If you've hurt your knee, it's important to assess the damage so you can decide whether you should see a doctor. A key sign to look for is swelling. “Serious injuries cause a lot of swelling in the knee, especially in younger patients,” says Christina Allen, MD, division chief of Sports Medicine.
More severe injuries, such as ligament tears, meniscus tears or fractures may require surgery and therefore have a longer recovery period.
A torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the hardest sports injury that takes more recovery time. It is usually 12 months.
A popping sensation. Swelling or stiffness. Pain, especially when twisting or rotating your knee. Difficulty straightening your knee fully.
A torn meniscus usually produces well-localized pain in the knee. The pain often is worse during twisting or squatting motions. Unless the torn meniscus has locked the knee, many people with a torn meniscus can walk, stand, sit, and sleep without pain.
ACL tears are often associated with a popping sound, immediate swelling, and a feeling of instability. MCL tears commonly cause knee pain and tenderness along the inner side of the knee. Meniscus tears may produce a popping sensation, locking or catching of the knee, and difficulty straightening the leg.
The short answer is yes. After the pain and swelling subsides and if there is no other injury to your knee, you may be able to walk in straight lines, go up and down stairs and even potentially jog in a straight line. The ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) is an important ligament that provides stability to the knee.
What are MCL tear symptoms? The most noticeable MCL tear symptom is pain on the inside of your knee directly over the ligament. You may also hear and feel a “popping” sensation in your knee at the time of injury. Other common symptoms include bruising, knee instability, swelling, and the inability to hold your weight.
Quad sets: Lie down on the floor or the bed with your injured leg straight. Fully extend your leg—there should be no or little bend in your knee.
1. You aren't moving enough. One of the biggest mistakes we see patients with knee pain make is to begin using their knees less.
Core Tip: Traditionally, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), medial collateral ligament (MCL), and medial meniscus (MM) were thought to be the unhappy triad of the knee; however, lateral meniscus injuries are thought to be more common in association with ACL and MCL tears.
You can usually treat knee pain at home with the RICE method: Rest: Stop the physical activity that caused the pain to avoid making the injury worse. Ice: Apply an ice pack or cold compress for 15 to 20 minutes every hour for the first day after your injury. After one day, you can apply ice every three to four hours.
Contact your provider if: You cannot bear weight on your knee. You have severe pain, even when not bearing weight. Your knee buckles, clicks, or locks.
Symptoms of a meniscus tear may be different for each person, but some of the most common symptoms are: Pain in the knee joint: usually on the inside (medial), outside (lateral) or back of the knee. Swelling. Catching or locking of the knee joint.
A torn ligament severely limits correct knee movement. This results in the inability to pivot, turn, or twist the leg. Surgery is a choice to fix a torn ligament if other treatment does not work. The ligaments in the knee connect the femur (thighbone) to the tibia (shin bone).
A ligament injury is sometimes indicated by a “popping” sound and can be very painful, often accompanied by swelling and bruising. This popping sound is usually heard when an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) is torn. A tear to the ACL in the knee is one of the most common ligament injuries in sports.
An injury to your anterior cruciate ligament is usually accompanied by a "popping" noise and a feeling that your knee gives out from under you. Other signs and symptoms of an ACL injury include: Pain on the outside and back of the knee.
Common extra-articular pathologies that can mimic lateral meniscal tears include iliotibial band syndrome, proximal tibiofibular joint instability, snapping biceps femoris or popliteus tendons, and peroneal nerve compression syndrome or neuritis.
Normally, braces are used to stabilize a joint. Since menisci are not crucial for knee stability, you might not need a brace to help your injury heal. However, if there is damage to the surrounding ligaments as well, a brace may be necessary because ligaments are important for joint stability.
There is often sharp pain when you twist or squat. Symptoms may go away but can come back from overuse or when you do activities that involve twisting. The pain may come and go over a period of years if the tear isn't treated. Larger tears usually cause more pain and immediate swelling and stiffness.