Knee Injury - Symptoms - Better Medicine

What are the symptoms of a knee injury?

Symptoms of knee injury include pain, limitation of movement, the presence of cracking or popping sounds, instability of the knee joint, and swelling, redness, or warmth of the skin. Symptoms may be mild or severe and depend to a great degree upon both the extent and severity of the injury.

Common symptoms of a knee injury

You may experience knee injury symptoms daily or just once in a while if the injury is minor. At times, any of these knee injury symptoms can be severe:

Bleeding or bruising
Inability to bear weight on the affected leg
Inability to move the knee joint, or restricted mobility of the joint
Inability to straighten the leg completely (locking)
Muscle weakness or spasm
Pain, whether at rest or during specific movements, that may be described as dull, sharp, burning, stabbing or aching
Popping, snapping or cracking sounds when the joint is moved
Swelling
Warmth and redness of the skin

Symptoms that might indicate a serious condition

In some cases, knee injury can be a serious condition that should be immediately evaluated in an emergency setting. Seek immediate medical care if you, or someone you are with, have any of these serious symptoms including:

Coldness of the feet, with weak or absent pulses
Loss of sensation in the lower leg
Obvious breakage or deformity of the bones
Paralysis
Severe bleeding
Uncontrollable pain

INTRODUCTION

What is a knee injury?

An injury to the knee typically occurs as a result of trauma, whether sudden and severe or gradual and occurring over a period of time. Sports injuries are one of the most common causes of knee injury.... Read more about knee injury introduction

CAUSES

What causes a knee injury?

Knee injury can be a result of a direct fall or blow to the knee, a sudden twisting motion of the joint, or stress placed on the joint from any direction. Injuries may also develop as a result of overuse. Because of the different structures that comprise the knee joint, a number of different types of knee injury can occur, either singly or in combination.... Read more about knee injury causes

TREATMENTS

How is a knee injury treated?

The first treatment for any knee injury involves typically rest, ice (ice or cold pack application), compression (soft compression with an elastic bandage), and elevation (keeping the affected knee elevated). These steps are commonly known by the acronym RICE. This combination of measures should bring immediate relief until medical care can be accessed and may be sufficient to treat minor injuries.... Read more about knee injury treatments