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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Swelling In The Knee And Ankle After An Injury?

My leg slipped into a drain pipe burried in the dirt at a campground on Thursday.as I fell I sat down and don t think it s broke but was in up to my knee..I did a lot of walking the past few days..I have a few cuts and scraps..I cleaned it right away with peroxide and put antibacterial cream on the wounds..it s swollen in my knee,ankle,and foot..it s been over 10 yrs since I got a tetanus shot..I elevated my foot with ice..what would you reccomend??thank you
Wed, 31 Jul 2019
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General Surgeon,  's  Response
Hi,

In your case, there are few possible causes and if there was no injury then some other chronic disorder may be present. Without more information, it is not enough to determine the diagnosis. It could be a hematoma (bleeding in the tissues) or a swollen knee joint capsule. If it's in the back of the knee then it could be a Baker's cyst. Clinical examination (and perhaps fluid aspiration if there's any) would help to determine the diagnosis. Either an orthopedics specialist or your primary care physician can do that.

Until then you can try to apply ice packs (not directly on the skin - wrap them with a towel) and perhaps use some painkillers starting with paracetamol (acetaminophen) and advancing to NSAID if paracetamol is not enough and there's no contraindication for NSAID.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Regards,
Dr. Ivan R. Rommstein, General Surgeon
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What Causes Swelling In The Knee And Ankle After An Injury?

Hi, In your case, there are few possible causes and if there was no injury then some other chronic disorder may be present. Without more information, it is not enough to determine the diagnosis. It could be a hematoma (bleeding in the tissues) or a swollen knee joint capsule. If it s in the back of the knee then it could be a Baker s cyst. Clinical examination (and perhaps fluid aspiration if there s any) would help to determine the diagnosis. Either an orthopedics specialist or your primary care physician can do that. Until then you can try to apply ice packs (not directly on the skin - wrap them with a towel) and perhaps use some painkillers starting with paracetamol (acetaminophen) and advancing to NSAID if paracetamol is not enough and there s no contraindication for NSAID. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr. Ivan R. Rommstein, General Surgeon