“What are possible knee injuries I could be facing due to slamming knee into cement curb? Should I be concerned?”
About 6 months ago, I was rushing into a gas station on the way to work so I quickly pulled into a parking spot and sprinted out of my car. As I was stepping up onto the cement curb, I didn’t raise my right boot high enough so the tip of my boot caught the curb and very forcefully threw my body onto the ground. Because I was in the process of stepping up, my right leg was already bent at the knee so my entire body weight flung forward and landed directly onto my right knee on the cement. It happened so quickly and sent like a shock through my system I immediately moved myself onto my butt after landing to remove any weight off my right knee and had to just sit there for a second to recollect what had just happened. But because I was running late to work, I pushed myself to get back up and keep moving. An hour later at work, I was surprised at the lack of pain I was feeling compared to how severely the pain felt as I had originally made impact with the cement. The next day was a different story. The pain didn’t hit me until 24 hours later only then realizing adrenaline had probably numbed the severity the day before. I have a VERY high pain tolerance, and I've never broken a bone or experienced anything similar to that so after a few days, I had forgotten about the whole thing.
About 2 weeks later, I began noticing I was unable to put any pressure onto my right knee. I typically sleep on my stomach and realized I couldn’t put the slightest bit of pressure onto this knee. A few days later I had to plug in a phone charger and when going to bend down on the ground with my right knee I was caught off guard by a jolt of intense pain to this same knee. I had just assumed that with time, the pain would slowly dissipate and my knee would heal but it seemed like as time increased, the worse it got.
After about a month and a half, I was now having to limp the slightest bit when walking because every time my right leg would try to bend or straighten, it would feel like my knee was about to pop out of place. It also felt like when I walked, my right knee would face more towards my left knee rather than straight forward causing my right foot to also point more towards my left foot and feel like I was walking on the side of that foot rather than the bottom. I was also still having a lot of pain not only in my right knee but in my right hip and my right ankle.
When examining my right knee compared to my left, there was obviously a lot of swelling for the first month but the only other physical difference I noticed was that my right knee just sort of looked deformed or crushed lacking any definition it previously had.
After 2 months, I asked my doctor about this and they simply referred me to have an MRI of the knee but because my insurance wants me to pay $700 up front, I’m not able to get one currently.
After 3 months, I began noticing random bruising that began covering the entirety of my right thigh right above the injured knee. The bruising didn’t hurt.
I’m not sure if this is related but felt I should include it due to location. At 4 months my right thigh from directly above my right knee to below my right hip went completely numb. This is when I started experiencing random sensations directly above my right knee up towards my hip which I can only describe as feeling like electrical shocks. These would happen randomly and it literally would feel like the inside of my upper right leg was being electrocuted. For a few weeks, I was waking up to these “shocks” sometimes causing such severe pain, it felt as if I was being awoken to somebody trying to pull my leg apart from opposite directions. As if someone was holding onto my hip pulling up and another was holding onto my calf pulling down. These jolts only happened for a couple weeks though. I’m assuming this could potentially be nerve damage only because it literally felt as if the inside of my right thigh was firing off but unsure if it’s related despite being directly above the affected knee.
Now it’s been 6 months and I no longer have the shocks but my upper right leg is still numb. Occasionally I will feel tingling as if my right thigh is asleep but it’s not painful tingling because it’s numb if that makes sense. I still can’t put pressure onto my right knee and I still have throbbing pain. The intensity of this pain fluctuates daily. I cannot fully straighten my right knee nor can I fully bend the knee so I’m always having to keep it at this awkward slight bend.
I don’t know the first thing about physical injuries and what to expect/what to be wary of. I’m not sure if all of this is just some minor trauma to the knee and the healing process takes this long or if I should be more concerned. Im not even sure what could potentially be going on with this knee or what knee injuries I could be facing. Just wanted some insight on this issue and advice on whether or not it justifies the numerous expenses it would cost to try and fix now rather than waiting until later. Any thought or opinion is welcome. Thank you!
About 2 weeks later, I began noticing I was unable to put any pressure onto my right knee. I typically sleep on my stomach and realized I couldn’t put the slightest bit of pressure onto this knee. A few days later I had to plug in a phone charger and when going to bend down on the ground with my right knee I was caught off guard by a jolt of intense pain to this same knee. I had just assumed that with time, the pain would slowly dissipate and my knee would heal but it seemed like as time increased, the worse it got.
After about a month and a half, I was now having to limp the slightest bit when walking because every time my right leg would try to bend or straighten, it would feel like my knee was about to pop out of place. It also felt like when I walked, my right knee would face more towards my left knee rather than straight forward causing my right foot to also point more towards my left foot and feel like I was walking on the side of that foot rather than the bottom. I was also still having a lot of pain not only in my right knee but in my right hip and my right ankle.
When examining my right knee compared to my left, there was obviously a lot of swelling for the first month but the only other physical difference I noticed was that my right knee just sort of looked deformed or crushed lacking any definition it previously had.
After 2 months, I asked my doctor about this and they simply referred me to have an MRI of the knee but because my insurance wants me to pay $700 up front, I’m not able to get one currently.
After 3 months, I began noticing random bruising that began covering the entirety of my right thigh right above the injured knee. The bruising didn’t hurt.
I’m not sure if this is related but felt I should include it due to location. At 4 months my right thigh from directly above my right knee to below my right hip went completely numb. This is when I started experiencing random sensations directly above my right knee up towards my hip which I can only describe as feeling like electrical shocks. These would happen randomly and it literally would feel like the inside of my upper right leg was being electrocuted. For a few weeks, I was waking up to these “shocks” sometimes causing such severe pain, it felt as if I was being awoken to somebody trying to pull my leg apart from opposite directions. As if someone was holding onto my hip pulling up and another was holding onto my calf pulling down. These jolts only happened for a couple weeks though. I’m assuming this could potentially be nerve damage only because it literally felt as if the inside of my right thigh was firing off but unsure if it’s related despite being directly above the affected knee.
Now it’s been 6 months and I no longer have the shocks but my upper right leg is still numb. Occasionally I will feel tingling as if my right thigh is asleep but it’s not painful tingling because it’s numb if that makes sense. I still can’t put pressure onto my right knee and I still have throbbing pain. The intensity of this pain fluctuates daily. I cannot fully straighten my right knee nor can I fully bend the knee so I’m always having to keep it at this awkward slight bend.
I don’t know the first thing about physical injuries and what to expect/what to be wary of. I’m not sure if all of this is just some minor trauma to the knee and the healing process takes this long or if I should be more concerned. Im not even sure what could potentially be going on with this knee or what knee injuries I could be facing. Just wanted some insight on this issue and advice on whether or not it justifies the numerous expenses it would cost to try and fix now rather than waiting until later. Any thought or opinion is welcome. Thank you!
Female | 30 years old
Complaint duration: 6 months
Medications: Gabapentin
Conditions: N/A
13 Answers
OrthopaedicSurgeonOrthopaedicSurgeon
Hello! There can be several scenarios so I will start with the worstcase scenario. Worst case scenarios can be that something is torn ligament, meniscus or patella tendon or a patella bone fracture. These can only be confirmed by Xray and MRI. I would ask for the cash price selfpay for the MRI to see if they give you a better rate. Best case scenario. You need a knee adjustment and the muscles surrounding the knee are extremely strained by force of impact and now in defense mode. I am assuming that numbness is coming from overly tight muscles putting pressure on a nerve. Both scenarios can cause this. The muscles around the knee are more than likely extremely tight which is why you felt pain into your hip your muscles connect from knee to hippelvis and pain to your ankle muscles connect from knee to your ankle. If nothing is torn, movement is going to be your best friend to get that full mobility back. I would start with physical therapy at the very least. Chiropractors, especially ones that are musclebased such as ART or Sport Chiros, can do orthopedic exams to see if there is a tear perform Xrays. This way you can get your knee adjusted and manual therapy. Always rule out the worstcase scenario. If worst case scenario is the reality. Then depending on the severity, youre looking at surgery or physical therapy or both. Thank you for your time! Dr. Kortni Smith Owner IMS Chiropractic Clinic Founder Feeling Gutsy Gut Health LLC My working hours may not be your working hours. Please do not feel obligated to reply outside of your normal work schedule. cid60819b640d024d7685ccee723fd51167
Hello, You need a medical PT orthopedic evaluation.
Hi, This is Dr. Sean Peak Performance chiropractic Thank you for reaching out. My very first thought after reading your story would be to receive an MRI on your knee. One of my rules is that any prolonged pain for greater than weeks let alone 4 months, accompanied by a change of symptoms such as your electrical shock and loss of feeling comments would be a primary reason to go get an MRI. 20 Any other questions I would recommend to come into the office for a more thorough consultation. Thank you and have a great day. Brooke DeJager Office Manager Peak Performance20 6502337333
Aloha Please give me a call, and I will be happy to discuss this with you. Aloha, Dr. Joseph G. Morelli, Jr. Waipahu Chiropractic Clinic 808 6712685
I did something like that and it formed Arthritis in my knee. Sorry no positives
It appears that you may have a significant injury to your knee, and possibly hip and low back where MRI imaging is certainly recommended. You need to get to the bottom of why your are having these symptoms because the longer you wait it may become permanent or more difficult to resolve. Yes, your long term health justifies the financial expense.
Hi, I am an animal chiropractor but I would say that type of injury could cause fractures.
Sounds like you are getting better...just give it time.
I’m so sorry to hear about this injury. There are many possible injuries which include fracture, dislocation, ligament strain or tear, meniscal injury. You should be evaluated and have an X-ray.
Consult Orthopedic Surgery, you need X-rays.
There are a lot of questions and I believe you need imaging and a very good exam. I am sorry I cannot offer much more. You are currently on gabapentin, so your current condition might be multifactorial.
Robert D. Swift, DO, FAOAO
Robert D. Swift, DO, FAOAO
Sorry about your suffering. Once fracture has been ruled out, one must examine the nerves with an NCT/EMG. If normal likely from the spine. The mechanism of forced flexion at the hip frequently results in disc herniation. Your symptoms appear neuropathic, i.e., a nerve is being irritated. Provocative testing during PE can point in a better direction.
Good Luck.
Good Luck.
There is a lot going on here. First, the initial fall seems to point in the direction of a fractured patella (knee cap). Due to the way you fell, in addition, there was/is remaining soft tissue injury. This could come in the way of a bursitis or as severe as ligament or tendon rupture. When you fell, the force of the fall was also translated up your femur to your hip joint. Regarding the pain and numbness, this could be coming from the hip joint itself or be related to the way you are walking (to favor your already injured knee). Regardless, I would pay the $700 and get the imaging your doctor recommended. I think that you really should see an orthopedist or sports medicine doctor for a follow up evaluation. Your leg seems to have been severely injured and is not healing on its own well. I think you need additional orthopedic follow up.
