When do I seek medical attention for my son's knee injury?

[cowgirlchris]

Please advise:  My 12 year old son, fell a few weeks ago.  He was playing basketball on our concrete driveway and landed directly on his knee (in a kneeling position).  His knee began to swell and we immediately began RICE.  I also gave him ibuprofen for the pain.  Now, anytime he bends his knee and his jeans touch it, he complains of pain and a burning sensation.  He cannot put direct weight on his knee even on a soft surface without complianing of pain and a burning (that he describes as a hat spreading across his knee).  This injury has not slowed down his running and there is no physical evidence of injury.  He has carried on his daily activities, just has a complaint about twice a week with the above symptoms.  Now what?

[fireflyer]

Ouch!, from your description it sounds like quite a hard fall. Pain is a sign that there is something amiss (I learnt this the hard way). So, if you can afford it or have medical insurance, why not have it checked out. If you take him to a doctor and he suggests surgery then make sure you get a second opinion. Personally I would avoid the knife.

[cboden51]

I would agree that it is a good idea to get it checked out even though he can run and you can't see any injury. Knees shouldn't hurt when you kneel on them. Could be there is just some residual swelling but you wouldn't want to miss anything.

Connie

[cowgirlchris]

Thanks so much for your advice.  After seeking medical attention we were told he had patelar tendonitis which we are treating with a lot of ibuprofen & ice (still).  Thanks again.  I hope this is the end of his knee pain for a while.

[Clarkey]

Hi sorry to hear about your sons fall and knee pain and discomfort and agree with the others its best to avoid having surgery at such a young age. I hope its just patelar tendonitus and nothing seriouse as its not good to start having knee problems at such a young age. I cant run since October 2007 and bet its even worse for someone so young not being able to run but lets hope your son can run again soon with rest and some ibuprofen and just a short term knee problem.

Happy Easter,

Nick {2009}