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Joint Injuries

Joint injuries often occur in car accidents, construction accidents, slip-and-fall accidents and/or trip-and-fall accidents.

A joint is an area of the body where two bones are attached for the purpose of providing motion.  A joint usually consists of fibrous connective tissue and cartilage. Joints are grouped according to their motion: a ball and socket joint or a hinge joint. Examples of joints are the: knee, shoulder, elbow and ankle. Knee and shoulder injuries are the most common joint personal injuries.

Knee
The knee is the joint where the thigh bone (femur) meets the large shin bone (tibia). This joint is protected by the knee cap (patella). The area where the femur  and tibia meet is cushioned by cartilage called the meniscus. The meniscus acts as a shock absorber, absorbing the impact of the body's daily activities and keeping the bones separated. In addition to the meniscus, the knee is also comprised of various ligaments that connect the femur and tibia. These are called the collateral ligaments. There are several collateral ligaments in the knee including medial, lateral and posterior.

Shoulder
The shoulder is the flexible ball-and-socket joint formed by the junction of the upper arm (humerus) and the scapula. This joint is cushioned by cartilage that covers the face of the glenoid socket and the head of the humerus. The joint is stabilized by a ring of fibrous cartilage (the labrum) around the glenoid socket. Ligaments connect the bones of the shoulder, and tendons join these bones to surrounding muscles. The biceps tendon attaches the biceps muscle to the shoulder and helps stabilize the joint. Four short muscles that originate on the scapula pass around the shoulder, where their tendons fuse together to form the rotator cuff.

When a person is involved in a motor vehicle accident, trip and fall, construction accident  or other type of accident they can sustain injuries to a joint. Persons who sustain a personal injury to the knee can damage or tear the meniscus or cruciate ligament. Persons who sustain a personal injury to the shoulder may tear the labrum or rotator cuff. When these areas are injured the victim usually will require surgery. This is generally known as an arthroscopy.

Arthroscopic Surgery
In arthroscopic surgery, an orthopedic surgeon uses an arthroscope, a fiber-optic instrument, to see the inside of a joint. After making an incision about the size of a buttonhole in the patient's skin, the arthroscope is inserted into the joint. The arthroscope has a lens and a lighting system through which the structures inside the joint are transmitted to a miniature television camera attached to the end of the arthroscope. Looking at the interior of the joint on the television screen, the surgeon can then determine the severity and type of injury, and attempt to repair the problem.
When a surgeon performs a knee arthroscopy, it is generally comprised of several steps called a meniscectormy, synovectomy, debridement and chondroplasty.

A shoulder arthroscopy can include a resection, acromioplasty, decompression and/or debridement. 

If you or a loved on has sustained a injury to the knees, ankles, elbows, wrists and/or shoulders you may be entitled to compensatory damages and medical expenses.

Please contact us for an initial consultation at no cost to you.  An experienced HKPD personal injury lawyer is available to assist you, 24 hours per day / 7 days per week.