ice or heat?

[illgixxer]

My knee area is swollen(looks fat) compared to my other one. One knee has some definition around it and is hard, and the other looks more roundy and squishy. What would be better for it, bengay or ice? Or a combination of both?

 

[AntonG42O]

first we need to know when the injury happened. if its been less than a week then only use ice, after a few days heating could also be used. but if this is just regular swelling from falling or bumping your knee, icing 15 min on 15 min off and anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen will do the trick

 

[Type O Hero]

Did you do anything to cause your knee to swell up?

Ice packs are often used to decrease blood flow to an area by means of constricting blood vessels.

Heat will dilate the blood vessels and increase blood flow to the area.

It could be fluid retention in the area. Is there any pain involved? You can try compressing the area with some sort of wrapping.

It would be nice to have some more information before any more advice is given. Or you could try using a search engine like Google, or even the search engine on this forum to try and find similar cases.

I'll go ahead and recommend that you seek a medical opinion if your situation gets any worse. Good luck, buddy.

 

[stankyleg]

Try Contrast Baths. Google it. It works well.

 

[CopyCat]

R.I.C.E.

Rest
Ice
Compression
Elevation

Ice should be done 10-15 min on then 10-15 off. You could throw some NSAIDs in there as well if you want..i.e. ibuprofen, tylenol, naproxen etc. If you compress it (wrap) do not sleep with it wrapped. You could bengay it if you want, but that's used usually more for sore muscles, which this does not sound like. Either way, it won't hurt anything.

 

[Ranggamati]

Ice packs and heat pads are among the most commonly used treatments in orthopedics. So which one is the right one to use for your injury, ice or heat? And how long should the ice or heat treatments last? Read on for information about treatment of injuries with ice packs and heating pads.
Ice Treatment
Ice treatment is most commonly used for acute injuries. If you have a recent injury (within the last 48 hours) where swelling is a problem, you should be using ice treatment. Ice packs can help minimize swelling around the injury.

Ice packs are often used after injuries such as an ankle sprain have occurred. Applying an ice pack early and often for the first 48 hours will help minimize swelling. Decreasing swelling around an injury will help to control the pain.

Ice treatments may also be used for chronic conditions, such as overuse injuries in athletes. In this case, ice the injured area after activity to help control inflammation. Never ice a chronic injury before activity.


thanks