124 replies to this topic

[Havingfun TT Titanium Member]

6 weeks ago I landed hard on my left leg.  I was going over a table top on a windy day, a gust of wind blew my bike out and I would have landed front left handle bar first.  So I stuck my leg out to keep from crashing, not sure that was the correct thing to do.

Feeling like it was possibly broke at the time.  Anyway, still have sallowness around the knee, walk with limp, it is painful if twisted, upper calf has some burning feel to it sometimes.  I just started some stretching, have not exercised on it at all.  From what I read, if you can walk w/o limp and stretch you can do some incline walking after 8 weeks?

My uncle, a old time doc, sent me to get a x-ray that came back negative.  He did not say to much, he said complete tear of a MCL or ACL or both, I should be in a lot of pain and if I understood him right not be able to walk.  I am not sure what damage has occurred, just guessing at it.

My question is should I let it take its course or seek out more advice.  Everything I read, there not much you can do if practical tare or want to do, just let it heal by itself?  He said if you do a complete tear often they do not heal right and you are basically done with sports.

Any advice is appreciated..
thanks

[DrMark]

Only bad surgery can put you out of sports after an injury like that.  Find a reasonable, competent, and reliable person to fix this, and you will have no trouble.

[Havingfun TT Titanium Member]

Not sure what to do, so you are saying I should seek out another's advice on this?  Never hurt my knee this bad, this is normal healing process?

How do you know when to see the doctor or another doc in this case?  Grant it MRI are very expensive, hate to spend 1-2k and then tell me its tore and you just need time to heal.  How do you know when to seek more advice, guss I am doing that now

DrMark said:

Only bad surgery can put you out of sports after an injury like that.  Find a reasonable, competent, and reliable person to fix this, and you will have no trouble.

Edited by Havingfun, 13 December 2011 - 03:56 AM.

[DrMark]

After 31 years in Orthopaedic surgery, I have no trouble diagnosing and teating these injuries without an MRI.  There aren't so many of us "white hairs"  left out there, though.  While, I may have uncommon wisdom, I can not say what is wrong with your knee without examining you.  If your GP said you had those injuries, he is probably right because its not such a hard diagnosis to make.


I am simply saying, that if a guy tears out his ACL/MCL and doesn't get it fixed, he needs to give up sports.  If he chooses someone who doesn't know what he/she is doing, then he will, by necessity, have to give up his active lifestyle.

[Havingfun TT Titanium Member]

My understanding it would heals itself, I don't know?  Now if that is not the case...  

I am going to call South Bend Orthopaedics closest place to me that has good rep.  See what they say, if I need referal, etc.  

Thanks for advice, last time you were dead on with your advice.

DrMark said:

After 31 years in Orthopaedic surgery, I have no trouble diagnosing and teating these injuries without an MRI.  There aren't so many of us "white hairs"  left out there, though.  While, I may have uncommon wisdom, I can not say what is wrong with your knee without examining you.  If your GP said you had those injuries, he is probably right because its not such a hard diagnosis to make.


I am simply saying, that if a guy tears out his ACL/MCL and doesn't get it fixed, he needs to give up sports.  If he chooses someone who doesn't know what he/she is doing, then he will, by necessity, have to give up his active lifestyle.

[Havingfun TT Titanium Member]

Had a MRI done today, going back next week to consult with doc.  He said he is 95% sure I tore acl and meniscus.  So I op to get MRI.

If you do no get surgery right away can you fix it a year or two later?
Will a knee brace help if you do not get surgery?
He talking 1 year to become 100%, said no mx only after full year or healing?

See what MRI results and doc visit brings next thrusday.

[DrMark]

Fix it right, and you can be back riding/racing at three months.

[Havingfun TT Titanium Member]

Easy to say..   In your opinion what is right, to heal in 3 months?  and what type of repair?

I am a old guy 48 that like to race/ride 2-3x week.

DrMark said:

Fix it right, and you can be back riding/racing at three months.

[DrMark]

Get ready for surgery by getting the leg as strong as possible.  This usually means one hour per day on the stationary bike, getting the heart rate to the target heart rate for the age.

Surgery is done out patient.   The opposite patella tendon is the graft, installed in the ACL deficient knee.  The patient will be able to walk out of the hospital on his own power without a brace, cast, or crutches.  Rest and do physician directed exercises the first week, with frequent trips to the PT.  By one week, a guy is back to his day job. Rehab continues at a guy's own gym for anotehr 11 weeks.  On the12th week, he is back riding, and racing a couple of weeks later.  We have done over 3000 of these, with theses results.

[Havingfun TT Titanium Member]

Thanks always for your input, and time.  I don't really know nothing about this injury.  The doc did tell me to start doing quad exercise, wall squats, leg lifts, some stretches.  I don't have a bike only a treadmill, is is treadmilling at incline slower pace ok? .  Maybe I should go buy a bike.  I was hesitant to do anything, just started stretching it. He did say Patella best fix, other option was a donor said higher failure rate.  I did not know it is taken from the good leg.  

I wonder why he told me one year, said I be pushing it at 6 months with only 50% healed?  Is the meniscus fixable or does it heal on its own?

[99bdub TT Member]

I had almost an identical situation from landing with my leg out on a windy day. Ended up with complete tear of ACL, a bit of a broken tibia plateau and partially crushed medial meniscus. Once the bone healed, I had ACLr surgery (same side patella ligament) and meniscus repair. I posted a lot before and after surgery, so please read my posts to give you more details of my experience. And yes, buy a stationary bike!

[Pappy141 TT Bronze Member]

I'm in Michigan also...Did the same thing in 09. I went  down to Indy to see Dr Shelbourne, he's the freak of knees...Dr. Mark uses the same techniques, opposite patella graft. Was walking the same day and riding/racing in 3 months. Just curious, I don't mean to pry, do you have insurance?

[Havingfun TT Titanium Member]

thanks for the info, 99bdub will go back and look at your post thanks.  wow to how common this is.  Sounds like I have similar internal injuries.  Going to think more then twice jumping on a windy day.  The thing is i was being conservative too.  It does not take much to blow the backend out sideways.  

South bend orthopedics sport clinic is well know around here, believe they are good.  They work on many noter dame athletics.  Next week is follow up, see what he says.  In general the doc pointed to same side patella ligament as injured knee.  Need to ask to see if same side or op.

I went and picked up a stationary bike today.  Yes do have INS, I am lucky to have it.  We are family own business and it cost around 360.00 per week for INS, that is company's part and my part.  Not bragging, but who can afford that?  Thank full to have it.  Rate I am going, I been done riding long time ago if I did not have INS.

[Havingfun TT Titanium Member]

Been reading all the post and there's a lot of them.  Do you want full extension of the leg before surgery?  When I hurt my leg I could hardly walk, so I stopped riding of course and exercising.  At about 4-5 week started some stretching.  Anyway, my leg is still stiff, fully extended, and when I bring it in, do not have full motion yet.  Feels like there a ball in my upper cafe when I tray and draw it in.  When I hurt it, felt big time like there was a ball there preventing my leg coming back.  Of course feels like wobbling sensation when walking.

Got the bike yesterday, will start that now and start some quads exercise after talking to doc last week.  I am going on vacation in jan, so going to put this off until after I get back.  Gives me time to get my leg strength back.

[1talbotj TT Bronze Member]

if you read this forum the knowledge will come...there are a few of us 48+ younger riders, you need to evaluate a few things, how much time you have, your insurance, and your tolerance of pain...i have written alot of my experiences on this forum along with llamaface...

i will tell you it would be advisable to shoot down to texas for a couple of days to see dr. mark...all surgeons and their techniques are not the same...he can have you up and walking out of the surgery that day, a couple of days in a hotel to make sure there are no post op issues and then you fly home...racing a bike in 90 days...

[Havingfun TT Titanium Member]

Hum, something to think about.. have to think about all this after talking to my follow up visit thursday.  Doc did say I walk out same day.  Just don't understand why he saying healing is 1 yr and be 50% in 6 months.  thanks for all the info, gives me a lot to think about and still need to do a lot more reading.

[DrMark]

If we are talking about the person's own patella tendon, when the tendon is taken from the same knee, the knee has to recover from the tendon harvest, as well as have the tendon mature in the knee as a new ACL.  Those two events occur consectuively.

When the tendon comes form another part of the body, the opposite knee does the tendon recovery, while the injured knee can get right down to the business of ACL rehabilitation.

Hence the remarkable difference between the two seemingly similiar situations.

[1talbotj TT Bronze Member]

Havingfun said:

Hum, something to think about.. have to think about all this after talking to my follow up visit thursday.  Doc did say I walk out same day.  Just don't understand why he saying healing is 1 yr and be 50% in 6 months.  thanks for all the info, gives me a lot to think about and still need to do a lot more reading.

Choose wisely...and live with your decision...you DO NOT want to do this twice...but unless your willing to live a sedentary lifestyle (im not) you need to follow through...do the pre-surgery exercises, and post surgery physical therapy to the letter...choose what surgery techniques AND surgeon carefully and in no time you will be 98% quickly if you choose wisely...

Otherwise, you will join the ranks of those on the forum that coulda woulda shoulda...

[Pappy141 TT Bronze Member]

I'm not familiar with the South Bend Clinic...I went to Dr. Shelbourne in Indy, its only 4.5 hours from my home in MI. Dr. Mark and Dr. Shelbourne are both cut from the same cloth and they use the same surgical techniques. I was walking the same day as the operation and racing again 3 months. Feel free to PM if you'd like to talk.

[Havingfun TT Titanium Member]

I started cycling yesterday.  Only doing 30 min's, have not been training in 6 weeks.  My knee is still swallow and some what stiff, is that normal?

I know nothing about them either, I know quite a few people from around the area that have went there.

Here's south bends link.
http://www.sbortho.com/