Silly question

[~~Susita~~]

Okee dokee, so I had a little adventure last night (crashed my bike) and smashed my knees into *something* (won't say what

) along with other things. Anyway, the knees. They're really swollen and it makes it hard to walk on and I need to work tonight. Any quick solutions for getting rid of swelling besides ice?

 

[panta dokimazete]

Aspirin reduces swelling

 

[Puddleglum]

Ibuprofen (advil) is an anti-inflammatory . . . if it were me, I'd try that and ice (btw - supposedly it's best if you don't have it on constantly but instead alternate 20 minutes on / 20 minutes off, or something like that) and keeping your knees / legs elevated. If you think you've actually twisted / sprained it (versus just bruising) try wrapping it with an Ace wrap to give it some support - that's really helped me when I've had to work / go to clinical with sprained knees / ankles.
Anyways, I hope you feel better soon! (And what did you run into? )

 

[~~Susita~~]

ibuprofen! Righto. And I iced for quite a while today.

Thanks for the tips, ladies and gents.

 

[Scott Bushey]

I suggest seeing your doctor, getting an xray to make sure nothing is broken. Over the counter Tylenol for pain if you can safelyt take that...

The best thing you can use to reduce swelling is ice and elevation. If it is a knee, elevate it on pillows @ the cusp of the knee,not at the ankle, above the level of the heart and place icepack on it for 30 minutes at a time.

http://www.kneeguru.co.uk/html/gym/general/bedridden/icing.html

I'll add, Ice is a vasoconstrictor; it will reduce bruising. Aspirin or antiinflamatories are fine later, but initially, they can reduce healing as if there is any superficial bleeding, they can accentuate the capacity to bleed as they have anticoagulant effects.

~Disclaimer; I am not a doctor and not able to practice medicine nor prescribe anything.


[Edited on 6-14-2006 by Scott Bushey]

 

[Puritanhead]

Not to sound funny... but I used to take my sister's Midol when we were out of ibuprofen, because it's the same thing as ibuprofen.

 

[Herald]

Ice, ice and ice. The rule of thumb is: 3 days ice and 3 days heat. Not a quick fix.

 

[Bladestunner316]

Ryan--------------------------------------------------

 

[~~Susita~~]

Yeah tylenol is a blood thinner, one reason why I try to avoid it like the plague. Ibuprofen seems to be working just fine - today they're not QUITE as swollen, but still painful to walk on. Had my daddy look at them (and the collar bone) last night, said it was a deep bruising, not broken. I'll be back at it in a couple days

 

[Puritanhead]

Originally posted by BaptistInCrisis
Ice, ice and ice. The rule of thumb is: 3 days ice and 3 days heat. Not a quick fix.

I don't think she needs any heat at all... that's not how you alleviate swelling...

 

[~~Susita~~]

They swelled up really huge after just taking a shower, so a heat pad would be murder 0.o