Sprained knee (mine!) - help!

[no_no_nanette]

For once I'm posting for advice for me, rather than on the horses! ... I just thought that its more than likely someone may have had the same injury in the past, and that you might have some advice for me!
I fell very badly last weekend (not off a horse, even!) and when I went to the local A&E was told that I had badly stretched and sprained the ligaments of my knee. They gave me a splint to wear, which I've now replaced with a support bandage, and told me to put icepacks on the knee twice a day but I'm already getting very fed up with hobbling around not able to put any real weight on my leg, and struggling with horses, mucking out, etc. People in the yard have been brilliant, giving me lots of help, but I guess I'm a very bad patient, and would just value any advice anyone has on the best way to speed up the healing of the ligaments, and getting back to normal!

 

[vic07]

physio

 

[PiebaldHorse]

I did the ligaments in my ankle on saturday, only advise I can give you is when your resting, keep your knee above your hip! I get a couple of pillows for my ankle, it helps with the pain.

Did you get it wrapped up? I got mine done and find that I can walk that bit better on it

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Keep using the ice packs but for no more than about 30 minutes at a time, after that they don't do any more good. Try & rest the leg aswell. There is no real way of hurrying the healing, as you will know from ligament/tendon injuries in horses. You've got to try & be patient, do too much & you'll put the healing back.....Oh & bute is for horses it won't work with you!

 

[no_no_nanette]

Thanks so much guys - it is as I feared, a matter of time and patience. (And I might just have been thinking about hitting the bute!) I discovered today that there's a sports injury clinic at the nearby university, so am going to book myself in there for some physio and advice. So hope that your ankle gets better soon, PiebaldHorse - its just SOOOO frustrating being laid up, isn't it? I just hope that I don't have to be turned away for a year... Best of luck with yours!

 

[miller]

Will soon loosen up, I dislocated my knee last April and tore ligaments.

Physio told me ice pack then hot pack alternatively.

Physio exercises were sitting with legs straight out in front and gradually bringing my heel to my bum and squats were the other - don't do too much too soon though else you'll be even longer healing.

I stopped taking any painkillers (hate swallowing tabs anyway) so I could feel what what going on. I alos bought a knee brace with metal down the sides (was £80) so I could get back in the saddle (physio wasn't impressed with the idea till she saw how much looser it got) couldn't rising trot comfortably for a while but could walk and canter

 

[Heidi1]

I managed to sprain my knee fortnight ago, jumped out of the lorry side door and it went, very painful, had ice pack on it and then had a hot bath, but the doctor gave me some Diclofenac tablets 50mg and they have worked wonders, still a little swollen, but I had a days hunting on it at the weekend and it's ok.......... but I was told to rest it for the first 24 hours and then use it...........not much help but hope it gets better soon, I know what you are going through.........