Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.
Trending News
Do I have a broken patella?
The other day (Saturday) while climbing on some rocks I stubbed my knee pretty hard. When I say stubbed I mean I was on all fours crawling horizontally and kneed a rock with quite a lot of force. I don't recall hearing a pop but it made a funny sound and it felt very weird. There was a pretty nasty gash which bled immediately. The impact was at the top of the knee, right about at the top of the patella and the force would have gone down into my calf as my knee was bent.
I experienced a little dizziness which cleared quickly. I was able to continue my hike though it was difficult to put weight on that leg while it was bent and I found myself limping a fair bit.
Now, it is quite swollen and the deep bruising is rising to the surface all around the knee. If I keep my leg still, it barely hurts at all. I can walk on it although with a limp. That said, if I have it bent for a considerable period of time (ie, sitting) and I try to straighten it (ie, stand up) the pain is excruciating. Likewise, it hurts to bend it if it has been straight for a while. It is too swollen to be able to feel around to see what exactly hurts. The pain is rather sharp if I try to touch the bones at the top of the knee.
Given the continuing pain and swelling, I did some reading online and wondered if my patella might be chipped or broken. Any ideas based on what is written here? In the morning I think I will make an appointment to go in and see the doctor. I've decided to see the doctor but I'm curious how adamant to be to see her soon (or go to emergency or something)
Any hints would be welcome and appreciated.
Thanks for the great advice Brittany and sailing. I figured out my province has a 24 hour hotline where you can speak to a nurse. I called and described the situation to them and they suggested I see my family doctor within 24 hours which I will do in the morning. I bet the bruise will be all sorts of different colours by then!
Thanks again for two great answers.
Swelling has gone down quite a bit and it doesn't hurt nearly as much. X-rays came back negative (but the doctor will send them to an X-ray specialist, he just didn't see anything himself.) I asked about the possibility of PCL damage and he said, "what's a PCL" which didn't give me much confidence. Anyhow, it is feeling much better now but we'll see what happens in the next week or so. If it continues to improve I guess it's fine.
2 Answers
- 9 years agoFavorite Answer
A patella fracture may be possible in your situation. When a patella is fractured, one would feel sharp throbbing pain and pain with trying to straighten out your leg. But you would also be unable to bear weight. From the mechanism of injury, it sounds like you could have also torn your PCL or your posterior collateral ligament. A PCL injury is often called a dashboard injury because it commonly happens in car accidents when the knee suffers a direct blow from the dashboard. It can also happen when someone falls on their knees. With this injury, there is pain with range of motion, but you are able to bear weight and pain is more posterior.
Source(s): Athletic Trainer - sailingLv 49 years ago
with noticable swelling and bruising, especially the swelling i would say that you did hurt something. it could be the patella or it could be a ligament or tendon. you should call and make an appointment in the morning. if something is broken or torn the emergency room is just going to take x rays and put a brace on it so unless u want to sit in a waiting room for 3 hours and when you finally get to leave you will have a brace,crutches,and a prescription. if the pain is too unbearable and you cant sleep then then you might decide to go the the er. dont sit around and try to feel around on your knee. you can put ice on it for 15 mins and off for 15 mins,( rotatinng on and off every 15 mins.)to help with swelling. hope this helps and you start to feel better. good luck!
also if you feel that you really need to go to the er then go, i am just telling you what i would do. you are the one who knows your body and how bad the pain is.
