Two days ago, I bumped my knee on something (actually, the area right under my knee, where the patellar tendon meets the tibia inthis image). I remember thinking that it was going to bruise (I don’t bruise easily) but it only hurt for a few minutes, and did not bruise, and I thought nothing of it.
Then yesterday, I was doing work that required going up and down ladders all day, and as the day progressed the area became painful. By the end of the day, it hurt pretty damn bad, and still does this morning. There is no visible swelling, but there is a reddish spot the size of a nickle on the skin, and if I touch that spot, it’s quite painful. If I’m just sitting around with my leg straight, it doesn’t hurt. Bending the leg (walking) hurts moderately, stairs hurt a lot.
I’m not going to the doctor for this, because it just doesn’t seem serious enough and I doubt seriously they could do anything anyway. But I’ve got shit to do, here. Is resting this injury going to help it heal faster? Because I can deal with moderate pain, I just don’t want to cause more damage.
Sounds like you did crush/damage the tendon some. Ice and NSAIDs.
Total rest can sometimes delay healing.
Some gentle movement will help with healing but a full load can further the damage. Get a cane to help keep the load off.(Use in the hand opposite to the injury) Try to avoid stairs and ladders if possible.
ETA: A doctor can better evaluate how severe the injury is and can give you a note for work restricting your activities if needed.
RICE - rest, ice, compression, elevation. Take aspirin or ibuprufn (as tolerated). Not acetaminophen - an NSAID is better for inflammation and soft tissue injuries.
IANAD, but I have had injuries like this moderately often.
RICE - rest, ice, compression, elevation. Take aspirin or ibuprufn (as tolerated). Not acetaminophen - an NSAID is better for inflammation and soft tissue injuries.
IANAD, but I have had injuries like this moderately often.
You sound like you are young. I used to be, and am no longer. And all those injuries I tried to work thru are back, reminding me of how dumb I was when I was young.
I know you don’t want to hear this, but it’s really impossible to answer unless you know for sure whether the damage was to muscle or to tendon/ligament. For that, you need a doctor or a physical therapist.
Why is best explained at this site. tldr version: muscles get plenty of blood flow even when you’re not using them, so restricting the blood flow with RICE isn’t all that terrible and makes people more comfortable and can prevent compartment syndrome. Tendons and ligaments don’t get much blood flow if you’re not moving them, so RICE may slow or prevent healing dramatically, and MEAT is more effective.
Just based on what you’re saying, I think you’re probably in MEAT territory, but that’s like trying to diagnose a cough via the internet. Just can’t be done without seeing it in person.
Sigh. Really? People actually go to the doctor for such a minor thing? It’s just so localized, there is a spot about the size of a quarter where it hurts a lot if I press on it, and an inch on either side where it’s a bit sore. I don’t even see how it could be a muscle injury, the bone is directly under the skin where it hurts.
Assuming I just take it easy, avoid ladders and long hikes and whatnot, and take stairs one at a time like I’ve been doing (tedious), even if it is a muscle injury, am I really likely to cause significant damage? It’s just such a small area.
No, you’re probably not going to do a lot of damage. But it’s just that we can’t really answer your question accurately without knowing.
Do people go to the doctor for such small things? Sometimes. Mostly not. I’m not saying you *have *to go to the doctor, I’m saying you have to go to the doctor IF we’re to answer the question. You got a lot of RICE answers, and I don’t know that it’s the *right *answer. I suspect it’s not. But I suspect you’ll get better anyhow.
Thanks, WhyNot. I’ll be gentle this weekend and if it hasn’t improved by Monday, I’ll make an appointment to get it looked at. And thanks for the link, I did read it and it makes sense.
Like Shodan, I am suffering from a lack of attention to injuries sustained when I was younger. It’s always worth it to check with a doctor when you have a leg injury. Aside from improper healing that can lead to things like a torn ICL in my case, your legs should be balanced, and an injury to one can change your gait causing additional problems.
So I’ve been very carefully walking on it today, deliberately not limping so as not to throw some other joint out of whack, and it’s already feeling somewhat better. I’ll continue to baby it for the next several days, but I think it’s going to be OK. Thanks to everyone who offered advice.
