Blew out my knee...

[chrono]

Yup, happened Friday night.

2 on 1. Came across the net right to left following the pass, and was dragging my right pad in an attempt to cut off the far side low. Then, POP! in my right knee and agonizing pain.

EMS came and I took a nice trip to the urgent care facility. The docs say it is definitely an internal injury - most likely my MCL or medial meniscus. I won't know for sure until I see an orthopedist and have an MRI tomorrow. If it is the MCL the docs say it will virtually guarantee that I'll nedd surgery.

Now I'm laid up, I can't drive or walk, and I'm hobbling around on crutches while wearing an itchy-ass knee immobilizer.

This sucks! And I was about to finally get some new gear after almost 15 years of using the same stuff. Pads were going to be ready hopefully this week. Now, I guess I won't be needing them for awhile...

Anyone ever go through this? I'm afraid that I'll never be able to play again...any advice on how to take care of this kind of injury? I've never been hurt like this before.

THIS SUCKS!!

[hroark2112]

Knee injuries are probably one of the most common injuries here on the board!

The best advice on how to deal with it...do EXACTLY what the doctor tells you. Don't look to the internet for diagnosis and for advice on what you can & can't do. Some idiots on the board here will tell you to just ignore it, or just play through the pain. If it was serious enough to go to seek immediate medical attention, it's potentially a significant injury and you need to pay attention to the doctor.

[chrono]

Thanks hroark!

Yeah, I've been sticking to the docs' orders and will continue to do so.

It is certianly something that I can't play through - hell, I can't even walk to the bathroom without crutches, or help from my wife. I done F'ed myself up real good

Thanks again for the reply!

-Tim

[The West Wall]

I fuxed up my knee pretty good too, but new gear wasn't in my future. Thats gotta hurt. Here's a couple threads to help cope.

pop goes the left knee
Knee Injury - What's the Verdict?
Meniscus tear and playing

Good luck on a speedy recovery!

[RCS]

Ice it and elevate it for a couple days, it'll be fine.

I'm totally kidding of course (for anyone reading this, Chrono was contemplating buying my Itechs when the new Vorteks arrive).

Take it easy for sure. Keep us updated on how it goes.

[chrono]

Thanks for the kind words guys! I've been kinda miserable the last few days and the nice responses have made me smile.

I'll post up again when I have had the MRI and spoken with the orthopedist.

Again, thanks a bunch!

-Tim

[roelof1]

I did the same thing 8 weeks ago to my knee. It "popped" and the leg burned like you wouldn't believe. But, instead of getting off the ice like a smart girl (or guy) would, I stayed on and played the remainder of the game and the next, further injuring it.

I have almost a full thickness tear in the MCL, and a tear in my medial meniscus. Hopefully I'll get to see a surgeon soon but, like you, I'll likely need surgery to repair the ligament, which is barely holding together.

It sucks. This has been the longest 8 weeks of my life, and I'll be out for the forseeable future. Between surgery, recovery, and physio/rehab, I'll be on the mend for months. My winter season is shot because I'm going to miss Fall try-outs.

Good luck, man. My best advice? Is exactly the same as others - LISTEN TO YOUR DOCTOR! Don't go trying to play again just because the leg "feels better". It will feel better, and you'll think it's fine until you do some kind of lateral movement to aggravate it like, say, kicking a soccer ball (SO painful)

Keep us posted. Best of luck

[scooter]

Most mcl injuries do not require surgery unless it is a grade 3, or a complete tear. The Mcl is one of the ligaments that does tighten back up by itself. It does take a long time though.

I blew out both knees at once almost 2 years ago. Tore both mcl and pcl's in both knees, along with my meniscus. I had one surgery to remove part of my pcl that was making my knee lock in one position. I am now waiting for surgery to repair the meniscus damage in both knees.

Good luck with your injury, ice and rehab are your friends.

[darien.30]

man,
i dislocated my left knee going into a b'fly in february and im still messed up.
its going to be really frustrating, but like the other guys have been saying, just listen to the doctors, go to physio and,
ice!

[deamonpainter33]

Wow sounds like almost the exact thing that happened to me about a month ago. I tore my MCL (grade 2) june 8th. My knee was in a locked position while down in a full blocking bfly, dude followed his rebound into my leg and fell over me, bending where i shouldn't have and POP! not good. i was in a knee imobilizer for about 4 weeks, then i started physical therapy two weeks ago or so.

I've been pushing myself harder as i've been healing up alot faster than i thought. But i was told by the doctor and the physical therapist that a full recovery takes about 5-6 months for ALL of the pain to subside. The MCL will heal and scar in about 8-9 weeks but it's still fragile. I MIGHT consider playing ice once or twice a month just to test it for 30 min or just depends on how much it will tolerate.

I recovered almost entire range of motion so i assume I'll try it in late this month. Not sure if i should? Maybe someone in here has fully recovered from this injury and can tell us how long it took?

[marvintpa]

Yes, it sucks, but life will go on. Remember, by being patient with the healing process you're making an investment in the rest of your life.
If you're careful and there are no other severely complicating factors you will almost certainly be able to play again. This will take awhile, but it will be temporary. Don't skip physio sessions, and enjoy the ultrasoud and other treatments the (hopefully cute) physiothereapists will give ya.

Having done the under-the-knife thing three times my recommendation when you get your evaluation is to tell them you are, or are hoping to, play at a high level (hopefully you're being honest). If surgery is only partially indicated they may elect not to knife ya if they think you're just a weekend warrior or hockey is not all that important to you. Surgery is often the fastest way to a full recovery - don't be afraid of it, they can do amazing things with knees these days.

[habs-fan]

I got a grade 2 MCL tear a few years back.

Physio and TENS treatments 3 times a week. Took 6 months to be cleared to play baseball with a brace, and 3 more months before the doc cleared me to resume goaltending.

If your doc recommends surgery, seek a second opinion unless it's a grade 3 tear.

LISTEN TO THE DOCS.

[chrono]

Hey thanks again for kind words and advice!

I just went to the Orthopedist yesterday, he believes it to be an torn MCL, but he said he couldn't tell me the full extent of the tear because he couldn't get a fully accurate physical examination because I was too sore and too swollen. I have to go back in a week for further testing. He said that by then the swelling and tenderness will have subsided enough to do a more comprehensive exam.

As someone mentioned above, he also told me that the MCL is the only ligament in the knee that can heal and mend on its own and does not always require surgery, so maybe I'll luck out.

I'm sorry to hear that there are many others here that have done the same thing to their knees. I wish you all the best of luck with your injuries as well!

I'll try to keep updating as I hear and experience more.

Thanks again everyone!

-Tim

[habs-fan]

I was lucky enough to get injured in late December. Sut down the season right there. I was able to resume softball in June with a brace. Back in net when the season stated in September.

I have never been so scared of standing in net as that first day back. I knew that day was career making. I was either going to be OK and keep on playing or the knee was going to give and I'd have to hang the up.

Best of luck.

Listen to the docs and do not rush back. I know it's hard, but if you rush it you could blow your knee to the point that you'll never play again.

[chrono]

Yikes!

I can't believe it has taken me this long to update this thread! My appologies for any unwanted re-animation of the dead and for not spending more time here. I've missed hockey so much, and being remined of it while I was hurt just made me sad...

Well, after about 9 weeks I am finally getting back to walking somewhat normally without a limp. My most recent MRI showed the MCL healing well, and, more importantly, no further injuries to any other part of the knee. I had been experiencing some pain, so an MRI was done to check for miniscal tears or other injuries. Clean MRI = NO SURGERY! It appears that the pain I've been experiencing has come from some per anserie bursitis, which I was told was not uncommon to this type of injury. It seems that while the knee was injured and the leg immobilized, the hamstring was doing most of the work "moving" the leg. Because the hamstring attaches to the medial part of the knee, the pain manifests in the same area as the MCL and the symptoms can sometimes be mistaken for further injuries, usually to the miniscus. This bursitis is treatable with PT, ice and time.

So I'm hitting the physical Therapy hard, and hope to be back up to full motion over the next couple of months. I'm trying to be as serious as I can, and am even considering sitting out this season both as a player and a coach, just so i can focus on rehabing and monitoring my progress. I don't want to mess up what I've gained so far.

Many thanks to all of you who have chimed in with kind words and your helpful experiences and avice. I know goalies come here sometimes looking for moral support after a scary injury and guidance through trying times.

Hopefully someone can use this thread to help a bit.

Thanks again everyone!

-chrono