1. Community
  2. Bones, joints and muscles
  3. Knee Problems

Impact knee injury advice

Posted , 4 users are following.

joseph46706
joseph46706

Hi guys,

Just over two weeks ago whilst playing Rugby on a hard surface, I fell onto my left kneecap with all my weight (100kg) and another guys weight on top of me. I had a horrible shooting pain behind my kneecap as soon as I hit the floor but as there was only a couple of minutes left I played on and I managed to run it off.

It was sore for a few days and a bit stiff but by the time I played again two weeks later I barely noticed it and it seemed to have completely healed more or less. However, my first tackle of the game about 1 minute in and I landed on the same knee. The impact was no way near as heavy as the first time but the pain was excruciating and though I made it to half time I had to come off. It was a horrible shooting ache behind my kneecap.

It's taken a bit longer this time but after a week it's almost back to full mobility again though there's a slight amount of swelling and bruising and it's still sore to the touch. I've been to the doctor today and he basically said it was just a bruise but he didn't even look at it and told me to keep my shoes and jeans on and come back in a month if it still hurts.

My issue is that it doesn't hurt at all at the moment to walk (6 days later) but I'm worried that any kind of impact will flare it up again. He even said I could go back to sport! I would assume it was a bad bruise if it happened once but the fact that it happened again, and worse, at pretty much the first sign of impact makes me think it might be an underlying issue.

Anyone experienced anything similar or think I should get a second opinion?

Thanks

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • Oldfatguy1
    Oldfatguy1 joseph46706

    Posted

    You didn't mention if this was a general practice doc or an ortho. I think I'd want the opinion of a specialist especially when the 1st guy didn't even take xrays, etc.
    • joseph46706
      joseph46706 Oldfatguy1

      Posted

      Thanks for the reply. It was just a GP and he actually said an ' x ray won't help us here' though I'm not sure he knew that as he only felt the kneecap through my jeans and only really tested for mobility which doesn't cause the pain. my knee is still giving off a fair amount of heat and feels quite spongy. All he did was give me a prescription for anti inflamatories and tell me to come back in 4 weeks if it still hurts.
    • Oldfatguy1
      Oldfatguy1 joseph46706

      Posted

      The spongey feeling and heat are symptoms of inflammation and fluid build up. X rays will only detect bone problems and it would take an MRI to look atvsodt tissue. If you aren't icing, do so

      Also five it as much rest as you can and elevate. Sometimes physical therapy is used to help these problems go away but I'd still want can ortho to advise me as far as continuing to pound it with field activity

  • sarah87162
    sarah87162 joseph46706

    Posted

    I think you need to get your GP to refer you to an orthopaedic consultant who deals with knees. This is what happened to me when I was having problems with my knee.

    Fortunately I was referred to an excellent consultant who gave me a total knee replacement nearly 3 years ago. It is like having my life back.

    I am not saying you need a total knee replacement but at least ask if you can see a knee consultant, they are real specialists.

    The other thing that might help is an injection of cortisone.

    Good luck

    Sarah

  • suzanne64053
    suzanne64053 joseph46706

    Posted

    Hello.  I think you should insist on an X-ray. A friend of mine fell down a step onto her knees. They xrayed at the time and said it looked ok. Several weeks later she twisted her knee whilst hill walking and the pain was excruciating. Another X-ray and obviously looked at more closely, revealed a hairline fracture across the knee.  6 weeks in plaster followed.  She is now recovered. I also fell on to my knees and was advised to go the minor injury unit for an ex Ray no breaks, but advised both my knees showed distinct lack of cartilidge, hence had TKR In Septermber :-) 
    • joseph46706
      joseph46706 suzanne64053

      Posted

      Thanks for the responses everyone.

      Quick update, I'm just waiting for my insurance to come through and then I will call BUPA.swelling is going down and movement is coming back albeit a bit stiff today as I did deadlines earlier. However, I've noticed the area just above my knee is incredibly tender to the touch but only when my leg is straight. Literally just above my kneecap which is NOT where the impact occurred. From what I've read it sounds like it could be tendinitis? Can you develop this from an impact injury? Could it be connected?

      Thanks

  • joseph46706
    joseph46706

    Posted

    I'm still waiting on my Bupa pamphlet to come through however I've got one more questions to ask anyone with experience of this as it's worried me a bit.

    My knee still feels a bit spongy but I can walk/run etc again despite it still hurting to kneel and fully flex my joint. it's also not as painful to pressure.

    However, over the weekend (this is two weeks after the injury), the entire base of my calf (about half way right down to the ankle) has come out in a bruise.

    Now I do tend to bruise easily and it often takes a good while for my bruises to really come out but I don't recall taking any knocks to this area and it covers quite a large area.

    Could it be related to my knee injury despite the two week delay?

     

    • Oldfatguy1
      Oldfatguy1 joseph46706

      Posted

      I would suggest staying off the leg and ice the entire calf. 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off. Put a light weight material between the ice pack and the skin so you don't damage the tissue. You can do this several times a day till you get a diagnosis and a professional opinion.
Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.