I feel like a five year old with a boo boo. Help me take care of my knee.

June 12, 2012 5:24 PM

I fell on a slippery sidewalk today, and came down hard on one knee. Help me make sure I'm doing the right aftercare, and help me plan for what I should do for my knee while I sleep tonight.

So, first of all, this doesn't seem to be a serious injury: there is no acute pain, and I can walk and go up and down stairs. There is bruising, and swelling, just below my kneecap, and my knee feels sore and has some incipient stiffness.

So far I've been resting, icing, and elevating. Should I add compression into the mix?

And what setup should I have for sleeping tonight so that I can walk enough to take the subway to a breakfast meeting tomorrow?

posted by ocherdraco to Health & Fitness (12 answers total)

Depends on how much swelling you're getting. The elevation and compression will both help to avoid /reduce swelling, which can decrease pain.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 5:26 PM on June 12, 2012

Hey, I did this last week, distracted by the coffee and donuts I was carrying. Came down on both knees!

I iced them and took ibuprofen every 4 hours. I had minor swelling in one knee but not the other. Both were a little stiff when I had to climb stairs. They were fine (though with spectacular bruises) within about 36 hours.
posted by rtha at 5:27 PM on June 12, 2012

Response by poster: So far, four hours or so after the fall, the swelling is still very localized on the front of the knee, just below the patella.

I should note that I also took some ibuprofen about 30 min ago when I woke up from a nap. (No ice during the nap.)
posted by ocherdraco at 5:30 PM on June 12, 2012

Response by poster: Good to know rtha! I think I'm headed for a similar trajectory. What did you do overnight?
posted by ocherdraco at 5:32 PM on June 12, 2012

I just made paid attention to how I was lying there in bed - if it made my knee hurt, I changed position. Then I fell asleep and when I woke up the next morning, I'd forgotten about my knees. Until I stood up and was like "ow."

I did make the mistake of wearing pants with a slimmer leg than usual, which was ouchy because of the pressure the fabric put on my right knee (the one that hurt more). But yeah, by the day after, I was basically fine. Just don't accidentally bang it into something because OW.
posted by rtha at 5:37 PM on June 12, 2012

I'd definitely go with an ace bandage overnight. Just don't pack it too tightly (if you feel your blood pumping underneath it's too tight) and it should help keep the swelling down. Keep icing 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off until you fall asleep.
posted by any major dude at 5:43 PM on June 12, 2012

You might wake up thinking that you can't walk. You'll be fine, but it'll swell up and stiffen up overnight. Just set your alarm a bit early and ice and medicate in the morning. Give yourself some time to work it out.
posted by true at 6:01 PM on June 12, 2012

It sounds like you're on the right track with the RICE regimen you're already on (yeah, add compression, but don't go too tight) but I'd also all either Aleve or Advil to the mix. These drugs are NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and are very good at reducing localized inflammation like swelling, heat and bruising. Avoid aspirin because it can exacerbate bruising; it's a blood thinner, after all.

It doesn't sound like you've done any major damage. Get up slowly in the morning and try to keep it in mind if you have to get up during the night. Make up a REALLY good story, possibly involving a pack of coyotes and a haunch of venison, to explain your injury. Good luck!
posted by workerant at 7:25 PM on June 12, 2012

IANAD. IANYD. IAJSGOTI (I Am Just Some Guy On The Internet) But I've had my share -- perhaps more than my share -- of injuries. The following is what I do, what works for me; YMMV.

Ice ice ice ice! Them some more ice. It'll help keep the swelling down and kick pains butt, too. And ibuprofen or alieve -- and you have my express permission to take the largest dose. Was it me, I'd absolutely take more, though not terribly much more, maybe a third more -- remember that ibuprofen is sometimes prescribed by docs at monstrous dosages; a bit more for a short time absolutely won't hurt. Myself, I like alieve, but whatever you're preference is, so long as it's an anti-inflammatory.

Why not Tylenol or aspirin, why an anti-inflammatory? (For one, tylenol can be some nasty shit -- read a bit. Careful with that stuff.) The reason to take an anti-inflammatory is that it is not just for pain relief, it is not just an analgesic -- it also helps the healing process, by -- duh -- reducing the inflammation. (Actually, you can use them at the same time as ibuprofen or alieve -- a nurse friend of mine turned me on to that once when I had this monstrous fever; it broke amazingly fast using ibuprofen and Tylenol, staggered. So if you're really hurting after the ibuprofen, dump an aspirin or two down the hatch, to kick the pain away.)

I hope you get to feeling better fast, up and out skipping and jumping.
posted by dancestoblue at 7:45 PM on June 12, 2012

Response by poster: Thanks, all! Alas, no ace bandages I'm the house, but I'll see if there's something else that will suit. Off to bed now!
posted by ocherdraco at 7:56 PM on June 12, 2012

With those weight-bearing parts, err on the side of caution. Probably nothing is wrong, but if you don't feel 100% after a week at the outside, either go to the Dr. or find the money to do so. If you are not insured (I see you're in NYC), then I highly recommend the Ryan Center. I guess I'm on the far right of knee paranoia, but really.
posted by skbw at 8:11 PM on June 12, 2012

I had this exact injury a few months ago. The ice really helped keep it not that sore. But there was some bleeding, and that was an issue for a week or so because the knee is a joint, so it kept scabbing, then cracking, then bleeding again. It was about two weeks until it was back to normal. A few months later now, no pain or side effects, but the knee remains a little bruised looking, and I fear that might be permanent.
posted by JoannaC at 4:28 AM on June 13, 2012