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How To Treat A Hyperextended Knee

Nidhi Nangia
By Nidhi Nangia. Updated: January 20, 2017
How To Treat A Hyperextended Knee

Hyperextended knee is a condition in which the knee gets stretched or twisted in such a way that its ligaments tear, and cause severe pain and discomfort while walking. Even a minor bend can cause extreme trouble for the patient, which needs to be treated as soon as possible. The major focus of knee hyperextension treatment is to minimize inflammation and swelling, and relieve the stress immediately. In severe cases of serious damage to the knee ligaments, surgery may be recommended by the physician. We have already told you how to treat swollen joints of the knees. Here at OneHowTo.com, we are going to discuss about how to treat a hyperextended knee.

You may also be interested in: What Does a Hyperextended Knee Feel like

Cold compress

If your knee hyperextension has occurred due to an accident or exercise, it might have bent in an awkward position, and strained or torn one or more knee ligaments. Under such condition, you will start noticing swelling and pain almost immediately, which will only place more stress on the damaged ligaments. If this is your case, then applying ice immediately on the knee can help in reducing the swelling, and easing the pain. You will feel the pain shooting down and up through the leg. Once you get some relief, you should contact a physician and get the damage assessed.

How To Treat A Hyperextended Knee - Cold compress

Medications

When you visit a physician with a hyperextended knee, he will assess the condition with the help of scanning equipment and x-rays. Depending on the extent of the damage, he will prescribe anti-inflammatory medicines to ease your condition. He may also apply compression bandage to hold the ligaments and the knee cap in place, until the damage gets healed completely. In case of severe damage, a surgical procedure may be required to reconnect the torn ligaments.

How To Treat A Hyperextended Knee - Medications

Proper posture and care taking

For minor cases of knee hyperextension, you should apply ice several times in a day, in addition to taking anti-inflammatory drugs like Ibuprofen. Keep your damaged leg elevated, and provide proper support to your knee joint. This will accelerate the healing process, and cause minimal discomfort to you. Keep your weight off the damaged leg, and if you really need to move around, do so only after wearing compression bandage. Make sure that the compression bandage you wear is tight enough to hold your knee joint in place, so that you do not feel any stress while moving. Your doctor may recommend using a crutch until you can put your weight back on your leg.

How To Treat A Hyperextended Knee - Proper posture and care taking

Prevention

The best treatment for hyperextended knee is to avoid it from happening at all. Be mindful of your knee posture while standing, playing or walking and make sure you know what a hyperextended knee feels like. Don’t stand with the bottom part of your leg extended forward, as most people do while standing. This can easily overextend your knee in the wrong direction, and slowly lead to its hyperextension.

This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.

If you want to read similar articles to How To Treat A Hyperextended Knee, we recommend you visit our Diseases & secondary effects category.

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