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How Can swollen And Painful Knee Be Treated?
Hii I slipped over on drink on the dance floor on Friday night and as I fell I felt something give on the inside of my right knee. Next day it was all swollen around the knee and I could hardly walk and if I move my leg to suddenly I get a bad pain shoot through it. It has improved since Friday but is still swollen and still getting the pains
Thu, 23 Mar 2017
Hello,
Welcome to Healthcare Magic.
I have read your question fully and understand your concerns.
From what you have written, I think you suffered a knee ligament sprain or ligament tear. Hence you are having the swelling and pain.
To treat a swollen knee, you need to give it rest, that means do not weight bear. Use crutches to walk. After a few days you can slowly start to walk provided the pain is under control. You can also apply ice (use ice packs) and elevate your leg. A compression bandage or compression strap will help to support your knee while the repair process happens. This also will help with the pain. Do not use any heat packs for the first 3 days after injury. Avoid alcohol and avoid massaging the knee.
For pain relief you could take anti-inflammatory tablets like Ibuprofen 200-400 mg up to maximum of 3 times/day or Naproxen 250-500 mg twice a day (provided you are not allergic to them.)You need to take these tablets with food to minimise the gastric side effects. Alternatively you could take Ranitidine 150 mg twice a day or Lansoprazole 30 mg once a day to prevent stomach problems. You could also take paracetamol 500 mg-1000 mg 3-4 times/day in addition to the anti-inflammatory tablets for additional pain relief.
Physiotherapy can help too to settle the symptoms.
If the pain does not start to settle in a few days or rather the pain worsens see your doctor. Your doctor may advise an Ultrasound or MRI to identify the cause of the worsening pain.
I hope this answer has helped you.
Thank you
Regards
Dr Sunita Sayammagaru
Welcome to Healthcare Magic.
I have read your question fully and understand your concerns.
From what you have written, I think you suffered a knee ligament sprain or ligament tear. Hence you are having the swelling and pain.
To treat a swollen knee, you need to give it rest, that means do not weight bear. Use crutches to walk. After a few days you can slowly start to walk provided the pain is under control. You can also apply ice (use ice packs) and elevate your leg. A compression bandage or compression strap will help to support your knee while the repair process happens. This also will help with the pain. Do not use any heat packs for the first 3 days after injury. Avoid alcohol and avoid massaging the knee.
For pain relief you could take anti-inflammatory tablets like Ibuprofen 200-400 mg up to maximum of 3 times/day or Naproxen 250-500 mg twice a day (provided you are not allergic to them.)You need to take these tablets with food to minimise the gastric side effects. Alternatively you could take Ranitidine 150 mg twice a day or Lansoprazole 30 mg once a day to prevent stomach problems. You could also take paracetamol 500 mg-1000 mg 3-4 times/day in addition to the anti-inflammatory tablets for additional pain relief.
Physiotherapy can help too to settle the symptoms.
If the pain does not start to settle in a few days or rather the pain worsens see your doctor. Your doctor may advise an Ultrasound or MRI to identify the cause of the worsening pain.
I hope this answer has helped you.
Thank you
Regards
Dr Sunita Sayammagaru
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