Knee Injury Recovery

[gmcl]

Hi All

I'd like an opinion on my 15 yr old duaghter's two month old knee injury. The injury took place whilst playing football, where she landed straight down on hard ground pushing the knee upward. There was a sort of popping sound at the time. Knee swelled immediately and we iced etc. X-ray clear and she has been having physio for past 6 weeks. Physio suggested that her knee cap had tracked (it's quite small) although she also had pain just under the knee cap.

Pain now all disappeared. Excerises started with sets of quads plus stair lifts, moving to running over the last 10 days and latterly some shuttle runs and turns. At the end of the shuttle runs, she experienced a slight amount of pain, as if something pulled. The pain quickly disappeared, although the knee became hot to touch (no noticeable swelling). Iced the knee - no subsequent swelling or pain. Same thing happened again this evening during a training session, although this time the knee was not hot to touch.

Physio says not to worry and to carry on the programme.

I'm not so sure and am thinking about getting her referred to a consultant and having a MR scan to make sure surgery is not required.

Would appreciate an advice.

[Unregistered]

Hi All

I'd like an opinion on my 15 yr old duaghter's two month old knee injury. The injury took place whilst playing football, where she landed straight down on hard ground pushing the knee upward. There was a sort of popping sound at the time. Knee swelled immediately and we iced etc. X-ray clear and she has been having physio for past 6 weeks. Physio suggested that her knee cap had tracked (it's quite small) although she also had pain just under the knee cap.

Pain now all disappeared. Excerises started with sets of quads plus stair lifts, moving to running over the last 10 days and latterly some shuttle runs and turns. At the end of the shuttle runs, she experienced a slight amount of pain, as if something pulled. The pain quickly disappeared, although the knee became hot to touch (no noticeable swelling). Iced the knee - no subsequent swelling or pain. Same thing happened again this evening during a training session, although this time the knee was not hot to touch.

Physio says not to worry and to carry on the programme.

I'm not so sure and am thinking about getting her referred to a consultant and having a MR scan to make sure surgery is not required.

Would appreciate an advice.

HI there,
Im by no means an expert, but it sounds like there might be something else going on in that knee. I hyperextended my knee and heard the pop in my knee when I did that too.... at first I was told that I'd only done minor damage as my knee didnt swell, and was ok to walk on. I walked around ok for another 4 months, and functioned normally provided I didnt have to run. My knee was also buckling a bit under as well. I went and saw a sports injuries expert and straight away he diagnosed a torn ACL. I had no MRI, it wasnt needed, and had the surgery a month later..... all is ok now and Im 4 months down the rehabilitation track. Im not meaning to scare you by telling you all this, but it seems to me that if your daughter is still having problems 2-3 months later, then there is smething else going on in that knee. Persist with the DRs, and if you really are unsure, find someone who knows what they are talking about and get another opinion. I persisted with mine.... I went through 3 DRs a physio and a oesteopath before I found the Sports injuries guy that got it right.

Where abouts are you?? I might be able to help with a good Dr if you are close.

Alla

[Unregistered]

Thanks for that.
She can certainly run of and there has never been any buckling. Just seems to be when she puts a sudden turning movement that there is some initial pain, which then subsides quickly.

We live in Manchester, UK. A good consultant is not a problem. I have one lined up who looks after Manchester United FC. I'd just rather not put my daughter through even more tests if I don't have to.

[Alla]

Thanks for that.
She can certainly run of and there has never been any buckling. Just seems to be when she puts a sudden turning movement that there is some initial pain, which then subsides quickly.

We live in Manchester, UK. A good consultant is not a problem. I have one lined up who looks after Manchester United FC. I'd just rather not put my daughter through even more tests if I don't have to.

From my personal experience, a good consultant should be able to diagnose the problem without an MRI etc. I didnt even have my knee x rayed before mine was diagnosed.... largely because the GP's I saw initially didnt think I had done any damage. Through shear frustration I went and saw a sports Dr from an AFL football side who is very respected and he had it sussed out as soon as he saw the muscle wastage I'd had. He did a few physiocal tests, the lachmans, pivot and drawer tests and was able to say that he was 90% sure that I'd torn my ACL. He referred me to an orthopedic surgeon who specialises in ACL reconstructions, and he did the same tests saying that he was 95% sure Id torn it..... and so they went in for a look and sure enough it was completely ruptured... .so they did the reconstruction then and there. So for me I didnt have an MRI... it actually wasnt worth it.... I did have to have some xrays done through to make sure there werent any other structural problems with my knee though.

I should make the point that buckling doenst always mean falling to the ground. Mine as buckling in the sense that I was having to catch my knee from trying to over straighten all the time. I'd come home from a day on my feet at work and have a very weary knee from the muscles working so hard to protect it from going the wrong way. I think I only had 2-3 episodes where I actually fell over because on my knee.... and even then I stopped myself before I hit the ground. A good Doctor should be able to help you out I think....

One of the GPs that I saw said that a ligament tear can take up to 12 weeks to heal.... only thing is that the ACL has a poor blood supply, and if you have damaged it enough it wont heal. Mine had completely snapped so there was never going to be any healing. Like I said,.... Im no expert.... but I think if you are worried and a fair time frame has past without improvement then it might be worth investigating further....

Alla

[Unregistered]

I've busted my knee several times. I started using this product called flex-force. It helped to lubricate my knee joint. Try it, see if it works for you guys. Go to www.flexforceworks.com. Hope this help!

Bill