Blew up my knee....ouch

[JR2]

Well I hate to admit it but about two weeks ago I fell on the ice and blew up my knee. Acording to the Doc and the MRI I have torn my PCL. Acording to the Doc this is a rare injury and now I am unsure of what to do next. Any one out there ever blown out ther PCL?? What did you do to fix it?? Any knee Docs on the board????

 

[Trinary]

Ouch is right....

I banged up my PCL and torched my ACL years ago. Thought I could tough it out by keeping my quads fit (I have an uncle that did that), but I was a bit too active.



Over the next two years, I managed to do more damage every time it went out (read femur went left or right, tibia stay in same position). Hosed up all the rest of the tendons on the side, and powdered my meniscus. Every time it went out, I had to walk around with crutches or bent-legged for about 5 weeks. After two years, I got smart and had it fixed. Took about 10 months to recover (less now that the repair procedures have improved).



Wish I'd have fixed it right away. On the downside, a summer in AZ with your leg in a full foam brace fills up your shoe with sweat real fast.



Jason

 

[willyslover]

JR2. . Trinary gave you some very good advise. . when your young you'll be able to heal much better than when your my age and need total knees [read 2 ] replaced because you thought you could bear the pain and get through it... bone to bone wear is not something pain wise you can get away with unless you have the constitution of a donkey like me... 20/20 hindsight get 'em fixed now !!

 

[NVR FNSH]

JR2,

I tore my ACL (90% torn) and meniscus in 4 places in May '99. I was 29. Had patellar graft ACL reconstruction in Nov '99. I'm not sure what the procedure is for PCL reconstruction but I figure it's pretty close to the ACL procedure. Get it fixed - the surgery is like having your wisdom teeth pulled these days. I was out of work for 3 weeks (crutches for 1 week). I was back to riding dirt bikes in late Feb '00 & skied in Mar '01 (ortho laughed at me when I asked if I could ski in '00). If I have to do it again I will spend time in the gym getting my leg as strong as possible BEFORE surgery. The 6 months between injury and surgery was my biggest problem - my leg had atrophied so much that it's still not as strong as my right leg. If they do a patellar tendon (knee cap to shin) graft the biggest downside is you have 3-4" long scar on the front of your knee and it's 'painful' to kneel down on it w/o a knee pad. I'd probably go for the hamstring graft if I had to do it over.



Brian

 

[Adam_Dodgezilla]

OUCH!!

The Surgeon is the most important thing!! I 94? I torn my ACL, PCL, LCL in a car accident! I all most lost my leg!! And I had a great Dr. and I can walk and live a somewhat normal Life. I have moderate arthritis and I will need a knee transplant before I'm 50 years old, but it beats losing my Leg!! I have three cadaver grafts; I think the best for you is the patella tendon graft?I you need more info. E-mail me!!! I can call my Dr.

And see if he knows any GOOD Dr. in your area!!!!!!

Good Luck!!

I'm here if you need any help!!



Adam

 

[NVR FNSH]

My ortho felt the patellar graft was/is the 'gold standard' for ACL reconstruction. I've talked to a couple of people who had the hamstring graft and they don't have any problem kneeling down on the reconstructed knee. The kneeling thing is the only 'problem' I have with my knee. I can live with it but it would be nice not to have to.



Good luck,



Brian

 

[Mark_Kendrick]

I had a lateral meniscal tear a few years ago that required arthroscopic surgery.



Reading this thread just makes me CRINGE



Hope you guys do ok and heal up right. I was miserable. I can't imagine what you guys are giong through.

 

[NVR FNSH]

Honestly, my surgery/recovery wasn't bad. They gave me a bottle of 60 Vicadin - I think I took 4 of the Vicadin before switching over to Advil. The advil worked fine w/o the side effects of the Vicadin. The worst/most painful part of the experience was trying to get up on crutches the first time while in the hospital. The PT was a good looking petite girl and she used a 'belt' to tie herself to me in case I had a problem. I had a problem... . Just about passed out. I'm 6'4"/250lbs - she was maybe 5'8"/130lbs. I don't care how strong she was, a 250lb sack of potatoes (about what I resembled, I'm sure) is a bit much for her to handle. My dad helped catch me.....



I take that back, the worst part was having my dad stay with us for 3 weeks. "Dad, I love you but I can't miss you if you don't leave" 1. 5 weeks would have been perfect - I could drive at that point.



Brian

 

[JR2]

Well the doc says my PCL is deffinitly tore but that is about it. He says that PCL reconstruction is not very common and not very successful. He has me trying out my knee this week. I am susposed to walk alot, ride an excercise bike a little and generally give it a go with out the PCL. If it holds up and does not swell back up then I am good to go, if not I get a brace and a second opnion. I may get that anyway.



JR2



PS I tried a little light running today, not really a good idea.

 

[Sled Puller]

Be very careful asking for Docs on this board. We have a resident who thinks it is better NOT to fix things, if you get my meaning.



If you can, I would go to other states for opinions, try to find NFL Doctors.

Always somebody, soewhere, has a better idea.



Maybe you could get away with shipping x-rays, instead of traveling.



Gene

 

[Doc Tinker]

May I offer to help you with your PCL problems? I can do a simple proceedure that will only take a quick five minutes and all while you're sitting on the tailgate of your truck. We can do it at one of the truck events so everyone can see how it's done. Oo.



Doc