I have a (self-diagnosed) knee sprain. Pretty sure I got it in ballet this morning. It doesn't radiate pain. I only notice it really hurting when I let my knee bow backwards or jump. It's weird, as I was doing a lot of jumps this morning with no troubles. I didn't even notice it till a while after I got home. Is ice the best route? It's the most common advice I'm aware of. Thanks! (sorry if this post is redundant-forum search did not find this topic hitherto discussed)
Don't apply ice directly as it can burn. Ice in a towel is the best method. Rest comes next and then if the condition doesn't improve a quick check up is on order.
I've had 2 suggested courses of action on ice. One is the traditional ice pack applied through a cloth and held on the area for 10 minutes or so. The other is an ice cube massage. Put some oil on the skin and rub an ice cube on the affected area for about 3 minutes. You have to keep the ice cube moving (hence the oil) and probably use a second when the first melts, but it is supposedly more effective than the ice pack method. Mitch
A nice little trick if you are doing ice massage is to freeze water in a styrofoam cup. You can peel the cup back to where the ice is and still keep your hand from getting too cold or wet. Once you are finished you can stick what is still left back in the freezer so that it is ready and easy to use next time.. Ever tried to hang on to a wet cold ice cube?? :' P LFD
Does a knee support bandage really help speed up the healing? I think I have a minor strain/sprain (heard a pop when it happened). Really need this to heal fully within days! Thanks
Personally, I wouldn’t bank on it healing within days. Most musculoskeletal injuries take a while to heal and it’s not worth risking long-term problems. Whereas a bit of patience (rest, ice and time) and, if required, physio therapy could avoid a permanent niggle.
Knee supports keep it warm, and remind you and others there is an injury, apart from that by themselves, a normal tubular bandage type support doesnt do that much. If there was a pop, it might not be a sprain.
I agree with Dead Pool: if there was a pop, it mightn’t be a sprain. I’d get it checked out by a physiotherapist. The knee’s quite complicated, because of its wide range of movement. Hence there are lots of things that can go awry (muscles, tendons, ligaments, bruising a bone, etc). Hence I’d go to a physio for a check.
I heard a couple of cracks when it happened. It's definitely a minor sprain as it's now getting back to normal. A friend gave me some MSM and glucosomine and chondritin tablets. Seem to be helping!
If you have cracking or popping in your knee, this can be a sign of a meniscus tear or cartilage injury. These injuries are often caused by sudden twisting or other things you might do ballet or martial arts. No amount of MSM, glucosamine, chondroitin or collagen supplements can fix these particular injuries. To be on the safe side, why not see a physio?
Feels almost healed today. I definitely heard a couple of quick cracks and it was a minor twist. Obviously no real damage was done luckily! The next morning it was worse. I actually continued as normal after the twist. Thank god no real damage was done. Cracks must have been something else like when you crack your knuckles? If I'd damaged it, I'd be in trouble by now
