Twisting the knee at a football match (reader's question)
Last updated 21/02/2024 by The pain clinics - Interdisciplinary Health
Twisting the knee at a football match (reader's question)
Reader question from a reader after her 14-year-old daughter sprained her knee during a soccer match. The twisting of the knee has caused pain and swelling in front and behind the knee.
Twisting of the left knee
Reader: Hello. My almost 14-year-old daughter sprained her left knee during a football match yesterday. The knee is slightly swollen, and she says it stings both in the front and back of the foot when she bends it. She is able to walk without crutches. She is going to a scheduled health check and a sports doctor at Granåsen Medical Center next Monday. Is it time to have an examination of the knee then? She is lying high with her knee and has taken some painkillers (ibuprufen and paracept). Are there other things that can be done to initiate recovery and healing?
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The Vondtklinikkenne's answer:
Thank you for your inquiry.
1) Can she put weight on her foot without hurting her knee?
2) Did the twist happen when she was tackled or was it the twist without contact with another player?
3) You write "front and back of the foot" - do you mean the knee?
4) Where is the swelling greatest? On the front, one of the sides or the back?
5) Has she injured her knee in the past?
Please number your answers and try to write as comprehensively as possible. Thank you in advance. Looking forward to helping you further.
Regards. Nicolay v / Vondt.net
Reader: Answer questions
Hello. Thanks for the quick response. Here are answers to the questions.
1) Can stand and strain straight left foot on a leg, without pain. Pain comes when she bends her knee.
2) The twist happened in a defensive duel with speed without physical contact with the opponent.
3) The pain is both in front and behind the knee.
4) The swelling is greatest behind the knee.
5) No. She has not been injured in the left knee in the past. Demonstrated a strong overcoat in the right ankle last fall which is now perfectly fine again.
The Vondtklinikkenne's answer:
Due to the fact that the swelling is greatest behind the knee and that it hurts to flex it flexibly this may indicate a meniscus irritation/damage - this can occur, among other things, by twisting on the weighted leg. Nor can we rule out damage to the meniscus at this time. Use the RICE principle to ensure the right amounts of rest / recovery and movement. Gradual improvement is expected in 48-72 hours. So the hour she has on Monday should be fine - then the swelling will also have given way so that the knee can be examined properly without the increased fluid accumulation being in the way.
6) She did not hear any sound inside the knee when she got the twist? Like a "whip" or "popping bang"?
Reader:
No. She didn't say anything about it. So more use of ice cream is not stupid?
The Vondtklinikkenne's answer:
Reader:
Super. I bet that it is possible and that the season goes without further damage. Midfielders are often a bit more prone to getting various tricks.
Relief and load management after knee sprains
Yes, we are betting that things will get better going forward. But to reduce the risk, as well as stimulate healing in the painful knee, we will be able to recommend the use of knee compression support when she plays soccer. At least for a period in the future. This support can contribute positively in several ways, including by stimulating improved blood circulation towards the irritated part of the knee, providing improved edema drainage (less swelling) and at the same time providing a little extra stability in the knee during activity. Younger athletes should also focus even more on training the hip muscles to reduce the risk of knee injuries. Here you can train with mini ribbon knitting be particularly effective.
Tips: Knee compression support (The link opens in a new window)
Click on the image or link to read more about the knee compression support and how it can help your knee.
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Comment on twisting the left knee in combat. The same thing happened to my 17-year-old daughter. In this twist, the bang was heard from the bench and could not get up on its own. She felt her knee turn at the same time as it felt like she was a little stuck in the artificial turf with the tip of her foot -
out of joints and back in the same slab as well. She is going to the MRI X-ray examination on Tuesday.
The stand now is that she can't stretch her foot, much less pull it down. (That is, a few crutches we have used at home. The incident was Saturday morning.)
Hi Trude,
So sad to hear that your daughter has injured her knee. Based on what you tell us, it sounds like it's about one ligament damage (eg anterior cruciate ligament - which is one of the most common in football injuries) - we base this on the "bang", the twist and that she was stuck in the grass. It is important that she takes it easy, uses the RICE principle (rest, ice, compression, elevation) and relieves until you get the damage confirmed on Tuesday. Traumatic tearing of the anterior cruciate ligament may require surgery. There may also be damage to the meniscus.
3 days since the injury, so there is probably still a lot of swelling around and in the knee - this is natural, but it can be useful to use some cooling / ice to calm down excessive swelling.
Wish her a really good recovery and good luck on Tuesday - feel free to give us feedback later on what the MRI said. We will of course also be helpful in helping with customized exercises and the like for her.
Have a nice day still.
Regards.
Alexander v / Vondt.net