mattyg Posted February 3, 2004 Share Posted February 3, 2004 I'm at Schweitzer right now on a skiing vacation with a friend and I can't ski because I hurt my knee. Sucks. I don't remember feeling this injury occur and I never even took a bad spill. But the night after our first day here the inside of my knee was painful to the touch. Any lateral movement caused pain and the knee just felt generaly unstable. Boo-hoo. I've been icing, wraping and trying to move it around a bit. It seems better but I still don't feel confident skiing yet. Anyone had a similar problem? What did you do to help the healing process? How long does it usually take to recover and can I expect long term issues now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted February 3, 2004 Share Posted February 3, 2004 I did a partial tear of my MCL about 5 years ago. Immobilize, Ice, and after 5 - 6 weeks of immobilization, PT. I was able to run about 2 months after the injury. I'm not an MD, but I have to believe that recovery time for a sprain is less than the partial tear. Also, a while later I had an MRI on the same knee for a meniscus tear and the comment from the radioligist was, "I see the partial tear of the MCL healed very nicely". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain Posted February 3, 2004 Share Posted February 3, 2004 I did something similar but I landed wrong on a jump and did the classic outside edge catch and twisted my knee. It doesn't take much force at all. In fact, I think the classic knee tearing ski injury is the slow-motion fall backwards where your foot washes out underneath you and applies torque to your knee. All pain went away after I rested my knee for awhile, but I was really scared! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain Posted February 3, 2004 Share Posted February 3, 2004 Here's an image of the slow fall that seems to cause a lot of ski-related injuries in the knee. Your knee will release before your binding might. Also, take a look at the information at http://www.ski-injury.com/ rest, ice, and some ibuprofen would be a good start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sverdina Posted February 3, 2004 Share Posted February 3, 2004 Had a partial MCL rupture similar to Doug's a couple years ago (felt a slight "pop"). Iced the knee and tried to keep it immobile as much as possible for the first week or so. Doc wanted me to walk on it ASAP to cut down on loss of mobility and so I did, though with some pain that gradually subsided. With the swelling gone, the doc wasn't able to detect any instability in the joint and cleared me to start some light physical activity. I was boarding again within 2 or 3 weeks after the injury...though with noticeable stiffness, and hesitation (ironicaly, I wasn't able to run yet). Just easy turns and definitley no jumping. The injury occurred just before xmas, and I didn't feel 100% in the knee for the remainder of the ski season. I think I did some cartilage damage that wasn't nearly as serious as the MCL tear, but still took a VERY long time to heal. The pain wasn't particularly bad, but it was enough to remind me that I had some damage in the knee & undermine my confidence while riding. Rode with a brace the entire following season. I continued to feel mild discomfort in the knee for about a year after the injury. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geordie Posted February 4, 2004 Share Posted February 4, 2004 I feel your pain. Nearly a month ago I thought of posting the same question. I didn't feel any pain at the time, just had problems with my tele turns - boy was I in a pissy mood. We decided to go home before I killed someone/something and as soon as the boot came off I noticed the knee pain and instability. After 10 days of RICE and Vitamin I , I went xc skiing and managed some snowshoeing too. This weekend I skiied for a few hours on two different days. Still a little weak for a full day of tele turns. I think you need to be patient and especially try not to really tear it, by going back too early. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyg Posted February 4, 2004 Author Share Posted February 4, 2004 So, the whole story is. . .my friend and I got in a couple of good runs on not so great snow. But hey, we're on VACATION! so who cares. The flask (actually 2) came out and we ended up imbibing at the top for a good hour or so. Oh goodness, it was a sad scene. The lifts were closing as we made our way down absolutely sloshed and hounded by the ski patrol. The truth is I don't remember falling hard enough to hurt myself but it must have happened like Iain's picture. Thanks for the advice. I think I'll be fine with gentle use after a few weeks. It feels quite a bit better after a full day and a half of RICE and NSAIDS. I will report back for posterity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyg Posted February 11, 2004 Author Share Posted February 11, 2004 Well it's been about a week and a half since the *twist*. My knee is still stiff and sometimes sore laterally. I get around ok. I've been able to get on the stepmill several times at the gym and even ran around Greenlake last night. It went ok but I noticed that I had to keep my leg pretty stiff so the knee wouldn't rotate. So I was able to jog, but not run full out. Does anyone have specific recommendations for stretches to increase ROM and/or reduce scar tissue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyg Posted March 18, 2004 Author Share Posted March 18, 2004 Almost 100% now. Went back to the doc last week because it was still hurting. Got an X-Ray and saw no tears in the ligament. He put me on Vioxx to reduce localized swelling. I felt a noticeable difference the next day after starting the drug. Just finished it up this past Tuesday. I can barely even feel it anymore. That's a month and a half heal time. Thanks for the suggestions everyone - I'm healthy again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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