A knee sprain is an injury to the ligaments, which are strong, elastic-like tissues that connect bones to each other and hold joints in place. A sprain can compromise many ligaments in the knee by tearing their fibers and often causing pain, swelling and bruising. If you have been diagnosed with a sprain, you can follow some simple steps to recover as soon as possible.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: P. R. I. C. E
Step 1. Protect the knee
As soon as you get injured, you need to protect your knee from possible other damage. When the sprain occurs, you do not have to keep moving it or doing the activity that caused the injury, otherwise it just aggravates the situation. If possible, sit down immediately and relieve the joint from any pressure.
- If you are in a public place, ask someone for help to go to the emergency room. You shouldn't walk too much or put weight on your knee until you have defined the severity of the injury.
- Go to the doctor as soon as possible. Probably, after the visit, he will advise you to put into practice the best known and widespread protocol to treat a sprain, namely the P. R. I. C. E. - from the English acronym: Protect (protect), Rest (rest), Ice (ice), Compress (compression), Elevation (elevation). However, if the injury is serious, be sure to strictly follow his directions.
Step 2. Rest the knee
Within the first 48 hours, the most important thing to do is to keep the knee still. This gives the ligament time to heal and recover. Your doctor will advise you to avoid moving the limb as much as possible during the first few days after the injury. For this purpose, he may recommend the use of crutches.
Your doctor may also recommend that you use a splint or brace if you have trouble keeping your knee still in the first few days after the sprain
Step 3. Apply ice
In the first few days, you should do this to reduce pain and inflammation. Place crushed or cubed ice in a sealable bag and wrap it in a towel or cloth. Keep it on the lesion for 20 minutes each time. You can repeat the procedure 4-8 times a day.
- Never hold ice on your limb for more than 20 minutes at a time, or you could get cold burns.
- Alternatively, you can apply a cold compress.
- Continue putting ice on for the first 48 hours or until the swelling subsides.
Step 4. Compress the knee
To try to reduce swelling, you need to keep the joint compressed for the first few days after the injury. You need to wrap your knee in an elastic bandage or bandage. Tighten the bandage enough to support the knee and keep it from moving. However, make sure it's not too snug that it impedes normal blood circulation.
- Remove the bandage when you sleep. Doing so restores proper blood flow to the area; however, the knee should not move much during sleep.
- After 48 hours you can remove the bandage. However, if your knee is still swollen, your doctor will advise you to keep it a little longer.
Step 5. Lift the sore knee
In the days following the injury it is important to keep the injured limb raised as much as possible. Make it higher than your heart to reduce blood flow to the area and consequently swelling. Sit or lie on your back and place two or three pillows under the injured knee to keep it higher than your heart.
The height you need to bring your knee to for it to be above your heart depends on your posture. If you are sitting, you will need to use more pillows than when you are lying down
Part 2 of 3: Supplementary Treatments
Step 1. Apply heat after 72 hours
After taking care of the limb with the P. R. I. C. E. During the first 48-72 hours after the injury, you need to start implementing other treatments to improve the condition of the knee. Use a warmer or hot pack to relieve pain and reduce stiffness. Apply heat for 20 minutes, four times a day or as needed. Doing so allows the knee muscles to loosen after resting for three days.
- To keep your knee warm, you can also decide to go to a sauna, a hot tub or take a hot bath.
- Do not apply heat before 72 hours have passed since the injury, as this could cause even more damage. If blood flow to the knee increases during the very early stages of recovery, bleeding may occur and swelling may increase.
Step 2. Take oral pain relievers
During the healing process, these over-the-counter medications can help you manage pain. You can take ibuprofen or acetaminophen if the pain is too severe and you can't stand it without medication.
- Try brands like Brufen or Oki for ibuprofen or Tachipirina for acetaminophen.
- You can also take an anti-inflammatory such as naproxen. You can buy it at the pharmacy without a prescription under the trade name of Aleve or Momendol.
- Ask your doctor for stronger anti-inflammatories if your knee pain and swelling last longer than a week.
Step 3. Try topical anti-inflammatory creams
If you don't want to take oral medications, you can try topical remedies to manage pain. You can buy an ibuprofen-containing ointment at a pharmacy. This remedy is more suitable if the pain is mild, because ibuprofen in topical formulation is not absorbed much by the body, as it happens if it is taken orally, so it is not suitable if you suffer a lot.
There are other topical creams that are available by prescription only. Ask your doctor if you think they might be the most effective solutions for your situation
Step 4. Avoid alcohol
You must not drink alcoholic beverages while you are recovering. This is especially important during the first few days after the injury. Alcohol reduces the body's healing abilities and also promotes inflammation and swelling.
Ask your doctor when you can start drinking alcohol again. You need to make sure your knee is healed enough not to jeopardize the recovery process with a few drinks
Part 3 of 3: Rehabilitation
Step 1. Do exercises
When the knee has healed enough to be able to move it, your doctor will advise you on exercises to do to regain mobility in the limb. The exercises are aimed at preventing stiffness, increasing strength, improving range of motion and flexibility of the joint. You should do movements that focus primarily on balance and strength. Try repeating them several times a day to get better and better over time.
The severity of the injury determines the type of exercises and their duration. In particularly serious cases, a long rehabilitation period is required. Check with your doctor or physical therapist to find out how long you will need to do the exercises
Step 2. Undergo physical therapy if needed
If the sprain is really severe, you may need to see a physical therapist or have home treatments for some time after the injury. In most cases this is not a common procedure, but there are some circumstances where it is necessary to complete the healing process of the knee ligament and restore it to its original condition.
The type of exercises depends on the type of injury, but basically the purpose of this therapy is to reduce stiffness, persistent swelling and bring the knee back to normal range of motion without experiencing pain
Step 3. Slowly increase activity
A few weeks after the injury, your doctor may advise you to return to your normal daily activities without the need for braces, bandages or crutches. When that time comes, your doctor will recommend that you slowly resume leading a normal life, in order to check the real strength, flexibility and range of motion of the knee.
If you are no longer in pain, you can resume your normal daily duties, including any sports or other physical activities
Step 4. Undergo surgery if needed
In rare cases, the doctor will be able to evaluate the advisability of surgery. One of the main reasons for surgery is the need to repair the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) that is inside the joint and allows it to flex back and forth. Since it is a fundamental ligament, in the event of a strain, rupture or injury it must be repaired in the best way. Among athletes, this type of intervention is even more frequent, to ensure that they recover their strength and complete limb movements.
- Surgery is also needed when the injury involves more than one knee ligament. In this case it is much more difficult to be able to recover and heal without external help.
- Surgery is usually a last resort. In most cases all other methods are tried before considering the possibility of surgery.
