OW my knee!

[katie_christ]

i was hit by a car about a month ago and never went to the doc (long story). i thought i was healing ok. i cammed for about 2 1/2 hours yesterday. i danced around(gyrated/grinded/whatever) on my knees on the bed and standing on the floor. late last night, my knee started hurting really fucking bad and it swelled up quite a bit. the muscles in my thigh above my knee are incredibly sore and feel heavy. fully extending or fully bending (retracting?) my leg is almost physically impossible. i've taken tylenol (can't take NSAIDs) and used a heating pad, but it seems to be about the same. any advice? hot/cold/wrap/no wrap? i don't have a way to a doctor, but it's cool cause i'm not fond of them anyway.

 

[LiLredhairedgrl]

Ice it, elevate, and take some sort of anti-inflammatory which will help reduce the swelling. (Tylenol is just a pain killer.) Maybe this article will help you with some alternatives?

http://www.livestrong.com/article/82350-anti-inflammatory-drugs-aspirin-allergic/

If it doesn't get better within a few days, then unfortunately you may have to see a doctor...good luck!
:-D

P.S. I was also hit by a car a few years ago--hairline fracture in my leg which they didn't notice at first...it sucked balls! :-x

 

[katie_christ]

thanks! ice definitely feels better than heat! should have remembered that from first aid/CPR class haha. if i can find it, i may soak in epsom salts.

 

[Evvie]

I have a screwed up wrist. I injured it years ago doing who knows what. It seems fine most of the time but whenever I do any sort of mildly strenuous activity it acts up again. The tissue around my joints is all screwy and break fluid leaks out, which gets really uncomfortable and painful.

A lot of wounds can last for months or years without completely healing, which seems to be the case with your knee.

Unfortunately, a knee injury can get really serious so if it doesn't go away in a day or two, unless you do find a way to get to a doctor or ER you can have permanent or lasting damage. And even if it does heal up you probably won't be able to do any heavy exercise with that leg for a long time.

 

[katie_christ]

Evvie, i think you scared my knee into feeling better! it's still pretty sore and stiff, but it hurts less today and i can put some weight on it. moving around isn't getting me out of breath. i am still worried because this wouldn't have happened a couple months ago. dancing on and off for a couple hours shouldn't have made my knee freak out. i hope getting hit didn't do any permanent damage :/ i guess i need to take it easy a while longer. less dancing.

 

[Evvie]

Evvie, i think you scared my knee into feeling better! it's still pretty sore and stiff, but it hurts less today and i can put some weight on it. moving around isn't getting me out of breath. i am still worried because this wouldn't have happened a couple months ago. dancing on and off for a couple hours shouldn't have made my knee freak out. i hope getting hit didn't do any permanent damage :/ i guess i need to take it easy a while longer. less dancing.

It may be possible that the accident didn't really hurt your knee that badly, but even if you have like a little tear, even moderate exercise can make it worse. That's how my wrist developed.

I used to have more problems with my joints than I do now, but it was definitely frustrating when my knees or hips were fine for a few weeks and then as soon as I tested them out, they would screw up again.

I am going to be a meanie and give you lots of pressure to see a doctor! Without some pro poking about it will be hard for you to know just how long you have to take it easy. And in 40 years, if you try to have your knee replaced, if there is too much scar tissue it could be very difficult or impossible, which almost happened to my dad. Although I'm sure by then the techniques will have improved. Not saying it will come to that, though.

Anyway. Get thee to a doctor! Evvie will not let the issue rest!

 

[UncleThursday]

Just a warning from someone who got his foot run over by a forklift years ago. Traumatic injuries to the legs can have devastating results. I didn't think anything of it after the accident. In fact, I just did a shit ton of ecstasy that night to not feel the pain (I was a bit of a druggie back then). a few days later it felt better so I figured no real damage done.

A few years later I'm sitting in my kitchen watching a DVD set, and I stood up and my entire leg felt like it had charlie horsed up. I didn't think much of it and went to bed. I woke up the next day and my leg was 3x the size of the other one.

At the hospital, I find out that I have a giant blood clot running from my ankle all the way to my groin in that leg. I actually had had the clot for a while, and had suffered 5 pulmonary embolism from it before I even knew I had it.

So, while you may think it's just being aggravated, it might be better to go to the doctor. Then let him/her decide if you need an ultrasound of your leg to be safe.

Being hit by a car is a traumatic injury to the leg, even if it didn't seem to do much damage. There's a lot that can happen you don't realize. I suggest just going to the doctor to be safe.