my MCL hates me!

[SnoBunny]

oh divas! I am such a klutz!

I've only had one board day all year -- christmas day at okemo with skidiva, mr. skidiva, and mr. snobunny. it was a gorgeous day, not cold at all, and even mr. snobunny, who hadn't been skiing for something like ten years, was loving it.

you know the story: last run of the day, and down I go. the run was a little icy, and I must have caught an edge. I crashed down, hitting the ice -- hard -- with my right knee. it swelled up purple and grapefruit-sized right away, and I spent some time that day icing it.

thing is, as of today it was still sore (and, more importantly, still significantly swollen), and mr. snobunny finally urged me to head to the doctor. it looks like a MCL tear. I've got a ten-day course of antinflammatories and instructions to wear a brace for 2 weeks. if it doesn't get better, I'm going to head back to the doctor to get an MRI and, well, we'll see.

I'm sure some of you guys have had MCL tears before. how did they heal? tell me all about it!

 

[Robyn]

Oh, no, Snobunny, I'm so sorry to hear this! Take care of yourself!

 

[MaineSkiLady]

:( SO sorry to hear this!
OW.
Okay, I'm an MCL injury "survivor." (did it @ around your age also)
HOT TIP: PHYSICAL THERAPY!!
Can you self-refer?
An MCL tear - unless truly severe - WILL heal---but it needs help, because there's a chance that in the healing process, your patella will misalign (as mine did, all those years ago). And THAT can be a BIG problem years down the road....

There is definitely a pt protocol for MCL injuries.
Mine was sore for at least a season, but I hadn't the vaguest idea of what it was, assumed it was a bruise (this was years before we had these terms at our fingertips: ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL).

Brace is a good idea for support.
But what ultimately will get this knee back to strength and keep everything in alignment is physical therapy. Self-refer if you can, try to find someone who is good in sports rehab. Otherwise, get a medical referral.

Healing thoughts your way!
(p.s. FWIW, I rehabbed TWO simultaneous grade 2 LCL injuries last winter and was back on the snow in 3 weeks....and I've got a few years on you - - can be done! Also a grade 1 ACL 6 years ago, that took 2 weeks. There's hope!)

 

[abc]

it looks like a MCL tear

Was the doctor a specialist?

It's not always easy to tell any ligament tears without MRI. If you HIT your knee, it could be something more than a tear. Did they x-ray you right away? If only to rule out any fractures...

If it's just the MCl. It may just heal on its own, especially if it's not a complete tear. You may even have time to be able to ski half a season. 6 weeks is all it takes for it to mend and you can start PT even before that so you can hit the slope right at the 6 week mark.

I should be the one who say "my MCL hates me", for I tore each of them more than once over the years. Yeah, I know the recovery regiment well.

Just make sure it is "just" a MCL.

 

[SnoBunny]

no, abc, the doctor was just my gp. I think I'll make an appointment with a specialist if it's still nasty in a few days. so far the swelling has already begun to go down a little, though. so maybe there's hope?

 

[abc]

You really need to rule out any bone fractures, which is pretty much only possible with x-ray. In the mean time, rest and ice will help to bring the swelling down.

A specialist can do a bit more diagnose and may decide whether an MRI is neccessary. I didn't get one the first couple times. And the last one didn't tell the doctor anything more than he can conclude. But when I "bang" it rather than just pull it, I asked and was usually given an x-ray. Just for the peace of mind.

If you can find one, prefer a sports injury specialist over a general join specialist. The former is always the later but not vice versa. You want someone who can help you to get back to the slope, not just sit on the coach for 3 months...

Either way, be prepare for some PT work. If it's MCL, it heals itself anyway. So the PT is mostly to rebuild the muscle you loss during the rest period. I've done it so many times I simply ask the doctor to precribe some PT (and I know of some good PT'ers already) and what's a good time frame to start it. Assuming it IS a MCL tear, PT is probably the most important thing to do to prevent re-injury.

 

[Quiver Queen]

10 days of rest and anti-inflammatories is a very standard and reasonable approach. After that, an orthopedic evaluation would be helpful--MCL issues are within the realm of a general orthopedist, but if they feel it is something more complex a knee or sports injury doc would be best. Good luck, SB, and remember these generally don't result in any long-term complications.