Richard Haynes PTA/CPT - 3/11/2009

Question
Twelve days ago I tripped over a box and landed directly on my knee.  Black and blue extended more than a foot above and foot below knee.  Hosp. ER confirmed no breaks and I have tried to stay off of it as much as possible - elevate, ice (now heat) brace, light flexing, etc. Also saw E.R. doc for follow up 6 days later - said everything seemed okay.  Knee is still quite swollen - tight and painful to flex more than 90 degrees - as in sitting in a chair with feet on floor.  Putting it any farther back really hurts. Approximately how long should I expect it to take for swelling to go down or should I be seen by a doctor again?  Any suggestions for relief would be appreciated.  Thank you.

Answer
Hi Phyllis,

After 12 days you should start seeing some improvement with pain and swelling.

You are doing the right thing by elevating and using ice and heat.

Gently moving the knee with flexing and extending to keep its mobility is good so that it does not tighten up any further.

It sounds like a hard blow you took to cause the amount of swelling and pain you have. If you are not seeing immediate improvement I would see an orthopedist for follow-up x-rays and/or an MRI to be sure that there is no soft tissue damage or other problem  that was not picked up in the ER as soon as I could.

Good Luck
let me know how you are making out with this.

Richard Haynes
Punta Gorda, Florida.