What is a Serious Knee Injury?

You tripped and fell, or you’ve hurt yourself while playing your favorite sport, and now your knee is hurting. Not knowing whether it’s a serious injury or a minor one is a very common occurrence. You don’t want to pay high medical bills if there’s no need for a visit to the hospital. So what makes your knee injury serious enough to consider medical assistance?

This will be the main topic of discussion in this article, so read along if you want to find out more!

Swelling

Swelling is the most common symptom of a knee injury. It’s also a great indicator when it comes to assessing the seriousness of the injury. It all depends on the amount of swelling. If the difference in the size of your two knees is not a huge one, then there is probably no need to panic just yet. But if you notice that the swelling is getting worse, and your injured knee looks much bigger than your healthy one, you should definitely get immediate medical assistance. An important factor to consider is also the speed of the swelling. If your knee swells up unusually quickly, it could be a sign of a serious injury.

Putting ice on the injured area is the best way to reduce swelling. Of course, if you notice some other symptoms like bruising, bleeding, or an unusual headache, you should contact your doctor immediately.

Inability to straighten your leg

If you’re unable to straighten your knee and your injured leg, it could mean you’re dealing with a serious knee injury. Of course, if you hurt your knee in any way you should expect some discomfort when moving. Still, if you’re completely unable to straighten your leg, and you experience extreme pain while trying to do so, you should pay a visit to the hospital.

Naturally, it’s the same when it comes to bending your knee. If you feel any kind of blockage whatsoever, getting medical assistance is of utmost importance. You don’t want your injury to get worse, and if it’s serious enough it could leave you with serious consequences for the rest of your life.

Deformity

If your knee looks „odd“ or you notice some serious deformities, it’s time to visit the doctor’s office. Something could be dislocated or even broken. Compare your healthy knee to the injured one, and if you don’t notice anything visually, touch them both to make a comparison. You could end up needing surgery if something is broken.

Some deformities appear over time, and you should always get those checked. Those could make you even more prone to more injuries even if they’re minor misalignments. You’ll have to seek advice from your doctor as soon as you notice a weird bump or basically anything out of the ordinary. If it’s something serious you’ll know since it will hurt quite a bit, and you’ll be unable to walk normally. Still, being able to walk with minor discomfort doesn’t mean your injury is not a serious one.

Knee injury compensation

It’s important to mention that if your injury was caused by someone else being irresponsible or negligent, then you could be eligible for compensation by law. Let’s say you’ve participated in a football match, and your opponent intentionally disregarded the rules and caused your injury. You can hold them accountable and ask them to cover your medical expenses. You should, of course, contact knee injury compensation lawyers like those at foylelegal.com. Getting professional legal advice and help is the best way to ensure you get the compensation you deserve. The most important part of that process is to prove that your injury was caused by someone else. Your attorney will be able to tell if your case is provable and if it has a chance of being successful, so hiring a lawyer is of the utmost importance when dealing with knee injury claims.

You can’t walk

If you’re unable to stand and walk, it’s time to visit the hospital. A minor injury will not be able to make you unable to walk, and if you can’t put any weight on your knee, it’s a sign that something is very wrong. Your knee could be fractured or dislocated and you can’t deal with that by yourself. If you try to ignore it, it could lead to some serious consequences.

You should never ignore any serious pain or discomfort. A good rule of thumb is if it makes you unable to function normally, you need medical help. Not being able to walk after you’ve hurt your knee is a serious symptom, and you don’t want to leave it unchecked. However, if your able to stand or walk with some discomfort, and it doesn’t go away after a while, it’s still important to get your knee checked. Sometimes it’s best not to risk it.

You felt or heard a „pop“ sound

This is a huge sign that your knee got dislocated. Hearing and feeling a „pop“ sound could be a sign of patella dislocation. Patella dislocations usually are just temporary, and your knee will recover by itself, especially if it’s your first dislocation. Still, a loud popping sound can indicate something more serious like tearing of your ACL. Also, even though a patella dislocation usually doesn’t require surgery, it’s important to see your doctor because you might have damaged the cartilage on the patella.

All in all, hearing or feeling a popping sound is an indicator of something serious. If you’ve heard it or felt it you should definitely visit a medical professional to get it checked and possibly fixed.

The conclusion

Sometimes it’s hard to determine if your injury is a serious or a minor one, especially when it comes to knee injuries. The best course of action is to visit the doctor’s office. A medical professional will be able to tell you if your injury requires surgery or not. If you are unsure whether you need to see a doctor or not, look out for symptoms like swelling, deformation, and severe pain.