My doctor told me long ago to stop consulting " Dr. Google." ☺
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My doctor told me long ago to stop consulting " Dr. Google." ☺
Indeed, always a good idea. My only problem with the anatomy charts is I wind up being more confused than when I started. Something about them, guess it is good I didn't try to go into medicine or physical therapy :) I AM working on a better understanding of knee anatomy.Quote:
Originally Posted by thekarens
Make sure you use an updated chart then that shows the anterolateral ligament. :D They only definitively identified it a couple of years ago!
See I love them! Of course, my current thinking is that I'll try to match in ortho after med school, so one would hope:p:p Part of the problem with looking at the charts is they don't necessarily tell you when I'll feel pain if one or the other structure is injured.Quote:
Originally Posted by Catrin
Hang in there, and I'm so sorry to hear you're going through this much frustration! I actually had a WC knee issue about 6 years ago (fell going into the building) - and I remember the mess that was scheduling the PT, MRI, etc. with their providers. Total headache.
I tried to look up images related to the anterolateral ligament and could really only find actual surgery images....shiver. My coach seems to think it likely a meniscus injury but time will tell. I am walking a bit easier, but still wind up hopping downstairs and the knee just doesn't feel right. I do wonder about the actual patella and the two collateral ligaments. Hopefully I've simply bruised the inside patella lining and p'od my "runner's knee" and arthritis. At least, once this is done, we will know exactly what is wrong with my knee.
All in all, given what has happened, I consider myself to be quite lucky. The overall scale and scope of injuries could have been far worse given a full force face plant on concrete!
MRI in a couple of hours, should have the results by Friday morning at the latest.
It really is very strange. While it IS working better, and there is much less pain and swelling, I still get sharp pains in the knee. Mechanically speaking, I no longer have to hop downstairs like I did, but it is apparent that my knee isn't operating like the other one. As the day progresses I get more discomfort - and LOTS of numbness in my calf/IT Band, down the outside of my lower leg in the afternoon when in the office. While I HAVE stopped going to my KB group until I get the results (it felt too much like playing with fire), I did some very light work last night at home and yeah, there were issues. Really hoping that this is something that doesn't require surgery and they tell me that I can still workout...this forced inactivity is about to drive me up the wall.
Send me good thoughts and prayers that this is "just" something like internal bruising :)
Good thoughts headed your way for a positive result!
Good luck Catrin.
Good luck Catrin and hoping for a "not-so-bad" result, knowing there is something going on with that! argggg.
Talk about a comedy of errors today! 15 minutes before I was due to leave home to go get the MRI taken, my phone rang. The MRI had broken down and they didn't know when it would be ready to work...and my follow up appointment with my workman's comp dr to determine if I need an Ortho consult was less than 48 hours away. Thankfully I WAS able to connect with the right people and we were able to get me into another location this afternoon.
My MRI tech asked me what I hoped would come out of this. At first I sad - to not have to have surgery - but that wasn't my final answer. My real goal for this is to have my knee work properly again, hopefully that won't require surgery but if it does, then, it does. They gave me a DVD with my images, and of course I've already looked at them. I've NO idea what I am looking at, which is probably a good thing. They will mail me the report, but of course I won't see that before Friday. Probably a good thing so I won't waste time at work consulting "Dr Google" trying to figure out what the report actually MEANS!
Good luck! Wishing you a simple recovery even if it's not quick.
Glad you were able to work that little problem out!
Now, sending lots of good thoughts that it means no surgery and back to all of your activities asap.
Haha, reminds me of having my hand in a cast during the blizzard of '78. I caught mono two weeks after breaking it, so it took twice as long as it should've to heal, then when I went to get my should've-been-final X-rays they had no electricity, and when it was finally time for the cast to come off the saw was broken and the doctor had to cut it off with tin snips. :D
Glad you got it done anyway, hope the doctor gives you good news!
Hoping for a good MRI report for you, Catrin. Shame it's causing you so much discomfort and pain, and having to curtail your normal activities. That is frustrating, for sure. Keep us posted!
Considering what I COULD have heard, I consider this good news - and not a surprise.
While I knew I had some arthritic changes in that knee, and also a bit of chondromalacia patella which meant I already had tracking problems with that patella. Unknown to me, my arthritis in that knee had deteriorated enough to now considered to be "Moderate to Severe", and of course I've lost some cartilage. Basically, I hit the ground with enough force to seriously aggravate this underlying condition. Considering the extent of my face injuries, I now suspect that my knee took the brunt force of my fall, and only then my face. Yes, I had a broken nose and open wounds on my face (including my lips), but if my face had truly taken the full force of my fall, I think the damage would have been much worse.
So, no surgery. They gave me a very tight sleeve for my knee which feels wonderful! I've also been referred to physical therapy for a few sessions to work on that knee. I can also do whatever I want fitness wise - as long as it doesn't hurt. So, while this has likely put the kabosh on my August competition, I still consider this good news. At my age things take longer to heal, and it is great to know that I CAN continue with my preferred method of training and to work with my training group. I also don't know what I COULD have replaced it with, given other injuries have taken me off the bike and I can't run!
I also seem to be racking up quite the collection of arthritis: moderate-severe arthritis in knee, thumbs/wrists, and cervical spine. Moderate arthritis in hip. Yikes! Thankfully, at least, the one in my hip doesn't hurt/impact me. Personally, I think I am a bit young for all of this, but perhaps 55 isn't THAT young. Even if I do feel, usually, like I am aging backwards :cool:
Congrats on the no surgery, that's always a thrill to hear.
Glad the news is good (ish) and that the sleeve helps. Good luck with the PT and returning to full function.
I would consider this good news, too. You can work with it!
Thanks all, and yes. This :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Crankin
All in all very good news. Yay!
Whew, no surgery, no tendon or ligament tears. Yep, could be worse. Arthritis happens to most/all of us. I've got it in my big toe joints, lower back, and probably other areas as well. But I walk, run, ride, and do yoga, all within the limits of my abilities. Glad the brace feels good and that you'll be able to get back to your training!
They sent my MRI report directly to me, which is nice. It also means that I fell to the temptation to visit Dr. Google and wish I hadn't.
How could I avoid it though? I mean, sentences such as this:
Extensive patellofemoral disease with broad regions of high-grade chondromalacia laterally.
Prominent notch spur effaces the ACL. Notch synovitis
Medial cartilage thinning (grade 2-3) - no medial meniscal tear (whew)
Ok, perhaps it is no mystery now why landing on that knee in my fall had...repercussions. And why I can no longer run. Why most of the cardio machines hurt my knee. And...
On the OTHER hand, I had a great 37 minute intense kettlebell workout this morning that felt great. So my coach had to change two of the exercises in the kettlebell circuit to prevent pain - but I was able to do it without holding back. I will take it!
Now I know why when I went to pick up my breast films and biopsy report they had it in a sealed envelope...so I wouldn't be tempted! ☺
Yep, that was it :pQuote:
Originally Posted by thekarens
That is GREAT news! Go Catrin!Quote:
Originally Posted by Catrin
They gave me a report in a sealed envelop once, I just opened it, figured it was mine I'd look at it if I wanted to. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Catrin
That is exactly what I would have done ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Pax
Oh I could have. They seal it for HIPPA reasons I assume, but I know better than to open it. I would just obsess. If it hadn't been sealed I wouldn't have been able to resist. It's not like they think I'm not perfectly capable of opening some tape and glue.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pax
I just know me. I know what I need to know at this point. I don't need to obsess and analyze something I'm not qualified to analyze in the first place.
Nose seems healed, and working hard on my knee recovery. I can still do about half of my usual fitness activities without pain - and thankfully most of those include kettlebells :-) Not quite brave enough to try hiking yet, but I don't think it is too far away. Will just need to resist the temptation to start out with a 5 mile hike on broken terrain :o
Glad you're mending! Feels like we might have some real spring weather so being out and about a little will be nice!
It's amazing how fast we heal, Catrin. Maybe a short hike next weekend, 1-2 miles, to test the knee?
That will probably be a good idea - if they get me the new brace at PT that they discussed the other day. Today I did spend 25 minutes on the ArcTrainer. Level 1, wave setting which translates to very small changes in incline and much less resistance than I ordinarily use on that machine. It was fine :-) Not saying the knee is close to normal, but I can work with it!Quote:
Originally Posted by Crankin
My next goal is to get back to the KB Long Cycle (clean and jerk)!
Glad you're healing! Definitely get some sunshine if you can, even if it's only sitting out ... it'll help your mood, besides vitamin D is so important for healing!
Glad you're doing better all the time, Catrin! :-)
I took Crankin's suggestion & did a short hike today :D It was a three hours after my usual Sat morning KB group, and already over 70 degrees by early afternoon so I went for it. I hit dirt trails rather than pavement, and went to the most gentle trails I know with very little climbing. I didn't want to tax the knee more than needed. My phone is the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active and used a couple of the fitness features to keep track of my efforts/mileage/route mapping/etc. (Really surprised at how robust they were!). I had hoped for at least 1.5 miles, but I was back at my car at .85 mile - my knee was hurting by then. Seemed best to call it a day instead of forcing myself to hit an arbitrary distance. Thankful that I selected trails that didn't get me too far from my car as the crow flies, it helps that I chose a park I am very familiar with.
On one hand it was humbling that very easy hiking bothered my knee, but I am wearing a brace for a reason. I can work with this - just have to be smart. Thinking it might be good to get a hiking staff or something, once I am able to hit more challenging trails. At least I DO have a non-impact cardio option at my other gym, and I've learned what I can do with the kettlebells and what I need to avoid for now. All good!
Catrin, I use poles when doing hiking in challenging terrain. Not so much for my knees, but for stability, as I am a klutz! I use my snow shoe poles, which are interchangeable for the season you're in. They are pretty commonly used around here, especially up in the White Mountains.
This is good to know, and really, I am thinking about one for stability. I need to do what I can to prevent another fall on that knee... I will need to decide between one or two, but I think one is sufficient for the terrain I will find in the mid-west. I won't risk my favorite hiking trail for now - it is a double black diamond mountain bike trail that is VERY hard to just walk. Even with two poles I don't think it wise - and there were those who shook their heads at my hiking it solo.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crankin
We looooove our hiking poles for hikes with climbs and most especially for descending. We've done some hilly hikes without them and always regretted it! They help going uphill to be sure, but even more for going downhill, protecting the knees, and as Crankin aptly notes, for stability. However, they can also cause a fall if the tip gets wedged in between rocks...don't ask me how I know this! :D
Still, if you are careful with placement, they help way more than they hurt. I've hobbled down trails with a sore knee before that there's no way I could have done without 'em.
Thanks Emily! I appreciate hearing from both you and Crankin on your experiences.
I overdid things today, my knee is really complaining :o I had planned on doing some steady-state no impact cardio at my gym tomorrow but I may not get there. Oh well, one step forward, half-step backwards, that is the way of things. I am not about to give up moving! This means my gym bag will be in my car when I head to church in the morning, just in case ;)
6 weeks later the knee is far from what it was before I argued with the broken pavement, but there is improvement. Just tried a mile gentle hike with a new brace and one birch hiking stick and it went better :)
They have referred me to a knee specialist to make certain nothing has been missed. Apparently he is only available at the workman's comp center a few hours a week so they are trying to fit me in, his next open time is a full month away. Trying not to stress over that, but it is the way it is. He mainly works with pro football teams so he must be good!