What is a Knee Sprain? Basically, a knee sprain is an injury of one of the ligaments in the knee. Most of the time, knee sprains are caused by a fall or by hitting the knee against something, and many knee sprains are caused by twisting the knee in the wrong way, which is pretty easy to do. Knee sprains need to be properly treated so they do not to cause knee problems in the future.

Knee Treatment for Sprains There are many cases where a painful and swollen knee sprain can be as nasty as a bone fracture, so one of the first things to do is to immediately ice the swollen area. Next, the injured person should visit the nearest emergency room for x-rays to make sure that there is no joint or knee cap fracture. Once a sprain has been diagnosed, the physician will recommend the RICE treatment (Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate).

Rest: Of course, most movements, especially walking, are going to cause pain and irritate a sprained knee, so it is important that the injured person rest the leg as much as possible. Walking should be kept to a minimum, at least for a few days, until there is little to no pain during walking.

Ice: For the first two or three days following a knee sprain, it is important to keep the injured area iced in order to reduce swelling. Ice packs should be used four or five times each day, for about 10- 20 minutes to a time. For an ice pack that doesn't leak, try soaking a sponge, then placing it in a zip lock bag. When it thaws, the water will be absorbed by the sponge, and won't leak all over the place.

Compress: In order to help reduce swelling and immobilize the leg somewhat, the sprained knee should be wrapped with an elastic bandage. The best way to put one on is to start below the knee, and wrap up, in a criss-cross motion. Remember not to wrap it too tightly; you don't want to cut off circulation.

Elevate: It is important to keep the injured knee elevated as much as possible to relieve knee pain. When the leg is higher than the heart, which can be done just by propping it up with a few pillows, it helps to decrease blood flow, which will help to keep the swelling down.

Rehabilitation: Most knee sprains do not need surgery but you will need to see a physical therapist for knee strengthening.

Knee Surgery: Grade 3 tears or complete rupture of knee ligaments usually require knee surgery in most cases.

Your Doctor should also recommend with knee sprains to take an natural anti-inflammatory and avoid drugs such as Ibuprofen because they delay healing time. Please see a doctor to get your knee sprain evaluated and treated properly.

After a few days, some people feel better the ice knee treatment should stop and heat should be used to ease stiffness and bring back the flexibility.