MCL injuires

Adam Greer · Posted: Jun 14, 2004 9:18 am Post subject: MCL injuires

I haven't gotten the mri yet, but they say that they think i tore my MCL and PCL ( i thought he said CCL but i couldn't find that anywhere ). I was just woundering if anyone else has had the same injury and what the recovery was like. Thanks yall

rollin · Posted: Jun 14, 2004 10:04 am Post subject:

I tore my mcl in FEbruary. Im sure they told you this but there is nothing they can do other than tell you to stay off it untill it repairs itself. I had a partial tear in FEB and rode for the first time two weeks ago with no pain at all. The only pain I noticed during the recovery was an infrequent pain when I ran or did squats other than that it felt pretty good after a month.

Adam Greer · Posted: Jun 14, 2004 1:09 pm Post subject:

sweet well thats better news, i guess as long as mine isn't completely torn. Hopefully i will find out this week

MrDave · Outlaw Joined: 13 Jun 2004 Posts: 116

whats PCL and MCL?

jryoung · Ladies Man Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 7664 City: Man Jose

posterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament

dallasdrew · Criminal Joined: 21 Jan 2004 Posts: 59 City: Chandler

I tore my ACL/MCL/Meniscus(sp?) a few years back. ACL and Meniscus were repaired with surgery, but they just left the MCL alone, it will repair itself in 4 weeks or so. I'd stay off it for a couple of weeks, then start to do some light strength work on the muscles around the knee. Exercises in the pool work wonders. Good luck.

Alan C · Soul Rider Joined: 26 Jan 2004 Posts: 329 City: Calgary

my mom tore every tendon/ligament in her knee... it took her a year to heal but she did retear them 2 times... so give it a good 6 months... she just wakeboards with a brace on and takes it easy now...

wakeNskate · Outlaw Joined: 29 Apr 2004 Posts: 200 City: Nashville, TN

I tore my MCL about 6 weeks ago, and I've been out wakeboarding and skiing the slalom course for the last few weeks. It heals itself. I took a few weeks off and then just starting doing things with the brace on. As long as you're wearing it you can do just about anything. Sorry about your luck I know how it feels!

wakeguy2008 · Addict Joined: 16 Jul 2003 Posts: 847 City: Ft. Myers

i wonder if i a MCL....hmmmm

Dragonlady8 · Guest

PCL takes as long as an ACL to heal. It's 2x's as thick as the ACL

Dragonlady8 · Guest

Evan Doremus · Newbie Joined: 15 Jul 2003 Posts: 30 City: Orlando

I tore my MCL and it took about a month and a half of taking it easy before I felt comfortable doing sports, but for about 3 months after that i couldn't bend my knee past 90 degrees without experiencing pain. Wear a brace for a while.

Evan Doremus · Newbie Joined: 15 Jul 2003 Posts: 30 City: Orlando

I tore my MCL and it took about a month and a half of taking it easy before I felt comfortable doing sports, but for about 3 months after that i couldn't bend my knee past 90 degrees without experiencing pain. Wear a brace for a while.

Adam Greer · Posted: Jun 14, 2004 5:17 pm Post subject:

thanks yall,
so i guess i may or may not need to have work done Mr. Green

yea i don't know if he said pcl he said some type of inner knee thing so who knows. Hopefully not the PCL since Dragonlady8 says that it is twice as thick so that probably wouldn't be good. But i will let you know how the mri turns out.

south · Posted: Jun 14, 2004 5:28 pm Post subject:

still off water after 4months with MCL grade 2 tear..

but i havent really been doing exercises, its winter here and im not to motivated..

i have boarded since but will take a while to get the confidence up for bigger tricks again, did it on a HS frontflip ne way

Adam Greer · Posted: Jun 14, 2004 5:36 pm Post subject:

yea i did mine on a grabed h/s 5 off the double up. I just switched to a bigger board b/c i broke my other one and didn't move the stance in like i probably should have and that finished me off.

Nauty · Addict Joined: 12 Feb 2004 Posts: 827 City: Lake Dallas

Adam,

I have the exact same injury. Last year I partially tore my MCL and completely tore my PCL. With the MCL only being partially torn it will heal on its own. The PCL is a different story.

The PCL is the ligament on the back side of your knee. It keeps the lower part of your leg from falling behind the upper part of your leg. If you have ever locked your knees you can get the idea of what the PCL does. It locks your legs by keeping the lower part of your leg from going too far back. Without it the lower part of your leg would continue to go backward.

The bad news is that this type of injury is one that surgery will not do a whole lot to return you to normal. The ligament is so thick that it is hard to repair it back to its original strength. Therefore, if it cannot be repaired back to 100% most doctors will not risk invasive surgery for such little gain. However, if you have another ligament (such as an ACL) torn to a degree that it will require surgery, they will ususally go ahead and attempt to fix the PCL while they are in there.

I'm sure that different doctors will have different opinions on whether or not to fix the PCL. However, I think the genreal concensous is that the risk of surgery is not worth the minimal gain. My doctor advised me against surgery saying that it would never be the same as it was before, so why do it?

One of the downsides of this injury is that at some point in time you will have to have a knee replacement. Without the PCL the end of your femur will rub against the end of your tibia ( I hope I got the names of those bones right?). Over time this rubbing will wear down the cartilage in your knee causing the need for a knee replacement. A knee replacement will only last about 20 years, so they will generally not do them until you are in your 50s. This way by the time the knee replacement has worn out you will be too old for another one to do you any good.

In the mean time, you will most likely need to wear a brace everytime you do anything athletic. Get a good custom one like a Don Joy or a CTI. Insurance will pay for this. Just don't tell them you need it for wakeboarding or they won't pay. The biggest thing you can do is to rehab the muscles around your knee. This will go a long way in helping you feel confident that your knee won't give out.

I just started wakeboarding again a few months ago after sitting out for 9 months. I wear a Don Joy brace and feel very confident with it on. However, the biggest problem I have is mental confidence. My riding has totally regressed. I am terrified of hurting my knee again and approach the wake like a scared little girl. I am working through it though and I will get my mojo back by the end of the summer!

I'm sorry to hear about your injury and hope that it turns out not to be so bad. I'm sorry if I scared you here with my story, but PCL injuries are not very common unless you play pro football. When I tore mine I looked all through the message boards for advice from someone who had the same injury, but I could find nothing. I just thought you might want to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Let us know how the MRI comes out. Good luck.

Adam Greer · Posted: Jun 15, 2004 12:51 pm Post subject:

thanks man, that sucks, so can you tell a big difference without the PCL? I go for my mri tomorrow....

Adam Greer · Posted: Jun 15, 2004 3:41 pm Post subject:

hey which don joy brace did you get?

Nauty · Addict Joined: 12 Feb 2004 Posts: 827 City: Lake Dallas

I have the "Defiance" knee brace. They run about $1000, but insurance should cover it.

Yep, you can definitely feel a difference without your PCL. Not so much walking or anything, but if I had to run for my life and didn't have my knee brace on, I would be in big trouble.

Adam Greer · Posted: Jun 21, 2004 9:31 am Post subject:

well the Docs first instinct was wrong, i have a torn acl, i guess that is better than the mcl...

rollin · Posted: Jun 21, 2004 10:14 am Post subject:

good luck with the recovery and do lots of rehab so you can get back out as soon as possible.

Green Johnson89 · Newbie Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 11 City: Brighton

I just tore my MCL tuesday. At first, i posted it, they said it was a spain. But earlier today i went to the doctors and they said it was a MCL level 2 tare and i have to rest for 4 weeks. This sucks cause i just got a Tige 20v and didnt ge tto ride it and im goin to Camp of Campions in 2 weeks(snowboard camp). Do you guys think ill be good enough to snowboard in a couple of weeks? I'm getting a check up right before i leave so i just want to know if i should worry.

Adam Greer · Posted: Jun 21, 2004 10:40 am Post subject:

i think i read some wear that it takes 6 weeks to heal but i don't know man. That is good news though that it is just a partial, but hopefully you will get to go snowboarding sounds like a fun trip for sure.

im gona be out for at least 6 months since mine needs to be repaired, but it something that has to be done...

dallasdrew · Criminal Joined: 21 Jan 2004 Posts: 59 City: Chandler

After I tore my acl I came back 6 months later stronger and more athletic than I was before. My advice, get a good physical therapist, someone who is used to working with athletes/active people, someone who will push you and not baby you. I'm sure after you surgery they will have you in a machine at home the NEXT DAY that bends you knee for you. Stay on that to get your range of motion back. I know I said this before but get in the pool. Jumping up and down, side to side movements, forward/backward, running, all those in the pool work wonders. Hit your rehab sessions hard, you don't want to leave a single doubt in your mind you are not ready when you come back, a lot of your progress will depend on how strong you are mentally. Ignore the pain, but be smart about it as well, you know your body. Trust me, if you do these things and put in the effort, you will come back stronger than before. Good luck an speedy recovery.

dallasdrew · Criminal Joined: 21 Jan 2004 Posts: 59 City: Chandler

After I tore my acl I came back 6 months later stronger and more athletic than I was before. My advice, get a good physical therapist, someone who is used to working with athletes/active people, someone who will push you and not baby you. I'm sure after you surgery they will have you in a machine at home the NEXT DAY that bends you knee for you. Stay on that to get your range of motion back. I know I said this before but get in the pool. Jumping up and down, side to side movements, forward/backward, running, all those in the pool work wonders. Hit your rehab sessions hard, you don't want to leave a single doubt in your mind you are not ready when you come back, a lot of your progress will depend on how strong you are mentally. Ignore the pain, but be smart about it as well, you know your body. Trust me, if you do these things and put in the effort, you will come back stronger than before. Good luck an speedy recovery.

Adam Greer · Posted: Jun 21, 2004 4:38 pm Post subject:

sweet man thanks for the advice, i definitely am going to take rehab very seriously, when i come back i want to be able to ride at the level i was when i stoped. Any other advice would greatly be apreciated yall Mr. Green