 Poster: A snowHead
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Last Saturday I was in St Anton and doing this:
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii91/irbis1/P1010354.jpg
when I felt my knee going "pop", losing stability, and I fell over. It was hurting but not really bad.
The next 10 minutes were scary. I did not dare stand up for fear of having torn my ACL.
Finally I gathered my courage, stood up and managed to walk and then to ski (carefully, for another day and a half). The knee hurt only a little and there was a little lateral instability, but nothing major (I did ski cut-up snow in low visibility).
Back in London, two days later, it's now a little stiffer and there's some (still very limited) swelling. Nothing major - I could jog if I wanted, but I would feel the twinge.
My wife, who's a doctor but not specialised in this type of injuries, reckons I strained a medial ligament. My GP is on hols.
Would you recommend that I go to a physio or wait for my GP to come back?
(I've got insurance but only if I get a referral from a GP)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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You need to wait a bit for the swelling to go down some anyway. So wait for your GP (but not till after the New Year though). Icing it might help a bit. Might not.
Go on living and doing things, just be mindful of not re-injuring the same knee. If your wife's disgnose is right (very likely, been there, more than once), it'll heal by itself in time (weeks).
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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it'll heal by itself in time (weeks).
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More like 3 months to be completely painless and full strength, but that does depend on the degree of injury. With swelling its certainly not a trivial injury so needs assessment by a competent professional with experience of orthopaedics / sports injuries.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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If you want to do any sport/ski in the next 3 months I'd go see a physio...if not only to help the healing but also to strenghten the right muscles to prevent a re-occurence.....
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| horizon wrote: |
My wife, who's a doctor but not specialised in this type of injuries, reckons I strained a medial ligament. My GP is on hols.
Would you recommend that I go to a physio or wait for my GP to come back? |
Either. Or see whoever's covering for your GP. You want an independent (ie not your wife's) diagnosis. I refuse to try to diagnose my family, and feign incompetence, or drunkenness, or sleep, whichever seems more appropriate to get them to see their own GP. Often, all 3.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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What will a GP know that a good physio will not? The GP will probably tell you to wait and see how it goes and then refer you anyway if it is not better...but you would have to kick up a bit and you will have lost that time..
If you know and trust a good physio to diagnose blind..as it were with no scans, he will likely know more than the GP anyway... You have a sports injury, go and see someone who deals in sports, IMO.
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Both of the GP's in my practice are skiers and keen sportsmen and quite used to injuries, but whenever I go about my knees I am referred straight away to my surgeon or for Physio, it was explained to me very early on, the knee is one of the most complex joints of the body and not one to be "messed" with so they don't even attempt to find out what is wrong, for fear of upsetting them further.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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The only reason I would go to the GP first (whom I know personally - good guy but not a skier or a sports guy) is to get a referral to a physio so I can get the physio cost reimbursed by the insurance company. These are the rules.
Thanks for the advice!
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horizon, I had the exact same thing in April and left it too long.. August stung for nearly a £1K for a consultation and MRI found a bakers cyst.. very slight PCL damage but nothing big. I'd go to a consultant as soon as if not your GP, and don't do anything heavy!!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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JT, the trouble is knowing and finding a good physio. I have seen some knees which needed early assessment by a surgeon which physios just kept treating. There is a huge variation in physio skills and knowledge out there. Certainly with most significant knee injuries I would be referring to a surgeon to get a proper diagnosis. Non-injury knee problems or Ankles would be a different matter - physio first usually. For some joints like shoulders there is almost no evidence for benefit from physio at all.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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stoatsbrother,
My attitude to this is that the GP is in the loop for the referral. I agree there are physios and physios and I wouldn't just pick one out of the book.
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My GP is on hols.
Would you recommend that I go to a physio or wait for my GP to come back?
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How long before your GP comes back? In the mean time I'd use R.I.C.E and not not over do it.
I would then push for an ortho. referral. Knees are precious!
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