Suggest Remedy For Stiffness, Swelling And Pain In Knee After Injury

Posted on Thu, 29 Oct 2015

Question: I WAS HIT IN THE LEFT KNEE REALLY HARD,IT DIDNT START HURTING UNTIL THE NEXT DAY,THEN A BUMP SHOWED UP BELOW THE KNEE CAP, I WENT TO WORK AND IT GOT STIFFER AND MORE PAINFUL, IVE BEEN KEEPING IT ICED AND ELEVATED AND THE THE SWELLING AND STIFFNESS TRAVELED DOWN MY LEG TO MY FOOT AND ANKLE WHICH IS SORE AND DISCOLORED. THE BUMP IS STILL UNDER MY KNEE,SHOULD I DO ANYTHING ELSE OR JUST KEEP ELEVATING IT UNTIL THE SWELLING GOES AWAY?

Answered by Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (13 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
An x-ray should be done to rule out possible fracture.

Detailed Answer:
Hello!

Thank you for the query.

First of all you should make sure there is no fracture. As you have mentioned, the injury was pretty strong. This makes the possibility to patella fracture. This can be the main reason of the bump presence.
Swelling and discoloration seem to be caused by veins rupture and blood accumulation in the soft tissues. This is usually not dangerous and can be treated with icing and elevation.

But first please consult your doctor and have an x-ray done.

Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (14 minutes later)

how long should this take to heal if no fracture?

Answered by Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (1 minute later)

Brief Answer:
It can take up to 3 weeks.

Detailed Answer:
If its blood in the tissues, it can take even 3 weeks for the healing. For sure the first swelling should be gone in few days, no longer than week.

Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar