Any type of injury in any part of the body can be very painful. One injury, we often hear of people suffering, is knee injury.
Knee injury can happen anywhere, be it home, at work, during any recreation. Sometimes they happen when you are standing still and twist the wrong way. When you hurt your knee, it's evident that you've done major damage. It is very hard to move a swollen, painful knee. So, even doctors have a tough time telling a sprain from a tear. In this blog, I'll mention some instant treatments that you can do in case of a knee injury, when no medical help is around. But, before that, it's better to know the anatomy.
The knee is a hinge joint. It uses tendons attached from muscles to bones to flex and extend your lower leg. Ligaments connect bone to bone, and the knee has four. Without them, your knee will buckle with the least little shift in weight. A thick cartilage called meniscus
Here are some immediate tips that you can apply when doctor is not around.
Get off your knee. Sit or lie down where you are. The first steps that you can apply with any sprain or tear are RICE (rest, ice, compression with an elastic bandage, and elevation).
Next, evaluate what may be wrong.
Look at the injury. If the area looks distorted, you think that you've broken a bone or dislocated your knee joint, and you're going to need to stabilize and stay off it. Get to a doctor if at all possible.
Feel around the joint and the bone. If you find any point of exquisite tenderness, it is likely you've broken or torn something.
Move the knee around by flexing it and extending it. If you can't and it hurts really badly, you've probably got a significant injury. In the next steps, you'll keep evaluating the injury but also deal with your mobility.
If the leg is not distorted, slowly get up to see if weight bearing hurts badly or the knee feels unstable. If it does, don't try to walk. You're going to need help or a makeshift crutch or cane.
If you've stabilized the knee in the straight position (per step 2) and it still hurts to bear weight, a bone may be broken. You need a crutch or crutches so that you can walk bearing weight on the injured leg. (Putting weight on it may make things worse)
If it only hurts badly when you try to walk with the knee flexing, and the knee seems stable, something still may be torn. (A lot of swelling is another sign of a possible tear). It's not as essential, but a brace, even an ace bandage may help.
If you've stabilized the knee and it doesn't hurt to bear weight, you may still benefit from some sort of cane. Use it in the hand of the unhurt side, swinging the hurt leg forward and bracing with the cane on the opposite side to keep your balance as you walk.
So, this time when you hurt your knee, simply follow these steps. These steps will help you understand the intensity of your injury and to get instant relief. Still, after all these, seek medical help as soon as possible.
separates and cushions the thighbone (femur) and lower leg bone (tibia) so they won't crunch together and wear down. The way how you get injured and your symptoms help indicate which part of the knee you've damaged. A cartilage can be torn by a twisting of the knee or a direct hit on the side. This can create pain and swelling. Walking may be difficult. Sometimes the torn cartilage can twist out of position causing the knee to lock. Tearing a ligament usually takes more force, either with a direct hit or falling awkwardly. It, too, causes pain and swelling and sometimes the knee feels unstable. In addition to these, you can fracture a bone. The most common fracture is a crack on the upper tibia. You can also sprain a knee ligament, tendon or muscle without tearing it.
