Knee Injury

[jeskahk]

A couple of weeks ago I was just casually skiing down to the base at Keystone working on some turns on my last run of the afternoon. And I ate it. Not super hard, but I ended up in a VERY twisted position. After I untangled myself (with the kind assistance of my SO) I realized that my knee felt loose--not a good thing I know, but there was no real pain.

After taking it easy and not getting any better I went to the doctor. The upshot is I have a sprained ACL, sprained MCL, and some torn cartilage. :Cry:

So, other than just venting my non-skiing frustration, I'm wondering: What are some of your experiences with healing from this type of injury (since I'm sure many of you divas have had knee issues)? I'm usually really good at listening to my body, but this injury has me confounded. It doesn't really hurt most of the time, it just doesn't feel right. If there's no pain to go away how will I know when I'm better??

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Oh no! :( So sorry to hear this! Looks like you managed to get The Trilogy!! 3 at once!
Did you have an MRI and Lachman's test (where they physically twist your lower leg - you'll surely remember if you did - ow)? Did they tell you what the severity of each sprain is? They are graded numerically: 0-3. 0 is a major stretch but no tear. 3 is complete tear.

MCL can heal. ACL, if grade 3, must be surgically replaced. Cartilage, depends on how torn. Were you issued any kind of brace, told to ice, referred to PT? Sorry about all the questions....there's just a pretty big range of severity here.

My MCL took about a season to fully quit hurting. I didn't properly rehab it (this was 30+ years ago, not as much known then), and I'm feeling those long-term effects now. Years later, same knee, a 0 level ACL, I did the prescribed exercises, etc. and healed. Off snow for 2 weeks. Skied with various OTC braces for remainder of season, gingerly. Cartilage: I've never torn, but same knee is now wearing heavily. I'm sure I'll need arthro in a couple of years. Usually, cartilage hurts when torn. ACL's don't if no meniscus damage. MCL - mine hurt, for sure.

Lots of knee survivors here, hope they chime in with their stories. Hope you are feeling better soon!!

 

[jeskahk]

Thanks for the concern! I did have the Lachman's test but no MRI (he said to let it heal for about a month and if it was still bad then go for the MRI, which I sort of appreciate because I have fairly lousy insurance). And he didn't tell me any degrees of severity. I just went to my GP not a specialist, so maybe that's why I didn't get too much info. I'm sure my ACL isn't completely torn because my knee is still fairly stable.

Were you issued any kind of brace, told to ice, referred to PT? Sorry about all the questions....there's just a pretty big range of severity here.

No worries about the questions! I really appreciate the concern and the information! I didn't get a brace but was told to ice (which I've been very good about). I have to go back in a month to figure out PT.

My MCL took about a season to fully quit hurting. I didn't properly rehab it (this was 30+ years ago, not as much known then), and I'm feeling those long-term effects now. Years later, same knee, a 0 level ACL, I did the prescribed exercises, etc. and healed. Off snow for 2 weeks. Skied with various OTC braces for remainder of season, gingerly. Cartilage: I've never torn, but same knee is now wearing heavily. I'm sure I'll need arthro in a couple of years. Usually, cartilage hurts when torn. ACL's don't if no meniscus damage. MCL - mine hurt, for sure.

Lots of knee survivors here, hope they chime in with their stories. Hope you are feeling better soon!!

Sorry to hear about all your knee injuries, but it does give me encouragement. My SO totally severed his ACL about 10 years ago and of course had to have major surgery and rehab. So I've had a great shoulder to lean on in him, but he's a bit alarmist about the whole thing (understandably because of his experience). It's just good to hear about healing that doesn't involve surgery....

 

[MaineSkiLady]

One day at a time. I was amazed that my grade 0 ACL was good to go after 2 weeks. Cartilage will take some healing time. Patience. And if worse comes to worst, surgery isn't the end of the world, either. My son has had both his ACL's replaced/grafted, and he says his knees feel stronger now than they did before either injury. He got the green light after 5 months on each knee. There's an upside to all of it. But yeah, it's not the world's best designed joint, is it?

 

[Daria]

I had my right ACL reconstructed 4 years ago with great results and I do not (never have) wear a brace. I would suggest you talk again to your doctor about the PT and exercises. The advise I have always gotten is that with joints, you need to use them and with knees the best thing to do is keep them along with your quads, hamstrings and abs, strong. Good luck!

 

[alaski]

OMG! Glad you weren't hurt worse.

I'm a knee surgery survivor like many others, only it turned out there was nothing wrong with my knee and no need for surgery. So I am now a huge fan of the conservative approach!

Best of luck for a swift and full recovery. Take it easy and don't push it!

 

[abc]

Tore my MCL multiple times, including a month ago! :(

Is it swell up? It should if you tore multiple ligaments. Once the swelling goes down, the knee might feel even MORE wabbly...

Standard advice from knee specialist(s) is 6 weeks for MCL to knit up. So it's also standard pratice to start PT around that time. In the mean time, the emphasis is not to re-injure it since it's quite unstable and vulnerable. So a knee brace is also a good idea. I even got the green light from the doctor to continue skiing with a drug store knee brace! It's walking around on ice after skiing that prove scary.

For ACL, I heard conflicting stories. Some say it doesn't heal, it just continue to work with the remaining partial ligament so it's more prone to re-injury. Others say it does heal as long as it's not completely torn. I don't know who's right.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

info

Here is a good website for information.

https://www.orthoassociates.com/knee_lig.htm

I've seen links to this site on epic. This is the orthopedic practice that reconstructed both my son's ACL's.

 

[Pequenita]

You wrote you've only been to the GP - I would definitely go to an orthopedic surgeon if you can. They've (unfortunately) seen a lot of these injuries and can hook you up with physical therapy exercises. I dunno - my GP was a bit of a doink. I'd rather see a specialist....

 

[MaineSkiLady]

I had my right ACL reconstructed 4 years ago with great results and I do not (never have) wear a brace.

Recommendations vary widely between ortho's, depends on how heavy and hard the knee(s) will be used. The custom DonJoy carbon fiber braces are often recommended for one-year post ACL op minimum to prevent hyperextension/reinjury. They don't even remotely resemble anything like a stock brace.

 

[persee]

I'll second the opinions above. The best thing you can do for your knee is strengthen the muscles that are connnected to it and try to strengthen them evenly. Especially the quads because these muscles being weak or uneven can put a lot of extra stress on the knee - this is advice direct from a really good PT. Additionally for knees losing weight is huge. Every pound you lose takes 5 pounds of pressure off your knee! Braces are also good if you have chronic knee issues (or an acute issue that is healing) as they really help to stabilize the knee and prevent potentially damaging motion.