LCL strain

[kij]

This must have happened to everybody here, so I expect you'll all roll your eyes.

 

I strained a ligament in my knee a week and a half ago. Pain isn't bad, and the only restriction to my motion is how uncomfortable it gets. But the knee is a little unsteady and it clicks. I used RICE and I've been taking it easy, doing some really mild stretching.

 

It's coming back, but I don't know how much to push it, if at all. When do I start climbing on it again? Last week I went to SG and climbed a 5.5 (don't laugh), just to move it some. That was okay, but it hurt more the next day.

 

I can't believe it's about waiting till the pain's gone, because that could be months from now. Is it when range of motion's back? I already have that, but I can tell it's still too weak to use like that. Do I ease into it, like the 5.5? I'm concerned I'll slow down healing. Do I set an arbitrary period, and if so how long? Do I see a PT? It doesn't seem that bad, and it was ten days ago.

 

I'm old enough that I don't heal overnight, so I can't just bull through the way I might have at 20. Until the last six months I've never been the least bit physical, so what to do is totally new to me. I can't afford to fuck up my knee and not climb, but when do i get to start again?

 

PM me if this is too tedious to go into here.

</whine>

[RuMR]

i did the same thing to my MCL from a stupid heel hook move on PLASTIC ...goddammit it sucks!!

 

Have you seen a doc? Mine was determined to be on the low side of a Grade 2...basically some tears but no "separation"...her comments to me (and so far they have been on) was to leave it alone for 1/2 a month, then use it to the point of "discomfort" and it should be back to about 75% of normal by 6 weeks, but that i would continue to "notice" it for up to a year, by which time it should be completely healed up...

 

so far, the f-ing thing doesn't hurt but feels weird! it gives out on me at unexpected times, but if i concentrate on it, i can push it full force...really weird!

 

The other thing, the middle of the night, around 1 to 2 am in the morning the frickin' thing is on fire...really smarts then...also, stiffer than anything in the morning, but by 10 or so, all is good...

 

you need to see an ortho to ascertain the level of damage...

[kij]

Yeah, it was a heel hook that nailed me, too.

 

How long ago was it you did yours? And what do they mean by discomfort? I'm not using it much, but I noticed it seems only uncomfortable at the time I use it, but hurts later.

 

Yeah, the late-night thing. I've noticed it doesn't hurt so much if I've slept on my side, as long as I stick a pillow between my knees.

 

Grrr.

[RuMR]

I did mine on Feb 2.

 

Discomfort? Well, basically i "defined" that as getting to the point where i would think "Nope, not gonna do that again"...

[kij]

That definition works for me!