Emergency and Urgent Care - Knee Injury

This leaflet contains discharge advice following your attendance to the Accident & Emergency Department (A&E).

You have been seen today by a doctor or clinician and have been diagnosed as suffering from a soft tissue injury.

This means you have an injury to a ligament, tendon or muscle. This injury does NOT involve the bone. These injuries and known as a 'sprain' or 'strain'.

General advice 

• Knee injuries can result in a lot of pain and swelling
• This will settle down with rest, application of ice and exercises

What should I do now?

• REST: For the next 24 to 48 hours rest your injured limb, keeping your knee up (elevated). Keep gently moving your knee to prevent stiffness
• ICE: Apply ice or something cool every 2 hours for 20 minutes for the next 24 to 48 hours, ensure the ice or frozen peas are wrapped in a cloth or a towel, DO NOT APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE SKIN as this could cause a burn
• ELEVATION: Raise your lower limb when resting, try and elevate your knee above the level of your hip. This will help reduce the swelling significantly. Continue to elevate as long as the swelling persists
• Take simple pain killers such as paracetamol and/or ibuprofen which can be purchased from a chemist or shop
• Take medication according to the manufacturer’s instructions

The following exercises must be done 4 times a day, followed by ice treatment:

Static quads

Keeping the leg firmly on the bed, pull up your toes, tighten your thigh muscles as much as you can. Keep the thigh tight for the count of 5 and then release.

Inner range quads

Sitting on the bed, place a rolled pillow under your knee. Push your knee down onto the pillow and straighten your leg.

Straight leg raising

The leg is straightened as much as possible and the thigh muscle tightened in order to lift the leg straight off the bed. The leg should be held 6 inches off the bed for the count of 3 and then slowly placed back on the bed. The exercise should be done in groups of 30 stopping for a rest after every 10.

Knee flexion

Draw heel towards bottom, bending knee as far as possible and slowly straighten out. Start with 10 reps.

Follow Up

There will be no routine follow up for patients with this type of soft tissue injury.

It can take between 2 to 6 weeks for sprains and strains to heal. If after 3 to 6 weeks you are still:

• Experiencing significant pain or swelling
• Still struggling to weight bear
• Experiencing redness or heat

Please contact your GP for further advice.