Immediate Treatment of Acute Traumatic Knee Joint Injury
The following companion consensus statement was developed by panels nominated by the National Athletic Trainer's Association (NATA) and has been approved by the National Athletic Trainer's Association's Board of Directors.

In the absence of reliable evidence, NATA recommends that people who sustain an acute traumatic knee joint injury with symptoms (e.g., feel or hear a pop, experience a giving way episode, pain, swelling or difficulty weight bearing) receive a physical examination by a qualified health care professional that assesses the structural integrity of the knee joint capsule, ligaments and menisci, and includes a neurovascular exam as soon as possible following injury. Immediate treatment with ice, compression, elevation, immobilization, and crutches is also indicated and patients should be referred for further musculoskeletal evaluation, unless signs and symptoms indicate that an emergent condition is present (e.g. neurovascular, gross deformity, uncontrollable pain).