Sharon has 21+ years of experience as a qualified Emergency Care Nurse registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (APHRA) and 12+ years as a First Aid Trainer.
She takes pride in FirstAidPro making first aid training available, comprehensive and affordable to everybody.
Knees are one of the most common areas to sustain an injury. Whether it is a sports-related knee sprain, an awkward fall on a slippery surface, or just kneeling awkwardly for too long, knees are often the victim. Almost all knee injuries can heal quickly and are preventable with correct protocol and routine. If you suffer from any type of knee injury, these tips below will help you get back to being active again in no time. It does not matter if it is your first time or your hundredth time dealing with a knee injury; we can always learn something new when it comes to getting better as fast as possible.
Know The Difference Between A Strain And A Sprain
A strain is a knee injury that happens in the muscles of the leg. Strains can be partial tears or complete tears. A strain is usually very localized in the area of pain and can be prevented by strengthening the muscles around the knee joint. A knee sprain is a tear in a ligament, the connective tissue that holds bones together at a joint. Ligaments are more delicate than muscles, so sprains are often more serious than strains. Sprains are graded on a scale from 1 to 3. Grade 1 sprains are just stretching of the ligaments. These heal very quickly with the right protocol. Grade 3 sprains rupture the ligament and cause joint instability. These are much more serious and can take much longer to heal. There are different measurements and criteria for what makes a sprain a grade 1,2 or 3, and there are guidelines on which is which and how to bandage and tape them properly.
Treating A Knee Sprain And Strains
knee sprain and strains are best treated with a R.I.C.E. regiment:
Rest: With a knee sprain, you’ll want to rest the joint completely until it improves. You should not put weight on the joint during the healing process. This includes not standing on the injured leg, not kneeling on it, or trying to walk with the injured leg. You may need crutches to help you get around. A knee sprain takes time to heal, so be patient and rest until it feels like the injury is improving.
Ice: You can apply cold therapy to the injury to help in the healing time and decrease swelling. Cold treatment will help with pain, swelling and the healing process, but you only want to apply it for 20 minutes at a time, 3-4 times a day. In some circumstances you can also try applying moderate heat to the knee to help with the pain (heat will not help with swelling). You can apply heat for 15 minutes at a time, 3-4 times a day.
Compression: Applying compression to the injured knee will help with swelling and help the healing process. You can wrap the knee with an elastic bandage. Make sure to cover it so it isn’t too tight, as this can make the swelling worse.
Elevation: keep the leg elevated and raise the sore body part above the level of your heart. Doing this helps reduce pain, throbbing, and swelling in the knee. This can be done while sitting or lying down by placing a pillow under the knee while lying down.
Preventing Further Damage
If you’ve hurt your knee – whether it’s during sports or through an unfortunate slip – you should perform First Aid immediately. If you are unsure about First Aid skills or techniques, they are best taught by a professional in a First Aid course. You need to stay off of an injured knee to prevent further damage. You can do some things to protect the knee while it heals. Bandage your knee before doing any outdoor activities. This will help your muscles and ligaments stay in place while they heal. This will make healing faster and reduce pain. First Aid will also show you the right bandaging techniques that are most effective on knees and other joints. It is also important to lower the pressure on your knees when you can, like avoiding stairs, running and bending when at all possible. When the pain subsides after a few days, remember that the injury can remain present for weeks afterwards. So, you should still tape up your knee when doing any intense activity like sport or gym.
How To Heal Pain From A Knee Injury Fast?
To help heal a knee injury as quickly as possible, it is important to make sure you are doing the right things while they are healing. These tips will help you get back to active living faster than ever before. Taking over-the-counter pain medication like ibuprofen can help with the pain and swelling in an injured knee. Ice placed on the injury at an elevated state can also help with a quick healing process as it moves the injury about the heart, allows more blood to pass through, and the ice lowers the swelling. Once the swelling has gone down and you have rested the knee, you can then bandage the knee in a compression bandage to keep the knee in the right place to heal.
In The End
Knees are one of the most common areas to sustain an injury. Whether it is a sports-related knee sprain, an awkward fall on a slippery surface, or just kneeling awkwardly for too long, knees are often the victim. However, most knee injuries heal quickly and are preventable with correct protocol and routine. If you suffer from any type of knee injury, these tips will help you get back to being active again in no time. It does not matter if it is your first time or your hundredth time dealing with a knee injury; you can always learn something when it comes to getting better as fast as possible. By knowing your body, its pain and how to manage it effectively, you can prevent further damage to your body and get yourself up and active again.
