Soft tissue injury of the knee
A soft tissue injury is an injury to the muscle, ligament or tendon. It is usually caused by overstretching of the soft tissues which can be followed by pain, swelling, reduced movement and difficulty walking. Full recovery from soft tissue injuries can take up to six weeks.
Do’s
- For the first 24 hours rest the leg as much as possible.
- Sit with the leg elevated, ideally on a sofa, with your foot on a pillow on the arm of the sofa.
- If swelling present apply ice packs (ice or frozen vegetables wrapped in a tea towel) for 10 minutes every 2 hours.
- After 24 hours start to do the exercises below at least 4 times a day.
- Take simple painkillers, such as paracetamol, which you can buy at the chemist. The A&E department can advise you on painkillers as well as your local pharmacy.
Don’ts
- Don’t apply ice directly on to skin – this can burn.
- Don’t walk excessively or do sports until your injury has completely recovered.
Walking
- For the first 24 – 48 hours rest as much as possible.
- You may have been issued with crutches. Use them for 48 hours after which time it is important to slowly start putting some weight through your leg.
- Wear sensible shoes and avoid standing for long periods of time.
If your knee is not starting to improve after 7-10 days please self-refer to your local physiotherapy team if you are registered with a Gateshead, Newcastle or Durham GP or request your GP to refer you if you have a Sunderland GP, information can be found below:
If you are a registered patient of a Gateshead or Newcastle GP, the Tyneside Integrated Musculoskeletal Service (TIMS) will be your physiotherapy provider: https://www.tims.nhs.uk/
If you are a registered patient of Durham GP, the county Durham integrated MSK service will be your physiotherapy provider: https://patient.inhealthcare.co.uk/selfenrol/v2/form
If you are a registered patient of South Tyneside and Sunderland, the Sunderland integrated MSK service will be your physiotherapy provider: https://sunderlandims.co.uk/
Knee Exercises
The following exercises should be repeated 10 times, three to four times daily:
- Lying on your back, with a tray / duster underneath your foot. Slowly slide your knee backwards and forwards. Repeat for 5 minutes.
- Lying down, keep your leg straight. Push your knee downwards into the bed, tensing your thigh muscle. Hold for 5 seconds.
- Lying down, place a pillow underneath your knee. Straighten your leg from the knee, keeping your thigh on the pillow. Hold for 5 seconds.
- Lying down, keeping your leg straight. Lift your leg 6 Inches off the floor. Hold for 5 seconds.
If you have been supplied with crutches please return them to the department that issued them when you have finished using them.
Contact details
For advice, call the Emergency Department secretaries on 0191 445 2946 (Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00).
For urgent advice out of hours call 111.