 Poster: A snowHead
|
A slow fall on lumpy snow last Wednesday with skis still attached wrenched my knee quite badly, I managed to stand but as soon as I took a step forward my knee collapsed to the side as if where a ligament should be (medial collateral), there was nothing there at all. Stretchered off the mountain and the french doctor x-rayed (no problem) strapped and splinted it and sent me off, diagnosing ruptured medial ligament and displaced meniscus. Swelling limited (maybe thanks to the strapping, but not too much seen), iced and rested. Home Sunday, GP's Monday morning, referral to A&E Orthopaedics in the afternoon, strapping removed and to the Fracture clinic next morning (Tuesday). Specialist reckoned medial ligament stretched (hence no side support), excrutiating pain in the knee upon closing the joint only due to fluid in the joint. He said letting the ligament heal with the leg bent will provide a tighter repair. Hinged splint provided, with planned gradual extension/flexion increases over next 5 weeks. He's sending me for an MRI (at my request), and I'm seeing the physio to find out what I can do to help any recovery.
My question/s are this:
My knee still feels VERY unstable on the side i've injured, has anyone any experience of this type of injury and if so, is this likely to 'tighten up' sufficiently and heal in the 5 weeks planned for the splint?
Should I be using the leg normally (within the constraints of the splint - weight bearing, flexing, etc) or would relative immobility/gentle use get a better result in ligament healing?
Will it always now be a wobbly knee? It feels so loose now I can't imagine it ever getting back to how it was!
Sue
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
sueb, no doctor but! sounds like what happened to me three weeks ago. very painfull for the first four days walking but then got better .still wearing support ,first two weeks wore a new one which was tight now an older one which allows more mouvement. I work as achef so on my feet for twelve hours a day and no problems unless i slip or try and kick something sideways!!. i`ve also found ibuproffen to keep swelling down helpful  . hope youre beter soon.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
suebHope you recover soon. The questions you are asking you should be asking your specialist and physio, Phone him if you don't have an appointment imminently. Write all your questions down beforehand and don't give up till you have a satisfactory answer to them all.
bfg, You are a big, hard man! and you should have gone to the docs! Problems when you slip and kicking sideways means it's not right you divvy! (x)
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
holidayloverxx, youre a fine one to talk , using a night storage heater as a piggybank! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
holidayloverxx, No appointment with the specialist arranged, i guess I'll not hear about one until after the MRI, but will see the physio tomorrow. Good idea about the list and phoning, it was only once I'd gone I thought about 'is this going to be enough?'. It's the sheer lack of ligament support to the side of the knee that worries me at the moment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
sueb,
On the whole I find the french resort doctors are pretty good as diagnosing the ligaments injuries.
A significant Medial Collateral injury will feel unstable if unsupported .
Aim to get full straightening, ice , ice ,ice to get swelling under control.
Grade one is minor but painful, grade two takes about 8 weeks to settle, grade three bad news as it will involve the ACL. Don't rely on scan to grade it , they tend to under estimate the grade. Ask to be seen in the knee clinic.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jonathan Bell, just looked up 'Knee clinic' for our area (Wolverhampton) and the surgeon that comes up as running it is the one I'm assigned to at the hospital (David Simpson). He lists among his specialities ACL repair and sports injuries...maybe i've just dropped lucky through the NHS. Swelling has settled to a general puffiness around the knee but I'm spending a lot of time with it elevated. Physio had recommended straightening exercises to do but that was before I was given the hinged brace and told it's better to heal bent - I see sense in the exercises to allow periodic straightening of the leg, so when I see him later I'll make sure those I'm doing aren't undoing the supposed purpose of the brace. Many thanks for responding to this - feel a little more reassured that what I feel might be expected at this stage, and not necessarily a completely shot knee.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Firstly, good luck with the knee.
I have my own knee thread going here (http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=97804&start=40) which might give you some help. I'd depended on the posts there, and my physio, to make sense of my injury.
I've damaged PCL and MCL so my experience might not be the same as yours. Please check my comments with your own physio or doctor.
The swelling has been a problem, although I've not had much pain, It's starting to improve but still I'm having to figure out the balance between exercises and rest. I still ice it a couple of times each evening.
Your injury may be different, but my physio has told me that extension is more important than flexion. I started on straight leg extension exercises from the first week then gradually built in leg lifts, squats of various forms, kneeling back, cycling etc.
My knee still feels very wobbly about 10 weeks after injury. When I started trying to walk normally again (ie rather than keeping my leg straight) I found balancing really difficult and I had no concept of where my lower leg was once I bent it. Very strange! One thing I'm finding useful now is a wobble board, which I'd originally bought to try and improve my balance for skiing (fat lot of good that did ). I try and do mini squats on it, as well as arm exercises with dumbells, and the dishes.
Great that you are assigned to a knee doc already - it's taken me a couple of months. Do write down that list of questions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
janeed, I've been following your thread with interest and much sympathy for you floundering about in the middle of the mess of NHS/Private processes clashing or not talking at all. I really hope that's over now and you can finally get a simple track through. I think I had missed the level of instability in the joint you are getting - I too would be able to stand still on it, but any step forward without the splint I would be likely to crumple to the floor.
I have been lucky with the speed of the turnaround medically (fell last Wednesday 10th, back in the country Sunday 14th, and by Friday 19th had seen specialist, physio AND got an MRI booked for very early May). My physio too, as well as Jonathan Bell, is emphasising the straightening/extension as being something to do now (squeezing the knee cap down and holding for 5 seconds, touching the toe and pushing down on the knee to get it straight as possible). I'm hoping the french doctor got it wrong about meniscus displacement and it's just a stretched ligament, I suppose I'll get an idea when I increase the range of movement on the splint (going from 30/70 currently to 10/90 next week). If it still hurts like billy-o even if the swelling is less (trying to ice when i can), i guess it won't be a good sign...but the MRI should confirm the state of the meniscus (thanks to Jonathan's previous postings about what an MRI is actually good for). Broke my other leg in January this year - what a doddle of a rehab that was in comparison to this business!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Best of luck and do let us know how you get on.
I wouldn't see the pain as a bad sign necessarily. I've got the impression that a pcl or acl tear might actually hurt very little compared to an mcl tear for example. But the mcl will generally heal better and more quickly than the cruciate ligaments, which don't really heal.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
