Knee fractures are one of the more painful and irritating injuries to sustain. They can strike a range of people, from younger sufferers who usually sustain them as a result of an accident or sports injury. In elders, the injuries are usually a result of a fall; weakened cartilage and more fragile bones makes it easier to get hurt from even simple falls. Knee fractures take a while to heal and even when they do, you can still feel joint pain throughout your leg if the conditions are right (or wrong!)

Knee fractures can occur in any part of the knee, though they are common in the femur bone. They come along with swelling, pain, redness, and sometimes a fever. However, if there are now immediately visible symptoms, you can also tell if you are having trouble walking, your leg feels stiff, or you can raise your leg properly. In elders, it is especially important to look for signs such as difficulty walking because sometimes redness and swelling isn't so apparent and since it came come about as a result of even minor falls, someone may not even think to report it in.

Getting diagnosed is easy, but very important. Fractures are easy to see in an X-ray; it usually only takes a few minutes to see the problem and properly diagnose it; however, many people go without treatment and end up in some trouble. Knee fractures can lead to infection, horrible joint pain and stiffness and even to permanent lameness if it isn't dealt with.

Generally, the method to deal with knee fractures is to take eight to twelve weeks out to rest, take antibiotics, surgery for displaced fractures and a cast/knee brace for non-displaced fractures. Complications generally include joint pain which can be managed with painkillers, massage, or hot packs, or infections; make sure to visit your doctor routinely after any surgery or treatment to make sure everything is going well.

A knee fracture is nothing to simply blow off and ignore; it cause debilitating joint pain, stiffness and even lameness if it's not dealt with. If you've suffered through an accident or fall and your knee feels strange in anyway, it costs you little time to get it checked out properly to ensure that if there is a fracture, it can be dealt with properly. As long as you take care of yourself, a knee fracture can be healed and leave you whole and healthy again.