Causes Of Knee Bruises
Bruises to the knee generally occur from direct and blows to the body involving something blunt. This may occur due to a fall or when a person bangs their knee into something hard.
Bruising can also develop alongside other types of injury, such as fractures, broken bones, torn tendons, or dislocated joints.
Older adults are more likely to bruise than younger adults. Additionally, people may bruise more easily than others.
Your Knee Feels Unstable Or You Felt A Pop
Most ACL tears and patella dislocations occur from a twisting, non-contact injury. A typical story is that you were turning or twisting hard, and you felt a pop. As I mentioned earlier, most patella dislocations will reduce or go back into their usual place on their own. But if your patella remains dislocated the knee will look strange.
If you felt or heard a loud pop as you twisted or turned to avoid another player, then you may have torn your ACL. Other causes of popping include a patella or kneecap dislocation. If you felt or heard a loud pop in your knee, then there is a strong chance that you have a severe knee injury. Most ACL injuries and patella dislocations are non-contact injuries. A running back turning to head upfield. A striker moving laterally to avoid the defense. These are familiar stories when we see high school and college athletes who have torn their ACL.
This post dives further into the immediate management of suspected ACL injuries.
When Should I See A Doctor After A Fall
As you can see, knee injuries from falls can have varying consequences and require varying degrees of treatment. Its important to monitor your symptoms closely to determine whether or not you should seek treatment following a knee injury after a fall. Abrasions and lacerations can be treated at home however, if any of these injuries begin to bleed significantly, then you should seek a doctor. You should also seek a doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms:
- Hearing a popping sound during or after a fall
- Trying to walk but having your knee buckle not being able to bear weight on your knee is an indication of a more serious injury
- Swelling of the knee
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What To Do When You Scrape Your Knee
Whether you scrape your knee from tripping on the sidewalk or falling off a bike, heres how to treat it at home:
How Long Does It Take To Recover
A minor skinned knee may take one to two weeks to fully heal. The wound is considered fully healed and no longer susceptible to infection once its closed and any scabbing has fallen off naturally. The area may continue to look pink or pale for several weeks longer.
Its important to continue to keep the area clean and to change the bandage daily to eliminate the risk of infection. Infection will require additional treatment and delay healing.
If a scab forms, its important to avoid picking at the scab. Scabs are a form of natural bandage that your body produces in response to an injury. Scabs typically fall off within two weeks when theyre no longer needed to protect the skin underneath.
Its important to decrease the risk of infection in a skinned knee. If you think your knee has become infected, call your doctor.
Signs of infection include:
- foul odor coming from the wound
- pus or discharge
- the area feels warm to the touch
- healing is not taking place
- the wound looks as if it has gotten worse
- increasing amounts of pain
Another, less common complication, is a bacterial infection, called tetanus. If youre concerned that the skinned knee came in contact with something rusted or dirty, including dirt, you may need a tetanus shot, especially if youve not had one in the past five years. Tetanus is a potentially serious condition.
Seek medical help for a skinned knee if any of the following occur:
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Compensation For Knee Injuries
Knee injuries from falling on concrete are often quite painful and the recovery time can be quite long. Medical bills for MRIs and consultations with orthopedic surgeons will stack up quickly, and you may be unable to work to earn a living.
If your knee injury happened on the job or as a result of someones negligence, you may be able to recover damages for your medical bills and lost wages. At the law office of Worcester personal injury lawyer Peter Ventura, we can help you pursue workers compensation benefits and personal injury damages for your knee injury. Please contact us right away to arrange a free, no-risk consultation.
How To Select A Knee Brace
While many knee braces can be purchased over the counter, it is best to speak to your healthcare provider first so that you select the style that is most appropriate for your condition. In addition, braces are typically meant to be short-term treatment and are usually administered in tandem with other interventions like physical therapy or surgery.
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What To Do If You Fell On Knees
Minor knee pain and bruising not related to difficulty moving your knee or bearing weight after a fall often responds well to home treatment with periodic application of an ice bag, rest and over-the-counter pain medication. If your pain is moderate to serious, you can not completely flex or straighten your knee, or you can not bear weight, seek instant medical examination. Look for emergency medical care if your knee injury is accompanied a cold or pale foot, or numbness or tingling below the affected knee. These symptoms often indicate damage to the blood vessels at the knee, an injury that needs immediate treatment.
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What Types Of Doctors Treat Knee Injuries
Often, knee injuries are cared for by primary care providers who have the knowledge and skills to diagnose and treat many of the common knee injuries that occur. Orthopedic surgeons are involved in knee injury care to determine whether surgery might be required. They are also the specialists to perform the surgery. Physical therapists have an important role in the treatment of knee injuries regardless of whether surgery is required.
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Tell Your Gp Practice
Regardless of whether this is your first fall, or you fall regularly, it’s important to tell your GP practice, or other health professional such as a physiotherapist or occupational therapist. Many underlying causes of falls can be treated or corrected.
Think about what you might do if you had a fall:
- would you know how to get up from the floor, or summon help?
- do you currently have a falls plan?
- what changes can you make that might help?
- how will you make these changes?
- who do you need to talk to?
Caring For Your Knee At Home Over The Long Term
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Professional Help For Knee Injuries
- Aspiration if the knee joint is grossly swollen, the doctor may release the pressure by drawing off some of the fluid with a fine needle.
- Physiotherapy including techniques to reduce pain, kneecap taping, exercises for increased mobility and strength, and associated rehabilitation techniques.
- Arthroscopic surgery or keyhole surgery, where the knee operation is performed by inserting slender instruments through small incisions . Cartilage tears are often treated with arthroscopic surgery.
- Open surgery required when the injuries are more severe and the entire joint needs to be laid open for repair.
What Are Complications Of Knee Injuries
Knee injuries are rarely life-threatening, though severe injuries may be disabling. Some knee injuries lead to chronic, irreversible damage to the knee and may result in complications such as long-term dysfunction. Knee-joint dislocations can cause blood vessel injuries and can lead to severe disability.
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What Causes Kneecap Fractures
Patella fractures are injuries often associated with a blow to the knee. Common causes include:
- Falling directly on the knee, especially on a hard surface such as concrete
- Sports where the knee may be directly hit by a ball, bat or stick
- Car accidents where the knee hits the dashboard
- Gunshot wounds
- Sudden contractions of the quadriceps muscle that causes the tendon to pull on the kneecap and break it apart
What Is The Recovery Time For A Knee Injury
The recovery time for a knee injury depends on the type and severity of the injury. If the injury is significant enough to require surgery and/or physical therapy, the recovery time will be longer.
- Simple strains or sprains can last for one to two weeks.
- More extensive injuries requiring arthroscopic surgery may take one to three months to heal.
- Major traumatic injuries to the knee may take up to a year to heal.
Following the doctor’s instructions for rest, immobilization, staying off your feet, and avoiding exercise that aggravates the injuries will help speed recovery.
Physical therapy can also speed recovery time. It is important to follow the directions of your physical therapist to ensure you are doing the exercises correctly and attaining the best results.
Chronic knee injuries that do not require surgery may flare up from time to time. Physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications, and cortisone injections are used to provide temporary relief.
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Wondering How To Treat Knee Injury
If you feel that the conditions are severe, consult a doctor immediately for knee injury treatment. Your doctor will likewise do a physical test of the knee.
You will be approached to twist and fix your leg as the specialist feels for any dislocation of the kneecap or different indications of a physical issue to the bones, tendons, or ligaments in the knee.
Imaging may likewise be necessary as well.
X-beams can reveal about the damage to the knees. An MRI can help to uncover harm to the bones, ligament, and delicate tissue .
So, next time you scrape your knees, make sure its just a minor boo-boo and nothing serious.
Mountainstate Orthopedic Associates: How Can We Help
Mountainstate Orthopedic Associates is one of the regions leading orthopedic practices. We take pride in the education and experience that each of our doctors holds.
We strive to keep you informed and active in the decision-making process from your initial appointment to the conclusion of your treatment. It is always our policy to be conservative with our course of treatment and to only recommend surgery if it is genuinely needed. With many of our surgical procedures, our patients are home the same day of surgery.
If you have knee pain, get in touch we will schedule an appointment and create a plan to get you back to your normal activities.
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What About Concrete As A Ubiquitous Construction Material
Concrete certainly has its benefits and drawbacks. Studies have shown that this material puts wear and tear on our joints. What’s more, concrete manufacturing creates dust that is dangerous to breathe.
On top of this, concrete often covers some of the most fertile and naturally beautiful parts of our planet. Would it be a stretch to say that using less concrete would benefit many peopleincluding those injured by falling on it?
Things To Know About Knee Injury
The knee is a hinge joint that has a simple purpose. It needs to flex or extend to allow the body to perform many activities, like running, walking, kicking, and sitting. Imagine standing up from a chair if your knees couldn’t bend.
While four bones come together at the knee, only the femur and the tibia form the joint itself. The head of the fibula provides some stability, and the patella helps with joint and muscle function. Movement and weight-bearing occur where the ends of the femur called the femoral condyles match up with the top flat surfaces of the tibia .
Two major muscle groups are balanced and allow movement of the knee joint. When the quadriceps muscles on the front of the thigh contract, the knee extends or straightens.
- The hamstring muscles on the back of the thigh flex or bend the knee when they contract.
- The muscles cross the knee joint and are attached to the tibia by tendons.
- The quadriceps tendon is special, in that it contains the patella within its fibers.
- The patella allows the quadriceps muscle/tendon unit to work more efficiently.
- The quadriceps tendon is renamed the patellar tendon from the kneecap to its attachment in the tibia.
The stability of the knee joint is maintained by four ligaments, and thick bands of tissue that stabilize the joint.
Inside the knee, there are two shock-absorbing pieces of cartilage called menisci that sit on the top surface of the tibia.
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Niams Health Information On Sports Injuries
Sports injuries are injuries that happen when playing sports or exercising. There are two kinds of sports injuries: acute and chronic.
The term sports injury refers to the kinds of injuries that most commonly occur during sports or exercise, but they are not limited to athletes.. Examples of acute injuries are sprains and dislocations, while some common chronic injuries are shin splints and stress fractures.. In some cases, wear and tear from overuse injuries can set the stage for acute injuries.. Injuries to the musculoskeletal system that are common in athletes include fractures, dislocations, sprains, strains, tendinitis, or bursitis.. Bone fracture .. This is most common in muscle or tendons between two joints.. Most sports injuries involve one or more of the types of musculoskeletal injuries described above.. These are the most common shoulder injuries.. Once the tendons, ligaments, and muscles of the shoulder become stretched or torn, the shoulder becomes loose and dislocations can occur repeatedly.. The symptoms of a sports injury depend on the type of injury you have.
Knee Sprains & Strains
Doctors at NYU Langone Orthopedic Center specialize in diagnosing and treating knee sprains and strains. A knee sprain occurs when some or all of the fibers in one of the ligamentscords of tissue that connect and support bones surrounding the jointoverstretch or tear. A knee strain is a tear that occurs in muscle fibers or in the tendons, which are the cords of tissue that attach muscle to bone.
These injuries are common among athletesespecially those who play contact sports, such as football and soccer. But they can happen to anyone. For instance, they may occur as a result of an accident, a fall, or even a misstep.
Our doctors specialize in helping you recover fully from a knee sprain or strain and offer a range of therapies to help you heal. Regardless of the type of treatment you receive, our physical therapists ensure that you rebuild strength, restore range of motion, and regain mobility as quickly as possible so that you can return to sports or everyday activities.
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