accounts for about 15% of the total number of injuries. Children under the age of 10 get dislocations of any type in only 5% of cases. This is because the ligamentous apparatus at a young age can easily withstand significant loads. If we talk about older and elderly people, then their dislocations are as rare as in children - no more than 5%, but this fact is already explained by careful and unhurried movement.

Dislocated leg injuries also include:

• Achilles tendon rupture;
• sprain of the ligamentous part of the ankle, which occurs quite often.

Content:

• Dislocated leg symptoms
• Causes of a dislocated leg
• Types of dislocated legs
• Dislocation of the leg
• Dislocated leg treatment
• Prevention and rehabilitation

Dislocated leg symptoms

Dislocation of the leg is accompanied by characteristic symptoms, and the main one is a very strong, excruciating pain in the area of the dislocation. It is felt not only at the moment of injury, but also later, when trying to load or move a limb.

On the part of the leg that was injured, a change in the shape of the joint may be noted, swelling, areas with multiple bruises and painful swelling may also occur, which subsequently turn into hematomas. In the absence of timely treatment, symptoms such as numbness and even paralysis appear. It is always marked below the place that was affected. Paralysis can be caused by significant pressure on blood vessels and pinching of nerve fibers during dislocation.

Any attempts to change the position of the victim's leg are accompanied by severe pain, and therefore it is necessary, after first aid, to provide him with complete rest until the specialists arrive. It is also important to remember that compression of the nerve endings can be a catalyst for numbness of the injured limb.

Complications of a dislocated leg are:

• rupture in the area of muscles, ligaments and tendons;
• damage to nerves and blood vessels in the area of the joint that was dislocated. These complications can occur both together and independently of each other;
• an increased likelihood of repeated dislocations of the leg;
• the formation of arthritis in the area of the dislocated joint (such a complication most often manifests itself years later, at an older age).

Causes of a dislocated leg

An injury such as a dislocated leg can occur for a variety of reasons - for example, from falling from a not very high height, direct or indirect blow to the leg or ankle. Also, a dislocation can occur as a result of stretching the ligaments of the leg.

Most often (in 90% of cases) dislocation of the legs is the result of any injury. The remaining 10% are birth defects that are formed in the unborn child at the stage of intrauterine development. A congenital dislocation of the leg does not appear immediately, usually only when the child is already learning to walk. It is important to identify this deviation as early as possible in order to carry out a successful treatment.

Types of dislocated legs

In the process of diagnosis, the doctor determines to which type the resulting dislocation of the leg belongs. If the joint capsules are completely displaced relative to each other and do not have points of contact, such a dislocation should be considered complete.

With an incomplete dislocation (or subluxation), joint contact is observed, but only partial. It should be noted that such an injury is always accompanied by a rupture of the joint capsule. In certain situations, a tendon rupture may even occur, and hemorrhage begins in the area that has been damaged.

Separately, it is worth considering this type of dislocation of the leg, as usual. This is a dislocation that occurs in one specific area more often than twice. If, after the first dislocation, you do not promptly seek qualified help from a specialist, there is a very high risk of a repeat of the situation. Timeliness also requires diagnostics, which must be carried out literally in a matter of hours.

Dislocation of the leg

In the process of diagnosing a dislocation, the presence of such an injury in the medical history should be taken into account. Visually, a specialist notes a change in the skin in the area of the damaged joint; forced position in which the limb is located; change in its length in relation to a healthy leg.

It is imperative to examine the pulse on the limb that was dislocated and determine the degree of its sensitivity.

For the most accurate diagnosis, an x-ray of the leg or an ultrasound examination is performed (if an x-ray is impossible).

Dislocated leg treatment

Qualified treatment of a dislocated leg is very important, because if it is not carried out on time, serious complications are likely. It is absolutely impossible to correct a dislocation of a limb on your own, without being a specialist. Only an experienced specialist will be able to carry out an adequate diagnosis of the injury and adjust the joint without worsening the condition of the victim.

The algorithm for the primary treatment of a dislocated leg looks like this:

• In order to relieve the sharp pain, the victim must be given any pain reliever. Then the injured limb must be immobilized, this is done with a splint. It is not difficult to make from any solid material at hand. It can be a wooden board, an iron bar or something else, as long as the tire is straight enough;
• A cold compress applied to the injured area will help reduce the degree of puffiness. It is permissible to use ice or cold lotions for this purpose, which are best done with a towel moistened with water;
• In this condition, the victim should be taken to a nearby trauma center for subsequent X-ray examination, diagnosis and treatment.

It is important to decide on what kind of injury we are talking about, that is, to differentiate dislocation from fracture and other injuries. If the diagnosis of "dislocation" was confirmed, then the joint should be adjusted. When setting the limb, all actions should be performed extremely slowly, without any jerks. This will make it possible to avoid additional damage. In certain situations, manual reduction of the dislocation is impossible, then the doctor has to resort to surgical reduction.

After the dislocation of the leg is adjusted, an elastic bandage or special dressings called a splint are applied. They are selected depending on the severity of the dislocation: the more difficult it is, the more rigid the material should be.

It is extremely important to fix the injured leg in its usual position. That is, only such a gypsum splint is applied, which can provide rest for all muscle groups and rapid healing of the damaged joint capsule. The splint can be worn for three to 10 weeks. This period depends on the characteristics of the dislocation and the severity of the injury received.

In case of severe pain, the patient is allowed to take pain relievers. But it is permissible to do this only in small quantities, so as not to cause subsequent addiction of the body.

In the formation of the so-called habitual dislocation, it is necessary to carry out a surgical intervention. In this case, the arthroscopic method is used, that is, the operation is carried out without incisions, exclusively through punctures. A specific optical device called an arthroscope is inserted into the cavity of the leg joint through a puncture.

It makes it possible:

• inspect the articular area;
• identify damage to the ligamentous apparatus;
• determine the ultimate cause of instability.

Through another puncture, special instruments are introduced into the joint area, which make it possible to attach or set the joint area. Its subsequent fixation is carried out with the help of self-absorbing clamps, which are called anchors.

With proper arthroscopic surgery, success is guaranteed in 95% of cases.

Prevention and rehabilitation

After the gypsum has been completely removed, physiotherapeutic treatment is carried out, and the appointment of exercise therapy (exercise therapy) is also very useful. It is physical education that helps to develop the joint that has been damaged.

It is advisable to divide the prevention of dislocation of the leg into three equivalent stages:

• At the first stage of prevention, movements in the knee and hip joints of the injured limb are very important. Thanks to regular movements, there is a significant improvement in the supply of blood to the limb, as well as a modification of the tone of all leg muscles without exception. If a specialist, within the framework of the first stage of prevention, allows the victim to move in a plaster cast, then the person must make sure that the foot is correctly placed. This is done to avoid fixing the wrong position of the leg, which in the future may provoke the need for surgical intervention;
• The second stage of treatment (when the cast has already been removed) is that the patient should pay special attention to training precisely those muscles that strengthen the arch of the leg. If there is a dislocation of the foot, only orthopedic insoles should be used to support the leg. They are called instep supports. After the completion of the second and at the beginning of the third stage, the victim can proceed to a very careful restoration of the spring activity of the leg. For this purpose, it is necessary to carry out not very large jumps and all kinds of jumps. It is recommended to do this on a soft surface (carpet or special mat);
• As part of the third stage of prevention, it is necessary to restore full-fledged motor activity of the leg. This can be achieved with special gymnastic exercises and physiotherapy exercises. It is important throughout the course of prevention not to move one step further from the instructions given by a specialist. This will allow you to count on the fastest possible recovery and bringing your legs back to normal.

A positive effect can also be achieved in the implementation of passive gymnastics, in which the victim maintains the immobility of the leg, but at the same time strains the muscles in the area that was injured. Regular exercise of these exercises significantly modifies blood circulation and maintains muscle tone, thereby preventing muscle atrophy.

Additional and equally important measures in the prevention of dislocation of the leg should be considered:

• An optimally composed diet that includes foods fortified with calcium and vitamins;
• Frequent but gentle physical activity.

You need to be equally careful when choosing comfortable shoes. It should be not only comfortable: flat, spacious enough; but also correct - at least we are talking about special orthopedic insoles.

Thus, a dislocated leg is fraught with serious complications and needs quick and qualified treatment, which will make it possible to avoid recurrence of the problem in the future. No less important is prevention and rehabilitation, which will speed up recovery from a leg injury.

Author of the article: Kaplan Alexander Sergeevich | Orthopedist

Education: diploma in the specialty "General Medicine" received in 2009 at the Medical Academy. I. M. Sechenov. In 2012 completed postgraduate studies in Traumatology and Orthopedics at the City Clinical Hospital named after Botkin at the Department of Traumatology, Orthopedics and Disaster Surgery.