Well it was a matter of time...(knee)

LFADAM · Posted: Jun 26, 2012 4:31 pm Post subject: Well it was a matter of time...(knee)

Looks like I finally fulfilled my wakeboarder destiny and blew my knee out this weekend. I was riding on friday-having a good set and hitting a few double ups. Didn't hit the first few well so I decided to try one more and go for the 2nd roller instead of the 3rd. The driver turned pretty tight so it was a pretty huge double up. I hit the 2nd roller perfectly and got punted. By far the biggest double up I've ever hit and perfectly in control. Just did a nice poked stalefish grab. I started coming down and realized I was going to land in the trough, just past the 2nd wake. I figured it would be a hard landing but I would ride away fine.

As I hit the water my knees started compressing and absorbing the impact normally but the force was just too much. My left kneecap shot inward and my knee buckled inward, I felt a pop, and my upper leg felt like it smashed right into my lower leg with no knee in between. Pretty excruciating pain. I managed to get my board off and get into the boat. I couldn't put any weight on it whatsoever.

Went to the ER and they basically gave me an immobilizer brace and some pain/swelling meds and told me to see a knee doctor. I got an appointment with the knee doc today who seemed to agree that I sustained some damage. I was hoping just a torn MCL and just strained ACL (my family doc came over and did an exam which yielded that idea), but the knee doc is thinking it is more likely a torn ACL and strained MCL.

The frustrating part is now I have to wait a few days to get an MRI approved by insurance and scheduled, then get an MRI, then wait another week for a follow up appointment where I get a real diagnosis. That means it'll be 2-3 weeks after the injury before I know if I need surgery. In the meantime, I got a nice huge knee (pic attached), and am crutching around home and work not really able to do anything.

Could be worse though

mgs917 · Addict Joined: 17 Sep 2008 Posts: 532 City: Spartanburg

Wow. That was a tough read. I hope you get everything taken care of and a speedy recovery.

On a side note. If you do need surgery, I have heard people say they feel their knee is stronger after than before. Good luck either way.

cheesewizz · Outlaw Joined: 07 Jul 2003 Posts: 231

second paragraph i had sick feeling in stomach, my wost fear, your reality, that is very depressing, i wish you the best of luck with your recovery!

wakechick13 · Posted: Jun 26, 2012 7:46 pm Post subject:

I'm on the same side as cheesewhizz...that was tough to read and see. Wish you the best of luck and a good recovery! Keep us updated.

9DROZD · Outlaw Joined: 21 Apr 2010 Posts: 114

Sorry to hear about your knee. I did almost the exact same thing. I got booted in perfect control Poked out a sick method and landed about 7ft into the flats and blew my acl, tore 4 spots on my meniscus, and tore the cartilage on my femur. I went through the whole process your about to go through. Before your surgery get your knee drained. Set up an appointment with your PT and start physical therapy before your surgery. Get as much strength and flexibility back before you go under the knife. This will help get you back to normal so much quicker after surgery. Best of luck to you.

FlyZone CR · Posted: Jun 27, 2012 5:17 am Post subject:

Ouch. Good luck with surgery & recovery!

mseller · Outlaw Joined: 05 May 2010 Posts: 220 City: Charleston

ouch dude that is super swollen! been there and know it sucks! agree with 9DROZD get in the gym and strengthen that quad/hammy up for a speedy recovery!

cchandy · Criminal Joined: 08 Jun 2012 Posts: 65 City: Lexington

Man...that is terrifying. I ski and snowboard very aggressively (and just started getting into wakeboarding) and this has always been my greatest fear. Best of luck to you man, and do provide updates!

_fng_ · Newbie Joined: 14 Oct 2011 Posts: 5 City: NB

Prehab is important and beneficial for a good outcome. Essentially you want to go into surgery with relatively normal range of motion, minimal swelling, and GOOD quad contraction/control. These things should accelerate the postop rehab. I've attached a link that states simple things to do the help with these ideas. Best of luck! As a PTm every time I take a heavy landing I fear the worst.

http://drmillett.com/downloads/rehab-protocols/acl-rehab-protocol.pdf

LFADAM · Posted: Jun 27, 2012 6:16 pm Post subject:

_fng_, thanks for posting that article. Very informative. My biggest question is: when can I walk? By the sounds of that article-it seemed to suggest I should be able to walk before surgery? Shocked

I can't put any weight whatsoever on my leg now after 5 days. I feel like I am nowhere near walking, and the article says I wont be walking for a while after surgery. What is the deal? If I have surgery sooner rather than later will I have a period of walking again in between or will I be out of walking from last Friday to several weeks or months after surgery?

The swelling in my knee is finally going down but now my calf is really swollen and above my knee has a pocket too. It hurts like hell in my calf to straighten my leg after being bent for a while or vice versa.

jbcs16 · Outlaw Joined: 03 Aug 2010 Posts: 100

really sorry to read about your injury. made me cringe big time. i tore my ACL, strained my MCL and shredded my lateral meniscus when i was in college. i did not have much swelling at all, which my dr said was very unusual. i did walk on mine before surgery, but it wasn't pretty. mine hurt bad in the back of my knee and calf when I tried to straighten it as well. i agree with prior comments to strengthen before surgery. it works! i rode a stationary bike a lot and did some PT and started PT again 2 days after reconstructive surgery. The surgery is not fun, but not the end of the world either. it hurts, no doubt. i think i was able to walk after about 6 weeks with no crutches, and most of that time was due to an attempt to repair my meniscus. they eventually went back in a few years later and removed the whole lateral meniscus. anyway, that was 12 years ago and i still wakeboard and do mostly anything I want. i am not very fast, don't change directions quickly, and can't jump very high, but I am still able to do most anything that I want. I do wear a brace to wakeboard now, but only when I wakeboard. I don't wear it for anything else. it takes a good year to recover and feel comfortable again. Best of luck on your recovery!

LFADAM · Posted: Jun 27, 2012 7:22 pm Post subject:

Ok I'm a little freaked out. I just realized my calf is not only swollen but my leg is bruising and discolored. Cause for immediate concern anyone? Too late to text my doctor and don't think this warrants an ER visit but I'm a little worried about blood clots. Luckily I'm on a blood thinner (naproxen)

I can't get the pic up posting from my phone but its the first tweet on @VTwake twitter if anyone is interested

Chattwake · Posted: Jun 28, 2012 6:22 am Post subject:

I tore my acl, strained my mcl and tore both the lateral and medial meniscus in my right knee in college on a backroll. My knee looked just like yours. Also, I had tons of swelling in my calf and foot. The blood is draining down from your knee. You need to elevate your leg and ice the hell out of it to constrict the capilaries.

pet575 · Posted: Jun 28, 2012 8:35 am Post subject:

^^^^^^THIS. Anytime you injure and tear the soft tissues in a joint you're going to get some internal bleeding. Totally normal*

*not a doctor so if you're worried about blood clots go get checked out.

LFADAM · Posted: Jun 28, 2012 8:44 am Post subject:

I decided to not go to work today so I could properly elevate and ice my knee.

Just found out my MRI is scheduled for next Friday July 6th, and that I have to wait ~5 business days after that before I can have my follow up appointment before I get a diagnosis.

This seems ridiculous. I'm trying to be patient but taking 2-3 weeks after the injury to get a diagnosis then who knows how long to set up surgery if necessary, I feel like school might be starting back up before I can even have the surgery done.

mseller · Outlaw Joined: 05 May 2010 Posts: 220 City: Charleston

it's prob better that you have to wait. the mri will come in clearer when the swelling goes down so they will get a better idea of what you tore. you don't necc have to have the surgery btw. I know a couple friends that haven't and are fine to this day. They just have strentghened their quad and wear a brace when riding. i know the situation sucks but hang in there.

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Not fun. Keep updating.

LFADAM · Posted: Jun 28, 2012 3:17 pm Post subject:

Looks like after some haggling I got an MRI set for this Saturday. That's good. Still in way more pain today than several days ago. Calf swelling is down a little but the bruise is now basically from my thigh to my calf (Fun fact-I'm one of those people that doesn't really bruise ever) Feels fine while laying on my back but when I put my foot down to crutch around is when it all drains down and hurts like hell/turns purple again.

Good news (I think) is that I still have a lot of flexibility. It takes a few seconds to stretch out but I can bend my knee from at least 90 degrees (sitting in a chair position) to over right at 180 or a little past (negative extension) while it is propped up to ice.

Going to try to work again tomorrow at least for a few hours

_fng_ · Newbie Joined: 14 Oct 2011 Posts: 5 City: NB

don't be too bummed about waiting for the MRI, if your knee blew up almost immediately you'd be safe to assume ACL as meniscus tears usually swell a few hours later.

Icing, elevating, and wrapping the leg with ACE bandage should help control swelling. Discoloration is completely normal and nothing to worry about. Things to worry about would be swelling, warmth and increased pain in calf...DVT but if you're not too sedentary this shouldn't be a huge risk given blood thinners.

As far as walking goes, every surgeon has different weight-bearing protocols after surgery. If it were me, I'd find a sports med surgeon cause they're usually more aggressive with postop progressions i.e. walking, strengthening, etc.
Before surgery it wouldn't be a bad idea to get the body used to a little weight through that leg. This can be done by standing normally with 100% weight on uninvolved side and slow and repetitively transfer weight to injured side. Go slow with this side to side then take it front to back to mimic walking movements. If you're insurance covers it and co-pays arent' a b*tch then get some PT before hand and make sure they do electric stim to get the muscle firing (not just for pain which won't make the muscle contract).

LFADAM · Posted: Jun 28, 2012 4:36 pm Post subject:

LFADAM · Posted: Jun 28, 2012 4:52 pm Post subject:

One thing I just remembered was within a day of the injury before it was totally swollen and before any swelling in my calf, I remember noticing that my calf was really sore (although not my hamstring or quad). Like I pulled a muscle or something. Not sure if that is normal/was a precursor to my calf pain etc but I just didn't expect it.

LFADAM · Posted: Jun 29, 2012 2:02 pm Post subject:

Well day 7 and I woke up in more pain than the day after it happened. But, things are improving. I spent the last 2 hours in bed just moving ice between my calf and knee and it is feeling better at the moment. I stood up and tried to put some weight on my bad knee for the first time. It's tough to bend my foot enough to stand on it but I got almost enough weight on it to lift my right foot (while leaning on my crutches) but it didnt really hurt too bad. I really feel like my knee feels fine, it's just my calf. Just trying everything to get the swelling and bruising down.

MRI tomorrow morning at 9am now. Can't wait to get the ball rolling.

mgs917 · Addict Joined: 17 Sep 2008 Posts: 532 City: Spartanburg

I would recommend trying to flex the calf muscle on the injured leg (if it isnt to painful). Just contract and relax it a few times each hour. This will help promote blood return and decrease the chance of blood clots.

LFADAM · Posted: Jun 29, 2012 5:31 pm Post subject:

mgs917, unfortunately my calf is the one muscle I have never really figured out how to flex other than using it. Laughing

Not kidding. I have been trying though

LFADAM · Posted: Jun 30, 2012 6:44 am Post subject:

Woke up in a lot of pain again (definitely the worst in the morning). Drove an hour to get my MRI just to find out the Imaging Center's power is out from the storms last night. My luck...

While we were in Roanoke we decided it was time we get my calf checked out for blood clots so I'm back in the ER waiting room...

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Definitely worth getting checked. The other thing that could be going on is compartment syndrome. Icing and elevation is key. Even though mine was a break, there are some similarities. Behind my knee was almost black and it traveled up and down my leg...for a couple weeks my leg was purple from thigh to calf.

LFADAM · Posted: Jun 30, 2012 10:57 am Post subject:

Well when it rains it pours. Blood clot (or actually 4 of them apparently?) I get to give myself two blood thinner shots for the next 4-7 days then I have to take pills for 3-6 months and check my blood once a week.

...which most likely means no knee surgery or drinking for 3-6 months . Rough. Shocked

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

I had to do those shots for about a week after my surgery. Not enjoyable at all.

No surgery?

LFADAM · Posted: Jul 01, 2012 6:30 am Post subject:

Okie Boarder, can't have knee surgery while on blood thinners or I could bleed to death. Have to be on blood thinners (warfarin) for 3-6 months, so it looks like that means I can't have knee surgery until Christmas. Not 100% sure on all of this yet but that is the gist of what the doctors have told me

fropappy · Soul Rider Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 434 City: Benton, AR

Ouch!
I remember that pain.
I blew mine out in May and had the surgery in October.
Back on the water in February.
That was 13 years ago.
Repaired knee is my strongest.
Hope you recover well and continue to ride.

LFADAM · Posted: Jul 05, 2012 2:16 pm Post subject:

Finally got my MRI done and had my follow up today. I have a completely torn MCL and torn Meniscus. Might have a partially torn ACL (ripping off the bone). They couldn't tell. Apparently it was one of the worst MCL tears this guy had seen so he referred me to another knee doctor who apparently deals with my kind of injury/surgery more. Sounds like surgery is likely although not guaranteed since MCL's can usually heal themselves. The problem is mine is so bad that it might not heal properly (and if my ACL is partially torn I'll probably need that worked on too).

So I keep waiting. Luckily I found out I should only be on blood thinners for 3 months, not 6. Recovery probably isn't as bad for MCL too although it is too early to know for sure.

TnR6Rida · Posted: Jul 05, 2012 4:09 pm Post subject:

When I tore my MCL on a wakeskate a few years back, I didn't have surgery and I have no problems now. Mine probably wasn't as bad as yours though.

Aubs · Motorboat Queen Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 9167

Yuck

Remember the picture I posted last summer of my knee? It was awful. They thought torn acl/mcl as well, but it was just a huge tibia plateau fracture (did the same thing to my other knee 4 years before that too).

Hoping for a speedy recovery for you!

LFADAM · Posted: Jul 07, 2012 8:13 pm Post subject:

2 week update:

Calf/Clot seems to be getting better. Had to stay on the shots (until Monday most likely) but the pain is mostly gone as well as the swelling.

My knee was doing pretty well too, but it still gets extremely stiff and uncomfortable overnight and hurts in the morning until I ice it down and loosen it up. Still had some swelling around my knee that wont go away. Then tonight, all of a sudden my knee swelling went insane and now it's almost like it was right after it happened. I can barely see my knee cap again and it hurts like hell to move. I ran out of Naproxen today so that may have contributed, but I think I might have somehow tore my meniscus more or something because this seems pretty bad for just coming off anti-inflammatories. Most of the swelling is on the outside and top of my knee (not the inside/MCL area). I tore my lateral meniscus which is the outer one of the two, so it seems to make sense. Not sure though but bad pain again...

bicelaw · Newbie Joined: 08 Jul 2012 Posts: 1 City: USA

ouch dude that is super swollen! been there and know it sucks! agree with 9DROZD get in the gym and strengthen that quad/hammy up for a speedy recovery!