Long, tiring exercise sessions can overstretch the soft tissues or muscles in your legs, causing strained and fatigued knees. If you think you have a sprained knee, it is important to know what symptoms to look for and how to diagnose and treat it with the help of a doctor.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Identifying Symptoms of a Knee Sprain
Step 1. Pay attention to the pain that appears immediately after the injury or several hours after
The pain generally occurs because your muscles are too stretched. Therefore, the pain will appear depending on how stretched your muscles are.
- When the muscle is too stretched, the area will immediately feel sore.
- If it's not too stretched, the area can be sore afterwards because the area will start to become inflamed.
Step 2. Feel the tender area around the painful area
Tenderness occurs because your body starts to become inflamed where it hurts. Your body will react by increasing blood circulation to the area, causing it to swell and soften.
The pressure spreads to surrounding tissues, muscles, and nerves and causes them to become tender
Step 3. Identify swelling and inflammation
Swelling is caused by inflammation that occurs after your muscle is injured. The body will react to the wound and increase blood circulation to the area until it swells.
Step 4. Watch for swelling around your injured knee
Swelling occurs due to inflammation which causes increased blood circulation in the area. Sometimes, the blood will make the injured area red and look swollen.
Step 5. Watch for muscle spasms around the knee
Muscle spasms occur as a result of sudden contractions that occur on their own. This occurs as a result of stretching the muscles in your knee.
These muscle spasms can be painful
Step 6. Check your knee for weakness
You may feel your knees weak when you try to move them or stand up. Just like other symptoms of a sprained knee, this weakness is due to inflammation that occurs in the injured area.
You may find it difficult to move your knee as you normally would
Step 7. Check if you have trouble walking
When the muscles in your knee are stretched too much, there may be interference when they contract and relax. Muscles must contract and relax in order to move. When the muscles don't get it right, you may have difficulty walking.
You may also have trouble standing because your knees can't support your weight
Step 8. Check if you feel numbness in your knee area
Your knee may go numb from being too stretched. When your knee is stretched too much, your nerves can be damaged and you will lose the ability to feel in the injured area.
You may feel like your knees are being stabbed with needles
Method 2 of 3: Diagnosing a Sprained Knee
Step 1. Check your knee with a doctor and record your medical history
Your doctor will ask you questions about the activities you did when you were injured as well as about your medical history. He or she will also perform a physical examination of the injured area. It will check::
- Joint stability.
- Pain level.
- Swelling and mobility.
Step 2. Perform radiographic and x-ray examinations
Most radiographs will show soft tissue swelling, but most doctors will order x-rays to check for broken or damaged cartilage.
Step 3. Let your doctor do the ultrasound
Your doctor may want to do an ultrasound. An ultrasound can be done both to diagnose the wound and to monitor your recovery. However, this technique is rarely used to determine if your knee is sprained or not.
Step 4. Perform an MRI examination
An MRI is used to determine the extent and severity of your injury. Injuries are generally classified into mild, moderate, and severe injuries. An MRI can determine the type of wound you have.
Method 3 of 3: Treating a Sprained Knee
Step 1. Follow the RICE method
RICE is short for rest, ice, compression, and elevation (rest, ice, bandage, and lift). The goal of RICE is to assist recovery as quickly and efficiently as possible. It also aims to reduce swelling and increase your range of motion.
- R: Rest, rest stretchy muscles by using crutches to walk around and sit when possible.
- I: Ice, put ice on your wound. Wrap the ice in a cloth so you don't have to put the ice pack directly on your skin. Your skin can burn if you put it directly on. Place an ice pack on the wound for 10 to 20 minutes.
- C: Compress, bandage your knee with an elastic bandage. However, make sure the bandage doesn't roll so tightly that it blocks blood flow.
- E: Elevate, lift the injured area up to your heart area. With this, you will improve blood circulation. When sitting, rest your feet on the chair in front of you. When lying down, place a pillow under your knees to raise them higher than your body.
Step 2. Take NSAIDs for pain relief
Minor trauma such as a sprained knee can cause pain and discomfort. Pain relievers such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can help relieve pain and reduce inflammation.
NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen and aspirin are available at local drugstores. Do not give aspirin to children under 18 years of age because this drug can cause Reyes syndrome
Step 3. Perform surgery for severe wounds
Severely sprained muscles may need surgery. However, this operation can be very difficult because the muscle fibers are difficult to attach with surgical sutures.
Step 4. Don't hurt your knee back
Although difficult to do, it is important to avoid physical activity while your knee is recovering. If you force yourself to return to exercise, you could injure your knee again.
When you are able to exercise again, don't forget to stretch your muscles and warm up before exercising
Warning
- In addition to athletes, people who do sports to build strength are at risk for muscle sprains. Poor body mechanics and unbalanced muscle tendons during exercise can tear muscles. Other factors such as the physical structure of the bones and growth can also cause knee sprains.
- Note that if you rarely move your knee, your knee may become permanently stiff.
