Your knee twisted, you heard a pop sound, and now you are having difficulty moving and bending your knee. You can see bruising on your knee, but there is no visible sign of swelling or a severe knee injury. How do you know if it’s a mild bruising or a serious injury that needs immediate care? When should you contact the knee or hip specialist in Mulund to get your issue checked?

An athlete knows how common knee injuries are. While you might not experience any symptoms immediately, the bruising and swelling show up a few weeks following the accident. Here are some warning signs of a knee injury.

Swollen Knees

Your knee swells up after an injury due to blood. Even though bleeding lasts only a couple of minutes, the swelling might persist for days. If the swelling occurs because of the blood in your knee joint, there is a good chance you’ve sustained a serious knee injury. Your knee joint swells due to the kneecap dislocation, the tear of the ACL, and a severe injury to the articular cartilage. There’s also a risk of fracture, although they are rare. The knee specialist will order an X-ray and other tests to examine the severity of the damage.

Locked Knee

Are you struggling to straighten your knee after an injury? It could be because of the mechanical locking, which occurs when the meniscus tear has flipped into the center of your knee joint. Or, it can be simply because of extreme swelling and inflammation in the joints. Whatever the reason is, you will find it hard to bend or move your knee. Fortunately, a locked knee is treatable. Contact the joint replacement surgeon in Mulund to identify the damage to the knee structure. The sooner you start the treatment for a locked knee, the sooner your meniscus tear will heal.

You Heard a Pop

Some injuries cause patella dislocation. It can be temporary, meaning the patella moves into its original position on its own. However, if it doesn’t relocate shortly after the injury, it is a sign of a torn ACL. If that’s the case, you must have heard a very loud pop in your knee after twisting or turning abruptly. Depending on how the injury has affected your mobility, the surgeon will recommend MRI to examine the extent of patella dislocation or torn ACL. They will recommend an appropriate treatment based on the severity of the issue.

You Experience Extreme Weakness When Straightening Your Knees

As mentioned before, most athletes don’t experience the symptoms of a tendon injury immediately after the accident. If the pain persists and worsens or you are having a hard time straightening your knees, consult the top knee specialist for diagnosis. Patella dislocation or quadriceps tendon tear is not common, but it is likely to happen to athletes who participate in sports regularly. You will feel weakness in your knee for weeks after sustaining the injury. You might also experience trouble moving your knee joint.