The knees are among the most sensitive part of your legs, which makes them prone to injuries like dislocation. A dislocation occurs when the patella or kneecap slides out of place. Sometimes, the cap slides back into its normal position, but in most cases it doesn’t. In these instances, you are going to need immediate medical attention. While waiting for the paramedics to arrive, you can apply first-aid measures to keep the injury from getting worse. Here are some practical tips on what to do with a dislocated knee:
- Try to straighten your knee if possible. This is always an option, especially during the first few minutes after the injury. However, you should only try this if it’s not too painful. The importance of straightening your knee is that it helps in bringing back your joints and ligaments t
- Control the swelling by applying ice packs on the affected area. Ice packs are very effective in keeping the swelling at bay. It’s highly recommended that you use at least two ice packs. One will be used on top of the kneecap itself, while the second one will be applied on the back of the knee. To keep the packs together, you can use a cloth bandage wrapped around your knee.
- Use a splint to stabilize the knee. There are various household items that you can use as a splint. You can use strips of plywood, cardboard boxes, and even old magazines. To keep the splint in place, you can use packing tape. Just make sure that you don’t wrap it too tight, because you might put a lot of pressure on the injury, and cause it to swell even further.
- Immobilize the knee until paramedics arrive, or until you reach the hospital. In short, as long as possible, don’t move the affected knee. Once you have applied the splint, don’t try to twist, flatten, or straighten it. The less you move, the less pressure you put on the injured knee.
In applying these measures, you make the job of the attending physician a lot easier. Dislocated knees are often harder to fix if the patient didn’t attempt to do any of the practical first-aid measures discussed above. To summarize things, your main objectives post-dislocation should be finding a way to immobilize the affected knee, and stopping it from swelling too much. If you do these, recovering from the injury will be quicker and less painful.