Knee surgery recovery

Wiped out on my bike and absolutely shredded my knee 😢
The scrape isn't huge, but man, it’s deep and it stings like hell. No blood, but there's definitely some clear fluid oozing out everywhere... I already cleaned it up and wiped it down with some liquid Neomycin.

What’s the move here? Should I wrap it up or just leave it be? I can't find a bandage big enough to cover the whole mess, so I'm stuck wondering if I should protect it or just let it air out and dry...

Thanks.

I honestly think it’d be a lot smarter to just wrap that up with some gauze and then put a bandage over it, rather than leaving it sitting there totally exposed...

silentstag1 said:I reckon it’d be smarter to just wrap it up with some gauze and a bandage instead of leaving it all exposed like that...

Alright, sounds like a plan. I'll go with that.
Thanks!

How often am I looking at cleaning this thing or swapping out the dressing...?

Sophia Chavez15 said:I wiped out my knee falling off my bike, and man, it's rough. 😢
It's not a massive scrape, but it's deep and really stings. There isn't much blood, but it's definitely oozing clear fluid everywhere. I went ahead and cleaned it up with some liquid antibiotic.

What's the move now? Should I wrap it up or just leave it be? I can't find a bandage big enough for this mess, so I'm torn between covering it or just letting the air get to it.

Thanks!

The way you described it as a "deep" scrape has me a little worried... honestly, whatever you do, don't go slathering local antibiotics on it.... cleaning it is fine, and you could even disinfect the skin around it with an alcohol prep pad or rinse the wound itself with something like hydrogen peroxide, and maybe cover it with a sterile dressing or those hydrocolloid bandages you see at CVS.... but stuff like Bivacin, Neomycin, or anything similar like that...🙂...applying antibiotics topically doesn't actually do anything...

For matters of this nature, I find that Octenisept tends to be my most reliable remedy. You can easily pick some up at any local pharmacy, and it isn't particularly expensive either.

Scott Allen10 said:The whole "Oderotina" vs "deep" thing is tripping me up a bit... anyway, whatever you decide, just don't go slapping any kind of antibiotic directly on it.... washing it is fine, disinfecting the area around it with some alcohol prep pads is okay, you can even rinse the wound itself with something like hydrogen peroxide, cover it with sterile stuff, maybe use those hydrocolloid bandages... but Bivacin, Neomycin, or anything like that...🙂...putting antibiotics on top locally doesn't actually do squat...

All I had lying around was that 1% Clindamycin lotion....
I only did it once... won't be doing that again 😳

"Deep" isn't really the right word, but... there's just so much lymph draining from it, that's what I meant... it stays constantly wet... it's not just some surface-level red scrape with a little blood (like that one I got on my elbow). My entire knee feels hot... jeez, what have I done...

So basically: hydrogen peroxide and then cover it up with gauze? And then wrap it with a bandage?

Thanks a million! 🙂

Sophia Chavez15 said:The only thing I had within reach was that lotion with 1% Clindamycin...
I only used it once... I won't touch it again. 😳

"Deep" isn't quite the right word, but... there's just so much fluid draining from it, that's what I meant... it's constantly weeping. It’s not just some superficial scrape that turned red with a bit of blood (like the one I got on my elbow). My entire knee feels hot to the touch... jeez, what have I done to myself...

So: hydrogen peroxide and then cover it with gauze? And wrap it up?

Thanks so much! 🙂

A 1% Clindamycin alcohol tincture is designed for treating facial acne, not for open wounds!
If the wound is deep, did it not even occur to you to see a doctor? Now that the knee is red and hot, I assume it's painful and your mobility is limited. Look, everything you just described are textbook symptoms of an infection.
I should also mention that right under the skin in front of the patella lies the prepatellar bursa, which—if the wound is indeed deep—you likely punctured. That fluid you're seeing could very easily be synovial fluid leaking from the bursa.
Without getting too bogged down in the medical specifics, I believe it is high time you head to an urgent care clinic or an ER to have that wound professionally cleaned. Ideally, you should have gone immediately after the injury occurred, but better late than even later.
That is my advice; you can take it or leave it.

Jeffrey Peterson43 said:A 1% clindamycin alcohol tincture is meant for facial acne, not for open wounds!
If the cut is deep, did it even cross your mind to see a doctor? Now your knee is red and hot, so I'm guessing it hurts and you can barely move it properly. Honey, everything you just described sounds like classic infection symptoms.
Also, just so you know, there's this thing called the prepatellar bursa right under the skin in front of your kneecap, which you probably opened if the wound is deep. So that fluid you're seeing? Could easily be bursa fluid.
Look, I won't get too technical, but I think it’s high time you hit up an urgent care center to get that wound cleaned out properly. You really should've gone right after it happened, but better late than never, I guess...
That’s just my two cents, take it or leave it.

😲
Are you actually being serious right now?!!

I mean, I only wiped it once with that, then I went out and bought some iodine solution, wiped it again, and put gauze over it.

And I didn't go because... I don't know... who even goes to the ER for a busted knee...🤷

My knee isn't red, but it's still hot. And not just the knee, but that whole area. It hurts a lot, and it's a little—okay, maybe just a tiny bit—swollen. And I think the "function" of my knee, like you said, is limited mostly because the wound itself hurts. I can walk fine otherwise.

I have no idea what a bursa is, but it sounds pretty serious.

Oh, man, I might actually have to see a doctor after all... 😢

Thanks!