knee - blow out? tale of woe :(

Well something is wrong with my right knee...

two weeks ago I step up for randori, I pair up with a young fellow I've paired up with 100 times before and we work for grip and then start the dance........he enters for a throw, I'm on the floor screaming in pain with my right knee...... we are still unsure what happened ...


i go to emergency with a slightly swollen knee and they are concerned for my ACL. No xrays... I head to the the family doc, looks at it does a mobility check (too swollen) and sends me for xrays.... a few days later I'm back at the docs, xrays are fine, swelling is up, mobility is low. I don't really expect much from the xrays as they don't show soft tissue anyway but hey its something....The doc tells me he can't really tell due to swelling and he will not guess so I get to go home with "ice it every two hours and see me in two weeks."

So the ice really helps and the swelling is down.. I can't straighten the leg fully and I can't bend it back fully, and one of the muscles in my outer thigh won't flex properly, but I can get around much better and the pain is slowly leaving... the biggest issue is the feeling of the joint being "loose"... I go see the doctor on wednesday and hopefully he will be able to tell me something and I will be pushing for an MRI on the knee...

There's just not much else to do. It is impossible to train so I now stand around trying to help the kids class instead of participating with them or the adult class...!! This is the first serious/semi serious injury I have ever had and it messes with your head!! Its an unpleasant state.

So the real kicker... we split randori into two groups... those who want to match up and those who want to move (less intensity, no throws, just movement).... I had no intention of going to the match up side, I was not feeling 100% and wanted to just move around... but the yough fellow was one of the only ones to step up for randori and he needed a partern.. so I went over ......

Always listen to the little voice... it is there for a reason!!!!!

I'm just sharing cause I need to. Thanks for reading... Hopefully there's some good news on wednesday with the doc. Fingers crossed.

Grips,

I blew out my ACL without even doing randori, I was simply taking falls after warming up. We were doing Okuri-Ashi-Harai, I was Uke, sliding sideways, my right foot lodge itself on the tatami (the ground had a slope to it), from my knee up my boddy turned but not from my knee down. I heard the "pop" after my right foot snapped off of the tatami. I remember my left leg just flailing around in the air until I hit the ground. There was very little control of my right leg as I got up. It severly wobbled. I did need to tighten my upper leg muscles to sustain some balance. I bowed and left the tatami limping. By the next moring, the knee was severly swollen, red and very hot. X-ray showed nothing as the Dr. suspected. He just needed to confirm if there were any fractures. The MRI revealed ACL snapped and tearing of the Meniscus.

Now, I was Uke for Okuri and must have taken nearly a thousands falls in my career. Yet all it takes is a missed timing or in my case, a slight slope to catch my foot at the critical moment.

That incident happned nearly 15 years ago. Still to this day, my knee is numb deep inside. I feel it, or don't feel it when I seiza.

I certainly do appreciated your post and I am hoping that there will be great news for you come Wednesday.

Pls. post the news.

Your take care grips.

Kurobi

Thanks for sharing Kurobi. This one is challenging mentally ... I soooo want to be on the mats learning and its difficult teaching without demonstration, espcially to kids!


so the Doc... this morning,

He did the joint mobility tests (physical) and I told him about the muscle not flexing properly.. He showed some real concern about the muscle part. He did not order an MRI but he did concede that he cannot help me and that I need to get into a sports injury specialist sooner rather than later and through that process I will get better and faster care for my knee. On the joint mobility, his initial assesment is Meniscus ligament ... but again ... defered to the sport injury specialist.

So at least I wasn't brushed off completly and am now awaiting to hear back on the appointment with the other guy...!!!

On another front - I contacted our Provincial Judo Association for a recommended doctor and discovered that our provincial team does not even have someone that takes care of them specifically. Basically they are on there own!! I was shocked by this but I guess its just another indicator on where Judo stands on the importance list......

I will keep updating as I get info.

Grips,

I understand completely about not being able to demonstrate, esp. if you are teaching kids. Fortunately I could rely on the other instructors to assist. I hope your situation is similar.

At first, the Dr. thought that I needed a full reconstruction and planned it as such. However when they got into the knee thaey found that the ACL fused half way on to the the PCL I think. It was unusual but not uncommon I understand. Anyway, they did not want to remove the ACL completely as the fusion did offer stability and they did not want to remove the part of the ACL that offered and supported the stability. The Dr. did note, if ever I injur it again, it will mean a complete recon.

By all means, a referral to a sports injury specialist is the best move. I think that because of American sports, Football in particular with all of their knee iinjuries, tremendous advancements had been made in dealing with ACL/PCL problems. You will be up and around in no time. That is with a lot of committment to rehab of course. Attending to your knee ASAP then through Rehab ASAP will mean you will be mending in due course. Knee injuries just do not heal on their own, BUT they will with TLC.

You take care Grips.

Pls. keep posting.

Kurobi

Well I was in to see the Sports Injury specialist this morning.

he is 95% sure its a torn ACL with cartilage damage. He is moving forward with that diagnosis. He wanted more xrays to review and then we start talking about surgury.(the other two options were - stop judo or put on a big metal brace****niether of which are options!) .. Not the best news but not the worst either. At least its repairable.

Its been 5 weeks since my injury and only in the last week have I really be able to walk normally. There is still constant discomfort but its bearable and at least I can move around without a limp. I am allowed to swim or use a stationary bike and I am also allowed to test out my knee on the eliptical machine. I am not allowed to participate in Judo or anything else that would cause a twisting or pivoting movement. I am looking forward to trying out the eliptical since thats whats sits in my living room!!! Hopefully that does not aggrevate the issue and I can at least keep up the cardio.

I have managed to keep my weight down but I am certainly losing muscle mass and strength. At the very least I can move forward with a variety of excercises now.

I go in again on Wednesday next week and will hopefully know more about surgical options etc. at that time. The wait lists in this country are notoriously long so I can only hope to luck out on that one.

once again - thanks for reading.