I’m not seeking medical advice…I’ve already seen my doctor and gotten a diagnosis. I just wanted some input on what to expect.
Last Tuesday I tripped going up the stairs (yes, I really am that graceful) at work and landed with my kneecap against the edge of a metal step. Left a big bruise and my knee got more painful as the day went on. I could put weight on it, but bending it hurt and it felt…weird. I could feel a lot of pressure and kind of a pulling, shifting sensation when I moved it.
The pain was keeping me awake at night, so I finally went to see the doctor. She looked it over, said there wasn’t any sign of fracture or anything being torn. She said it was just a bad bruise and that there’s a lot of blood in the joint. It’ll resolve itself. She suggested ibuprophen and rest, icing it when needed, and moving it gently to keep things loose.
So, just wanted to know if anyone can tell me how long it’s likely to take for this to feel better? I’m anxious to get back to hiking, doing yoga, all that good stuff…and to being able to go up and down stairs, get into and out the car, walk, etc. without pain.
I haven’t injured my knee before and I tend to heal quickly. I’m very hopeful that’s a trend that’ll continue.
Been there, done that. people look at you very strangely when you say you fell up the stairs*
Since you are very interested in getting back to activity, you will probably be like my friend who is the same. The answer is it depends =) Get the refreezable ice packs, or borrow an ice brace if possible. My practice was to gently flex for 10 minutes [nonweight lifts] followed by 10 minutes of ice, then 40 minutes of rest. It helps if you have a desk job=) It took me about a week til I could be weight bearing without pain, and 3 weeks til I could stop. About another month of gentle walking then workking back up to running [ I was playing soccer when I bunged up my knee. Luckily it ws during preseason and we had a couple spare fullbacks=) ]
The frequent advice is RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. Since you’ve been prescribed two of those I’d recommend elevation as much as you can possibly do.
I’ve had a few lower limb injuries and surgeries and can tell you that it works (cohort size = 1.) I think it’s because the joints are poorly vasculated that gravity is the best way to drain the excess fluid.
Monkey Mensch’s RICE advice is right on. Your problem, though, is that you bashed the front of your kneecap into the stair, and the rest of your knee (and all your weight) bashed into the back of your kneecap. You can get the cold to the front of the kneecap, but there’s about an inch of bone and stuff between the ice and the back of it. You can wrap a flexi ice pack around your knee, but by the time the back of your kneecap gets chilled, the front is frostbitten. You’ll find a balance, about the time it gets well. :smack:
When aruvqan says non-weight flexing, I assume she means don’t stand on the knee while you’re flexing it.
Yeah, I’ve been flexing it without putting any weight on it–either sitting down or standing on my other leg. It’s weird…some days it feels pretty good and other days (like today) not so much. I’ve been walking around a lot today, though, so that probably has something to do with it.
Thanks for the advice everyone. It’s helpful…as is the sympathy.
