Knee and Leg Injuries

Gerald Schwartz is an experienced Virginia knee injury lawyer. He has spent thirty years studying the anatomy of the knee and leg to better understand and advocate for his clients with knee and leg injuries caused by car, truck and motorcycle accidents. Join Alexandria accident lawyer Gerald Schwartz for a guided tour of the knee joint.

Personal injuries to the knee occur in many areas of the knee joint. An understanding of how the knee works and how the knee fits together will allow you to understand how the knee is injured. Injuries to the knee involve (1) fractures; (2) chondromalacia of the patella (chondro = cartilage); (3) menisci injury; (4) bursistis; and (5) tendon injuries.

• Patella fracture
• Tibial Plateau fracture
• Femur fracture

Three bones connect together to form the knee joint. Each of these knee bones can be broken in accidents. The three bones that make-up the knee joint are:

• top of the tibia (shin bone) called the “tibial plateau”
• bottom of the femur (the thigh bone)
• patella - the kneecap - a flat, round bone that protects the knee joint

To learn more about fractured bones, click “Bone Fractures.”

John smashed his knee against the dashboard in a Fairfax, Virginia car accident on the 495 beltway. He was diagnosed with chondromalacia patella.

Let’s look under the kneecap to find out what happened. The undersurface of the kneecap (patella) attaches to the bottom of the femur (thigh bone). A blow to the knee from striking the dashboard causes the smooth cartilage on the undersurface of the kneecap to smash against the bottom of the femur (thigh bone). Personal injury to the smooth cartilage of the kneecap causes the cartilage of the kneecap to soften. This is analogous to a bruise to an apple when the apple strikes the floor. With time, the injured, softened cartilage dies, causing pain under the kneecap. This condition is called chondromalacia patella (chondro = cartilage; malacia = dying). Gerald Schwartz is an experienced chondromalacia patella injury lawyer. Treatment for chondromalacia patella may require surgery to shave the softened, “dead,” cartilage from the undersurface of the kneecap which is the source of the knee pain.

If you have swelling of the knee -- learn one reason why it happened.

Near the knee joint we have a sack filled with fluid, to further cushion the knee, called a “bursa.” A blow to the knee can cause a bursa in the knee to become swollen. This condition is called “bursitis” of the knee. Treatment consists of anti-inflammatory medication to reduce the inflammation and swelling. In severe bursitis, surgery may be necessary.

Virginia Torn Meniscus Lawyer

• Medial Meniscus Tear
• Lateral Meniscus Tear

Ken smashed his right knee in an Alexandria, Virginia car accident on I-395. Ken’s knee swelled-up like a grapefruit. An MRI revealed a torn meniscus and a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee.

Our knee joint has two smooth cartilage pads which act like a cushion sitting on top of the tibia (shin bone). Each cartilage cushion is called a “meniscus.” Each knee has two. The meniscus on the inside is called the “medial meniscus,” and the one on the outside is called the “lateral meniscus.” Accidental injuries to the knee joint often cause tearing of the medial and lateral meniscus. Gerald Schwartz has been a torn meniscus injury lawyer for hundreds of clients injured in Virginia auto accidents, with many occurring on Fairfax roads.

Surgical repair of a torn meniscus is often necessary.

Virginia Torn Knee Ligament Lawyer

• Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injury
• Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) Injury
• Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) Injury
• Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL) Injury

Bones are held together by strong tissue, similar to cables, called “ligaments.” In the knee, the four ligaments, noted above, hold the bones of the knee joint together. Accidental injuries to the knee joint often include tears to these ligaments. Surgical repair is often necessary. Gerald Schwartz has 30 years experience as a torn knee ligament injury lawyer having handled hundreds of cruciate and collateral knee ligament tears.

Virginia Torn Knee Tendon Lawyer

• Patella Tendon Tear
• Quadriceps Tendon Tear

The muscles around the knee allow us to move the knee joint. The quadriceps muscle helps us straighten and extend our leg; the hamstring muscle helps us bend our knee.

A tendon attaches bone to muscle. In the knee, the quadriceps tendon attaches the kneecap to the quadriceps muscle. The patella tendon attaches the bottom of the kneecap to the top of the tibia (shin bone).

Personal injury to the knee often causes tearing of the patella tendon and the quadriceps tendon in the knee joint. Surgical repair is often necessary.

Arthroscopic surgery allows an orthopedic surgeon to look inside your knee joint. The surgeon first makes a small surgical incision into the knee joint and inserts an arthroscope. The arthroscope is a pencil-sized tube that contains a video camera on the end, which is attached to a television screen. The arthroscope allows the surgeon to view the inside of your knee on the television screen. Another surgical incision is made into the knee joint for the insertion of small surgical instruments that allow the surgeon to repair personal injury inside the knee joint, such as repairing a torn meniscus or shaving the soft cartilage found under the knee cap in chondromalacia patella.

Accident attorney, Gerald Schwartz is an experienced Virginia knee injury attorney. The Law Offices of Gerald Schwartz has handled hundreds of knee cases, from fractures to meniscus tears, to ACL ligament and tendon tears. Gerald Schwartz is one of the “Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Virginia”. He handles knee injury cases from car accidents all across Virginia, including Fairfax and Alexandria, Virginia. For a free consultation to learn your options, call Gerald Schwartz at 1-800-423-0055.