How do knee dislocations and multi-ligament injuries happen?

High-energy causes

• Road traffic collisions, including the dashboard striking the front of a bent knee, which pushes the shin backward and tears the PCL first
• Motorcycle and quad bike accidents, where the leg is trapped or twisted under the vehicle
• Falls from height at work, on construction sites or from ladders
• Rollovers and crashes during dune bashing or other desert driving

These injuries often involve other parts of the body as well, and are managed first by emergency and trauma teams.

Sport-related causes

Heavy tackles in football, rugby and martial arts, awkward landings in basketball and falls while skiing or horse riding can produce lower-energy knee dislocations. They are less likely to injure the artery than road accidents, but the risk is not zero, so the same checks apply. A player who feels the knee bend the wrong way or sideways and cannot bear weight should leave the pitch and be assessed.

Low-energy dislocations

In people with high body weight, a simple stumble or missed step can occasionally dislocate the knee. These are sometimes called ultra-low-velocity injuries. They can be overlooked because the event seemed minor, yet they carry a meaningful risk of artery and nerve injury. Severe swelling and instability after a fall in this setting should be treated seriously.

Reducing the risk

Seat belts, appropriate helmets and protective gear for motorbikes and quad bikes, safe driving in the desert, and fall-protection measures on worksites all lower the risk of these injuries. After any serious knee injury, early specialist review matters. Dr. Gelber at Aman Hospital in Doha sees patients after emergency treatment to plan ligament reconstruction and rehabilitation.