The knee is one of the most maneuverable parts of the human body, withstanding sharp and sudden movements, absorbing pressure when walking, running, and jumping, and providing support for the whole body. The knee, unfortunately, is often exposed to serious harm and damage due to the constant pressure and hits it takes, therefore knee injuries are one of the most common injuries. Our bodies luckily can regenerate and heal themselves in most cases depending on the seriousness of the injury itself, however, with the knee, there are several pieces of advice that should be followed even after the recovery period, as to avoid any further damage. In the text below, you can find some of this advice and what not to do, if you recently suffered an injury.
Take a break
When it comes to the knee, there are several different types of injuries depending on the particular part of the knee. The most often injuries are related to the excessive stretching of ligaments or muscle tears due to the use of excessive pressure and force on the knee. These injuries result in internal bleeding, and the knee often becomes swollen and filled with “water”, or a certain liquid. In mild cases of ligament stretching and muscle tears, everything you need to do is take a little break from any form of physical exercise. First and foremost, you do need to see a doctor if the swelling gets worse in the first 24 to 48 hours, and establish the exact diagnosis. If you have a minor injury, resting is the greatest medication. Allow your body to cure itself.
Make sure to follow the RICE steps, rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Rest means to reduce the amount of time you spend standing on the injured knee and putting extra pressure on the injury. Ice has proven to be more than effective in reducing the swelling, as the cold enhances blood flow and circulation in the area, and compression means putting bandages around the knee to stop the swelling from becoming worse. Bandages are advised during the day, you should remove them during the evening or before going to bed. Ice should be placed several times during the day, no longer than 15 to 20 minutes, with small pauses in between.
Elevation practically means, putting a pillow beneath the knee and forming a little arch. This position will help the internal bleeding and enhance the whole recovery process.
Follow these steps and make sure to give it at least a 3 days break, sometimes it can take up to 5 days in a row before you can finally partially stand on your leg. Even then, make sure to take small steps, and slow movements and gradually increase the amount of pressure and physical activity.
Surgery or orthopedic treatment
The previously described recovery method is used during mild to medium knee injuries and therefore is highly effective when the knee did not sustain a fatal injury. These situations are actually rare, contrary to the common opinion, and only in extreme cases is the knee in need of surgical attention. Actually, the knee’s anatomy is quite resilient to most outside influences and can easily withstand a lot of hits.
However, in the case of a completely shattered knee with several breakpoints, you’ll need surgical attention and maybe even a replacement. Most doctors actually avoid it until it is completely necessary to be done. Once you visit your doctor, you’ll probably get a prescription for other therapies completely unrelated to surgery. One new and novel treatment is stem cell repair therapy, which is a process that is recommended to repair joint cartilage or injury to your knees and has proved to be more than successful. The stem cell program is a revolutionary discovery and it actually uses the body’s defense and repair system and enhances the process. The technology is solely based on the already given capacities of the body. Other than that, cartilage injuries are easily dealt with with some medication and therapy.
The injury is very often due to the cartilages absorption of most shocks done to the body. Therefore, in these cases, joint pain and swelling are dealt with in a similar manner as described before, while some serious conditions are treated with the new stem cell method. Do not worry, you’ll be on your legs in no time.
Avoid these things
The most common mistake people make after they sustain any kind of knee injury is being irresponsible and not following the doctor’s advice. Most people feel like they can go back to their previous state in no time, although a complete recovery takes up to several months. Things that can HARM you are heat, alcohol, running, and massages. Heat should be avoided as it actually stretches further the torn ligaments, while alcohol makes your body work twice as hard to patch you up. Running is one of the worst mistakes as it puts additional pressure on an already healing knee in recovery and therefore is not advised for several months after the sustained injury. Massages, like running, can aggravate the disease by putting more strain on the injury.
Make sure to follow the doctor’s prescription and the above advice for a full recovery. Do not worry, knee injuries are common and most people never have a problem later on in life, just stay smart and responsible.
