Medical advice needed

[RedHeadedFisherman]

who on AO has had a torn knee ligament, and how long did it take you to fully recover?.. ant special things you have to do?

thanks
RHF

[steve]

Initially a couple months. I still tweak it and it bugs me for a day or two. Can't sit still long enough to watch a movie in a theatre, or drive long distances wihout getting out for a stretch.

[Killerb]

Originally Posted by RedHeadedFisherman

who on AO has had a torn knee ligament, and how long did it take you to fully recover?.. ant special things you have to do?

thanks
RHF

It depends which ligament. If you tore the acl you may never recover fully and it might bother you for the rest of your life. My sister lost her basketball scholarship because of that. All I can say is don't be a tough guy and stay off it until the doc says so. stressing it could cause major damage

[backpacker]

I tore my ACL back in /93 and never have had the ligament repaired. The initial swelling was done in a week or so however the knee never has the stability of my good knee. I ended up having arthroscopic surgery to repair my meniscus as it was torn due to the many times my knee would pop out of joint. Since the arthroscopic though, I have been able to build up the muscle around my knee and have gained stability to the point that I don't wear a knee support while backpacking(still bring it with me,just in case).
If you have the 6 months to recover and your injury is the ACL I would suggest getting it fixed. What has worked for me may not be your best option.

[silver]

How long depends on which ligament and how bad the damage. Stay off it,the more you use it, the longer it will take to heal. Crutches are a pain, I was on them for three months this winter. I was diagnosed with strain/tear of my left knee, mostly better now, still occaisional aches and soreness. Its been 6 months.

[Cattle Dog]

You might be sccrewwed like me; arthritis complecates the matter; even if exray shows no broken bones; i try to stay on flat ground like pavement or gravel road; don't pack any weight; sometimes it helps when walking to deliberatly keep foot pointing slightly inwards and walking more on outer edge of foot; you may be cadoodled for life.

[densa44]

It is very important that you get this completely diagnosed. Has it been scoped? The Physician can see the ligament and tell if it can heal or if you need surgery. If it has broken off, it can jamb under the patella and be very painful, more than now.

Good luck with this.

[Redfrog]

I tore my knee ligaments up about 30 years ago.

One doc told me I needed immediate surgery or I would have trouble walking for the rest of my life. He was quacking loudly as I left his office. Second opinion from a sports injury specialist said a pro ball player should get surgery, but in my case, with or without surgery as I got older the knee would give me grief.

I healed to the point that I could do what I wanted to do. Mtns, horses, hiking, dancing with the stars etc. But as I age I have had to drop some activies. No dancing With the stars or mtn climbing. I can still move enough to chase " Yes Dear" but as age takes its toll I can't remember why.

It took about 4 mos before I could get very active.

Take it easy, and in my case the WCB doctor would have got a kick in the junk, except my knee was fubar.

[FishingMOM]

RHF

Make sure you get a full work up.
What a lousy way to start ones summer all cause of some punk ***** boater who intentionally shook the dock you guys were on causing you to tumble.


Sure hope you heal up without needing surgery. But if they say you should do surgery do it. You dont need more pain.

[Badgerbadger]

I busted my ACL and MCL years ago. Got 'em athroscopically fixed, and they've been pretty good. When they were busted, walking was like shooting with a broken hockey stick.

You might want to get yourself a knee brace until you get fixed up.

I got a knee brace from one of those medical stores (non-prescription, just picked something that worked well off the shelf), and used it quite a bit until I got the surgery done. It helped a lot. I shingled a couple of roofs while wearing it, went hunting, skiing, skating, and played golf.

I still use my knee brace when i go skiing. Better safe than sorry.