Least Effective Exercises Slideshow

Medical Author:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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Medical Editor:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Exams and Tests

Depending on how the knee looks, the doctor will check the injury for proper diagnosis in the following ways:

• X-rays: X-rays will be taken to make sure there are no breaks in the bone.
• Examination of pulses: Injury to the arteries in the knee is common with this injury. The doctor will make sure there are pulses in the foot.
• An arteriogram (X-ray of the artery): This X-ray may need to be done to detect injuries to the artery. Some medical centers may also use special ultrasound or Doppler (sound wave) machines to assess the blood flow in the arteries.
• Examination of nerves: Nerves also run through the knee, so it is possible that they may have been damaged. The ability to feel touch and to move certain muscle groups are the main ways nerves are tested. Specifically, the ability to move the foot up and down and to turn the foot inside (inversion) and outside (eversion) are important muscle movements to examine. Any feeling of numbness is concerning for nerve injury.