What do I do for a torn ligament??? Do I go to the doctor or what???

Question

I've been to chiropractor and he was the one who told me i had a torn ligament

Answer 1

Well, if you haven't been to the doctor (or what), how do you know you have a torn ligament?

You have ligaments associated with every joint in your body, and since you didn't specify it is difficult to give you any advice here. I would say, yes, someone needs to look at this for you to determine the severity of the injury. A doctor or physical therapist would be a good place to start.

Answer 2

It's hard to know for sure if you have torn a ligament or just overextended it. Both can cause excruciating pain and swelling. For now, if you can't get to a doctor (the Emergency Room wouldn't be appropriate), put ice on the joint, where it hurts, for 20 mins, then apply a warm towel (Moisten a bath towel then put it in a zip lock bag w/out sealing it. Heat it for 1 min on High.) for the same amount of time to the area. Do this as long as you can. Don't apply just ice or heat to the joint as you could make the injury worse. Keep it elevated. Then, as soon as you can, have someone take you to a dr. who most likely will send you to an orthopedic surgeon for a consult.

Whatever you do, DON'T just walk it off or ignore it. I did that when I was about 12 and so did my father. AND the doctor he took me to (I was in a developing country at the time). Two years later I had to have arthroscopic surgery to remove cartilaginous debris from my knee. Due to the length of time between the injury and the surgery, my joint was permanently damaged. Not to the point I couldn't walk but enough so that I couldn't ever do any impact exercise or sport.

You may have just overstretched your ligament but why take the chance?

Answer 3

Yes, you could end up with a disabling injury if you don't take care of it....
I had this experience and let it go for8 mos . .i had to have a surgery to fix the damage .

Answer 4

yes. im a doctor. you need to go see your physician so he can give you an antiimflamatory. and possibly an antibiotic. till then keep it iced and keep it straight.