After a knee sprain, you should stop exercising, apply cold compresses and then hot compresses, and use appropriate medication if necessary.
1. Stop exercising: Stop exercising as soon as possible after you notice a knee sprain to avoid secondary damage to the knee joint. If conditions permit, you can elevate the injured leg to promote blood return and reduce blood stasis.
2. Cold compresses: Applying cold compresses to the injured knee within 72 hours of the sprain can reduce subcutaneous bleeding and swelling. Cold compresses can be applied by using cold compresses or ice to reduce the temperature of the affected area and minimize bleeding.
3. Hot compress: After 72 hours of sprain, the bleeding has basically stopped. At this time, you can change the cold compress to localized hot compress, properly raise the temperature of the affected area to promote blood circulation, which is conducive to faster recovery. It should be noted that the temperature of the hot compress should not be too high!
4. Appropriate medication: you can also follow the doctor’s instructions to use appropriate non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen to reduce pain symptoms.
If the knee is sprained, it is recommended to go to a regular hospital, under the guidance of the doctor for standardized treatment.