A sprained knee is quite common in sports people. You might possess different questions in your mind regarding sprained knee, sprained knee recovery time or how long a sprained knee takes to heal, how to heal a sprained knee quickly, and sprained knee treatment. We try to cover almost all questions in our blog and also suggest Do or don’t if you have sprained knee.
Sprained Knee
Sprained knee or knee sprain mainly refers to when ligaments are overstretched or torn (cords of tissues that connect thigh bones to skin bones) or injured. It may involve damage to more than one ligament. Knee basically has mainly four ligaments like:
- ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligaments)
- PCL (Posterior Cruciate Ligaments)
- MCL (Medical Collateral Ligaments
- LCL (Lateral Collateral Ligaments)
ACL & PCL: These are located inside the knee Joints.
MCL & LCL: these are located on the sides of the knee points
A sprained knee such a painful experience. Knee sprains and strains are two separate conditions. As most of the time, people misunderstood both.
- Knee Sprain: Knee Sprain mainly occurs due to damage to the knee‘s ligaments.
- Knee Strain: Knee Strain occurs due to damage to muscles or tendons.
Sprained Knee Causes
People wonder how knee sprain occurs? or what are the main causes of knee sprain?
- Injuries: Some sports injury, accident, or fall that overstretches the soft tissues and the joints that surrounded the knee.
- Extra pressure: Building too quickly in sports or in the gym can cause knee Sprain. As such activities overwhelm the body which leads to a knee sprain.
- Weaker Muscles: When the body doesn’t have a proper diet leads to weaker muscles. Among men, women face such problems and are quite common. There are the main causes of knee pain in women. As weaker muscles don’t support the knee joints.
- Stiff Body/Low flexibility: Sprained Knee occurs in some cases due to tight muscles, as tight muscles restrict joint motions.
Sprained Knee Symptoms
People who are suffering from sprained knee must be experienced the following symptoms such as:
- Pain in the knee while walking & running
- Sudden pain in the knee after twist.
- Swelling in the knee
- Trouble bending the leg
These are the common sprained knee symptoms. Some symptoms will vary as it depends on the type of injury. Furthermore, it depends upon which ligaments are torn or damaged.
Sprained Knee Home Remedies
Some injuries are not so severe. You can also do Sprained knee home treatment or Sprained knee home remedy. This treatment helps for a speedy recovery. If you question “how to heal a sprained knee quickly “then answer is below.
- Rest: You need to avoid things that create more stress on the knee. While Seating or sleeping use a pillow, it helps in reducing swelling.
- Ice Pack: When injury or pain is not so severe, use an ice pack for 20 minutes every hour. As it helps to reduce the swelling. In case it doesn’t show any significant change, consult your doctor.
- Crepe Bandage: A crepe Bandage also helps in reducing swelling but the bandage should not be wrapped tightly.
- Knee Brace: Doctors recommended Knee Brace as it helps in resting the affected area
Sprained knee Treatment
Treatment depends upon the grade of the sprain and how much it affects your knee and ligaments. In case home remedies doesn’t show any significant change in knee sprain then consult your doctor.
- Therapy
- Surgery
- Medicines
- Support Device
- Physical Therapy
- Pain killer
Sprained Knee Recovery Time
Sprained Knee recovery time relies on the type, size, and grade of injury.
A sprained knee is considered healed when the person doesn’t have any problem in the knee while doing any activity. They can move the knee properly without no more swelling and pain. While some knee sprains heal without surgery. You might be wonder “How long does a sprained knee take to heal?
Actually, in the early stage, Doctor’s medication and proper rest are considered for a speedy recovery. Many Grade 1 and Grade 2 sprains healed between the periods of 2 to 6 months. In some cases, it may take a little longer like 4 to 6 months to recover properly.
Conclusion: Once your knee is healed then start doing exercise which helps in mobility back in the knee. With the support of anyone start doing activities. In case your knee is not healed within 6 months, Consult your doctor or do an X-ray.