Is it worth a visit to the doctor?
Discussion
I managed to stack my mountain bike yesterday in the mountains at about 50kph to avoid an off-raod car in the middle of a forest dirt track. I basically got my front wheel hooked in a dip while braking hard and it spat me off the top of the bike and into a tree.
I've now badly bruised the side of my thigh as I landed right on top of a tree stump, but worst of all, I've gone and done something to my knee.
The problem is, the accident happened so fast, I've no idea what exactly happened so I can't tell if I simply whacked my knee on the ground or I twisted it as I came off my clip-on pedals.
I use Crank Brother mallets so they are safer and easier to disengage than Shimano SPD's, but they are still designed to keep your feet on the pedals and I'm worried I've done more damage than just a swollen knee.
So far I've put ice on it for a few hours and right now I've bought a knee support to stop my knee-cap slipping about as it seems to do around the swollen area.
Should I bother visiting a doctor for this, or is it one of those injuries I can leave to heal by itself?
P.S. I'm also bloody pleased I was wearing a lid as I gave my head a decent wallop too with no injury as a result. Just need a new helmet now....
I've now badly bruised the side of my thigh as I landed right on top of a tree stump, but worst of all, I've gone and done something to my knee.
The problem is, the accident happened so fast, I've no idea what exactly happened so I can't tell if I simply whacked my knee on the ground or I twisted it as I came off my clip-on pedals.
I use Crank Brother mallets so they are safer and easier to disengage than Shimano SPD's, but they are still designed to keep your feet on the pedals and I'm worried I've done more damage than just a swollen knee.
So far I've put ice on it for a few hours and right now I've bought a knee support to stop my knee-cap slipping about as it seems to do around the swollen area.
Should I bother visiting a doctor for this, or is it one of those injuries I can leave to heal by itself?
P.S. I'm also bloody pleased I was wearing a lid as I gave my head a decent wallop too with no injury as a result. Just need a new helmet now....
Knees are supposed to be incredibly annoying when they go wrong, so I would say definitely get it checked out just in case they can do something that will help right away - even if it's just giving you a more substantial support brace or something. Also they might want to scan it to check that everything is still where it should be.
) or might just refer you. Joints are something you don't want to mess around with, so get it checked out! Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff