- Joined
- Aug 24, 2017
- Posts
- 364
Hi everybody,
About a month ago ago I posted a thread about advice for my wife--she tore her ACL skiing in February. The replies were very helpful, and she will have her surgery in about two weeks.
Now for the cosmic irony: although it sounds crazy, like a cruel joke, yesterday I injured my knee skiing. I am not sure, but I think I may need surgery too. My wife and I are now competing for who will get to have surgery first. For obvious practical reasons, it would be difficult to have surgery at the same time! Our nine-year old daughter asked, "If you both are in bed who will cook?"
But the truth is, for me, it's early days, and I may not need surgery (that's my blind optimism talking). I see the doctor tomorrow, and hopefully have an MRI later this week. I know there's not much to say or do before I get the results of the MRI, but if anybody wants to do some digital doctoring and diagnoses, below are the details.
-I was skiing on light touring skis and boots with Vipec pin bindings--this was perhaps my biggest mistake--if I was on my regular skis/boots/bindings, I don't think I would have fallen, or, if I fell, I don't think I would have injured my knee as badly.
-I was skiing at moderate speed fall in flat light and chunky wet snow. I didn't feel right that day on my skis-I should have called it quits earlier.
-Based on what I felt, and what my friend saw, my left ski went to the left, my right ski went straight or to the right, and my right lower leg bent outward (laterally) and then my weight came down on top of my right knee, as my body fell forward and over my right leg.
-It's also possible that I hyper-extended and twisted my right knee, but I'm not really sure.
-There was definitely some kind of awkward compression/twisting force on my knee.
-My right binding released at the toe to the left side--I know that because the left toe wing of the Vipec binding was folded down. It stays in the open position until re-set.
-It was immediately painful and I cried out, partly from the pain, and partly because I knew I just injured my knee, and I saw all my plans -for the next months and possibly years disappear. That's the hardest and most depressing part.
-I might have heard a pop or click, but it also might have been the binding opening. The bindings do make a click when they open, but that might just be my deluded hope that it wasn't a ligament tearing that I heard. It was not loud, and I'm not sure that I heard it (or I dn't want to believe that I heard it).
-After a minute or two the pain subsided somewhat, but I was sure I could not ski. I did not want to hurt my knee more. My friend skied down for the ski patrol.
-While I waited, I moved my knee through its range of motion-this was possible without any additional pain. Then I just kept my leg straight and covered my knee in snow to keep it cold.
-It's now about 24-30 hours after my injury.
-I do not have any perceptible swelling or bruising. My knee might be slightly warm on the medial side.
-I can bear weight on the injured leg. For example, I can limp around and go up and down stairs, and I can stand on the injured leg without feeling any pain when the leg is straight.
-I can move the knee slowly through its range of motion. This is painful at some points. I can go almost to full flexion, and I can go to full extension relatively easily.
-There two places where I feel pain when moving my knee through its range of motion, and where I have point sensitivity when palpating my knee.
-First, on the anterior medial part of my knee, a few centimeters below the midline of the knee joint, close to where I think the MCL attaches to the tibia. At least that's as close as I can locate the pain. It does seem to be below the midline, roughly in line with the bottom edge of the patella, on the medial side, over bone.
-Sometimes, but not always, when I slowly flex my knee, I can feel a small pop or click close the the surface near the pain on the anterior medial side of my knee. It feels like a ligament (or part of a ligament) sliding back and forth over some swelling or fluid. This doesn't happen always--just sometimes.
Second, on the lateral posterior side, below the mid line of the knee joint, seemingly in my calf muscle, maybe in the lateral head of my calf muscle. The pain seems to be in the muscle, but I think there are some small ligaments that attach there too (popliteal, etc.)
-Finally, when I flex my ankle, I have pain in my Achiles tendion at one specific place. As I continue to flex my ankle the pain goes away. If I sit for a while, and then stand and walk, the sharpest pain I feel in my whole leg is from that point on my Achilles tendon.
-I tried to do some improvised stability tests. I am muscular and well-trained, so my muscles stabilize my knee fairly well, and make it hard for me to tell if there is any unwanted movement. The truth it, it all feels very stable and solid--I have no feeling of my lower leg moving too much in one plane when I try to manipulate it, and I don't feel like my knee will buckle or give way when walking or standing. Maybe it feels like I have a little bit of instability when I press on the outside of my knee, i.e. my injured knee can bend maybe a little more to the inside, but that might just be my imagination.
Based on all that, I suspect that I damaged my MCL. I don't know if it's a full tear, but the tenderness and pain and the clicking close the point where the MCL attaches to the tibia seem to be important. I also think I strained my calf muscle, and perhaps have some small tears in my Achilles tendon and the top of my calf muscles. It's also possible that I tore one of the small ligaments on the posterior lateral side of my knee.
I would be surprised if I did not have some meniscus damage as well.
I really hope I did not tear my ACL or PCL, and I am going to hold onto that hope until the doctor tells me the opposite
Since I can bear weight, I don't think I have a fracture, but I might have some kind of a bone bruise (is that possible?) or a hairline fracture or a chip, or something like that.
So what do you think?
I guess I'm looking for some words of wisdom, encouragement, hope, sympathy, or just information to help me and my wife as we move forward.
I think you all understand how devestating these injuries feel. Despite my attempts at good humor, the truth is I'm deeply depressed. I know I'll bounce back, and do my best to overcome this, and I know how to train and work hard, but right now, I'm in a dark hole. All the work I did to get to my present level of fitness. Al my plans for the next year, skiing, climbing, mountain biking, trail running. All gone.
My first goal it just to be able to walk pain free and get healthy.
My second goal is to ski again next season.
Anyway, if you made it this far, thanks for reading.
Bruno
About a month ago ago I posted a thread about advice for my wife--she tore her ACL skiing in February. The replies were very helpful, and she will have her surgery in about two weeks.
Now for the cosmic irony: although it sounds crazy, like a cruel joke, yesterday I injured my knee skiing. I am not sure, but I think I may need surgery too. My wife and I are now competing for who will get to have surgery first. For obvious practical reasons, it would be difficult to have surgery at the same time! Our nine-year old daughter asked, "If you both are in bed who will cook?"
But the truth is, for me, it's early days, and I may not need surgery (that's my blind optimism talking). I see the doctor tomorrow, and hopefully have an MRI later this week. I know there's not much to say or do before I get the results of the MRI, but if anybody wants to do some digital doctoring and diagnoses, below are the details.
-I was skiing on light touring skis and boots with Vipec pin bindings--this was perhaps my biggest mistake--if I was on my regular skis/boots/bindings, I don't think I would have fallen, or, if I fell, I don't think I would have injured my knee as badly.
-I was skiing at moderate speed fall in flat light and chunky wet snow. I didn't feel right that day on my skis-I should have called it quits earlier.
-Based on what I felt, and what my friend saw, my left ski went to the left, my right ski went straight or to the right, and my right lower leg bent outward (laterally) and then my weight came down on top of my right knee, as my body fell forward and over my right leg.
-It's also possible that I hyper-extended and twisted my right knee, but I'm not really sure.
-There was definitely some kind of awkward compression/twisting force on my knee.
-My right binding released at the toe to the left side--I know that because the left toe wing of the Vipec binding was folded down. It stays in the open position until re-set.
-It was immediately painful and I cried out, partly from the pain, and partly because I knew I just injured my knee, and I saw all my plans -for the next months and possibly years disappear. That's the hardest and most depressing part.
-I might have heard a pop or click, but it also might have been the binding opening. The bindings do make a click when they open, but that might just be my deluded hope that it wasn't a ligament tearing that I heard. It was not loud, and I'm not sure that I heard it (or I dn't want to believe that I heard it).
-After a minute or two the pain subsided somewhat, but I was sure I could not ski. I did not want to hurt my knee more. My friend skied down for the ski patrol.
-While I waited, I moved my knee through its range of motion-this was possible without any additional pain. Then I just kept my leg straight and covered my knee in snow to keep it cold.
-It's now about 24-30 hours after my injury.
-I do not have any perceptible swelling or bruising. My knee might be slightly warm on the medial side.
-I can bear weight on the injured leg. For example, I can limp around and go up and down stairs, and I can stand on the injured leg without feeling any pain when the leg is straight.
-I can move the knee slowly through its range of motion. This is painful at some points. I can go almost to full flexion, and I can go to full extension relatively easily.
-There two places where I feel pain when moving my knee through its range of motion, and where I have point sensitivity when palpating my knee.
-First, on the anterior medial part of my knee, a few centimeters below the midline of the knee joint, close to where I think the MCL attaches to the tibia. At least that's as close as I can locate the pain. It does seem to be below the midline, roughly in line with the bottom edge of the patella, on the medial side, over bone.
-Sometimes, but not always, when I slowly flex my knee, I can feel a small pop or click close the the surface near the pain on the anterior medial side of my knee. It feels like a ligament (or part of a ligament) sliding back and forth over some swelling or fluid. This doesn't happen always--just sometimes.
Second, on the lateral posterior side, below the mid line of the knee joint, seemingly in my calf muscle, maybe in the lateral head of my calf muscle. The pain seems to be in the muscle, but I think there are some small ligaments that attach there too (popliteal, etc.)
-Finally, when I flex my ankle, I have pain in my Achiles tendion at one specific place. As I continue to flex my ankle the pain goes away. If I sit for a while, and then stand and walk, the sharpest pain I feel in my whole leg is from that point on my Achilles tendon.
-I tried to do some improvised stability tests. I am muscular and well-trained, so my muscles stabilize my knee fairly well, and make it hard for me to tell if there is any unwanted movement. The truth it, it all feels very stable and solid--I have no feeling of my lower leg moving too much in one plane when I try to manipulate it, and I don't feel like my knee will buckle or give way when walking or standing. Maybe it feels like I have a little bit of instability when I press on the outside of my knee, i.e. my injured knee can bend maybe a little more to the inside, but that might just be my imagination.
Based on all that, I suspect that I damaged my MCL. I don't know if it's a full tear, but the tenderness and pain and the clicking close the point where the MCL attaches to the tibia seem to be important. I also think I strained my calf muscle, and perhaps have some small tears in my Achilles tendon and the top of my calf muscles. It's also possible that I tore one of the small ligaments on the posterior lateral side of my knee.
I would be surprised if I did not have some meniscus damage as well.
I really hope I did not tear my ACL or PCL, and I am going to hold onto that hope until the doctor tells me the opposite
Since I can bear weight, I don't think I have a fracture, but I might have some kind of a bone bruise (is that possible?) or a hairline fracture or a chip, or something like that.
So what do you think?
I guess I'm looking for some words of wisdom, encouragement, hope, sympathy, or just information to help me and my wife as we move forward.
I think you all understand how devestating these injuries feel. Despite my attempts at good humor, the truth is I'm deeply depressed. I know I'll bounce back, and do my best to overcome this, and I know how to train and work hard, but right now, I'm in a dark hole. All the work I did to get to my present level of fitness. Al my plans for the next year, skiing, climbing, mountain biking, trail running. All gone.
My first goal it just to be able to walk pain free and get healthy.
My second goal is to ski again next season.
Anyway, if you made it this far, thanks for reading.
Bruno
