Knee problem after soccer

[private_007]

while i was playin soccer, i think i twisted my right knee. it doesnt feel serious since i can walk and bike....but my knee gives away after 5-7 min of running. This pain comes at the right side of the right knee. I read about knee injuries on the internet...and it seems to be the LCL (lateral collateral ligament).....how long should i rest from running....cuz if i dont run, it feels normal and no pain so its hard to tell if it fully healed or not or smthng else.

1st day i hurt it ...i didnt take it seriously and played again next day...i was able to run around for 1 hr.....until in the end the pain started. then i became cautious and took rest for bout 1 and half week.....and today i tried to run...after 7 min.....pain started again.
this is really bothering me cuz i hav a bmq in august or september. i dont want my dreams of makin it as an infantry to get screwd up....iv been playin soccer for 12 years and this is a bad sign.....right b4 my bmq smthng happens. can things get any worse?
any advice would b helpful...thanks

 

[beach_bum]

Go to your Doctor.

 

[1feral1]

But before you go to that Doctor, make sure you READ this sites policy on 'MSN speak' first.

Regards,

Wes

 

[Keebler]

Definately go see a doctor, i had a similar injury playing softball a few years ago. The emergency doc said it was just a mcl sprain...found out a few months later that the reason my knee kept giving way was because my ACL was torn 98% off.  The ACL is the stability ligament in the knee...dont wait, get it checked. Try to see a sports medicine doc or a orthopedic doc...they know more than the gp's as they deal with those injuries. Took a MRI to diagnose my ACL tear. The doctor said it went unnoticed because of the LACK of Pain. Most ACL tears/sprains hurt at the moment they get injured but after a few days feel ok or no pain at all.

 

[PPCLI Guy]

I guess "suck it up Princess" would be inapproriate advice huh?

Dave
(Torn cartilage in both knees...)

 

[private_007]

how do you manange to run with torn cartilage? For me it's not about not suckin it up or not. I dont want that stinging feeling in the knee when i run longer than 15 min or so. It's painful as hell.


Keebler,
In my case i doubt its the ACL. Because i would feel it in the middle of my knee since the ACL is located there. Mine for sure is the LCL. It's not a severe pain. It's a minor pain. I put alot of pressure that day (played outside from 3-10)..so my knee took a lot of abuse. The pain is at the lower right side of the right knee. It feels like a needle is being poked agaisnt my skin when it gives away. Sometimes i feel it and sometimes i don't. Today i did some construction work with heavy lifting and stuff. I didn't feel it give away. But when i run, that's when all hell lets loose.

 

[1feral1]

I guess "suck it up Princess" would be inapproriate advice huh?

Dave
(Torn cartilage in both knees...)

I go in for surgury in about a week, a complex tear of the posterior horn and something to do with the lateral meniscus, ya, on the left knee. Otherwords, ouch, and ya, had the same done on my right knee in 2004.

Cheers,

Wes

 

[Keebler]

Keebler,
In my case i doubt its the ACL. Because i would feel it in the middle of my knee since the ACL is located there. Mine for sure is the LCL. It's not a severe pain. It's a minor pain. I put alot of pressure that day (played outside from 3-10)..so my knee took a lot of abuse. The pain is at the lower right side of the right knee. It feels like a needle is being poked agaisnt my skin when it gives away. Sometimes i feel it and sometimes i don't. Today i did some construction work with heavy lifting and stuff. I didn't feel it give away. But when i run, that's when all hell lets loose.

location of pain can be different in everyone, i felt the pain on the outside of the knee and the back, not the middle as it usually states for the acl. you should see a doctor regardless, it is in your best interest.

 

[evil drunken-fool]

Seeing this thread scares the hell out of me.  I hurt my knee playing soccer 4 weeks ago and it is still not healed.  At first I thought it was solely a ligament injury but I felt little pain of as late and I started running again.  There is still a small bit of residual swelling that has yet to subside but the big problem happens only when I run.  Problem is when I plant the leg is stable, no stability problems so far, but as the leg comes back up there seems to be a "small lock" happen.  I know it was worse at first because I went to a soccer practice very early on and I had somewhat of more "serious lock" happen and had to stop.  Not sure if this is directly related to the swelling decreasing or the ligament healing.  I have had two doctor visits since the injury and they both seem to think very little of it.
Thinking another one might be in order soon for a third check-up. All I know is knee injuries scare the you know what out of me.

 

[private_007]

out of my whole life i've played soccer or any other sports, this is my first time screwing up the knee so to me it IS a big concern.

by the way, do u guys still do training for army and stuff with these issues or are you guys ex-military?

I signed up for infantry and i just want to see if anyone else can relate to my story so i can get a little boost mentally..you know..looking for some motivation and inspiration.

 

[Keebler]

Problem is when I plant the leg is stable, no stability problems so far, but as the leg comes back up there seems to be a "small lock" happen.  I know it was worse at first because I went to a soccer practice very early on and I had somewhat of more "serious lock" happen and had to stop.  Not sure if this is directly related to the swelling decreasing or the ligament healing.  I have had two doctor visits since the injury and they both seem to think very little of it.

Locking usually indicates cartilege floating around inside the ligament, this can usually be corrected pretty easily with day surgery doing the orthoscopic route, where they insert a camera and a tool to extract through small incisions...easy breezy recovery with physio afterwards. Usually is one of the more minor things that can happen to the knee, unless you have torn alot. You should definately see a doc about it.

Private 007...as for training and stuff...i just joined the military, actually was just sworn in today, head to BMQ in two weeks. i have had both my ACL's replaced in the past 5 years due to bad tears, and they are more than 100% better now though. I havent had any problems since i was advised by my surgeon six months after that i was fully healed and could resume my sports etc. Although he did advise me to stay away from certain pivoting sports like basketball just to avoid them being torn again, seems i am predisposed to ligament tears or so he suspects. For the medical i had to get forms filled out by my surgeon etc. but ottawa passed them no problem.

 

[Chilly]

private_007'

I am currently still in the military and have been since 92. Two years in the reserves as infantry and then ten years in the Reg force as Infantry (2RCR) and now I am in a support trade. On Tuesday I just got word that I need to have both knees scoped. I am the same as Wes in the respect that I have torn cartilage in both knees  and yes I still do PT regularly, I just watch what I do and only run about 200m at a time while doing circuit trg.

So yes you can do PT when hurt, but you have to know your limits and be sure not to over do it just because your knee feels good that day.

Even with that being said make sure you see a doctor.

Chilly

 

[medicineman]

Someone mentioned something about this thread scaring them - and you should be.  Why you ask?  Because people shouldn't be trying to diagnose eachother over the internet - even people that are trained to do it don't like to and those not trained to shouldn't.  It's just bad medicine.

If something hurts and is becoming a problem that is preventing you from doing what you like or have to do despite you doing the basic common sense stuff, see a physician, physio or sportstherapist (if your health plan allows you too) and let them actually hear your story and check you over.

Rant complete - have a great Army day (or at least a better one).

MM

 

[Keebler]

If something hurts and is becoming a problem that is preventing you from doing what you like or have to do despite you doing the basic common sense stuff, see a physician, physio or sportstherapist (if your health plan allows you too) and let them actually hear your story and check you over.

Exactly what i have been trying to say, injuries should not be just left to chance. Best to get them checked out!! Wouldn't you rather know and start recouping than put it aside and make things worse.

 

[kratz]

+1 to medicineman's advice.

One of the first comments on this topic was to see your Doctor. Follow-up that advice.

 

[Greymatters]

Plus, dont forget to keep copies of all your documents, especially the doctors written assessments of your condition.  If you dont have an assessment, get one written for placement on your file.  Comes in handy later on when you want to apply for a VA pension and the military doctors wont help you with an assessment.

 

[evil drunken-fool]

Locking usually indicates cartilege floating around inside the ligament, this can usually be corrected pretty easily with day surgery doing the orthoscopic route, where they insert a camera and a tool to extract through small incisions...easy breezy recovery with physio afterwards. Usually is one of the more minor things that can happen to the knee, unless you have torn alot. You should definately see a doc about it.

Anyway, I ended up going to the doctor a few times, first a GP who basically felt there was no major issue with the knee. After that I went back to playing indoor soccer in the winter and hurt my knee again.  I went through about a two month process of physiotherapy and seeing the orthopedic specialist just to find out I had a small tear on my posterior horn.  This conclusion was reached by a physical exam and an MRI.

I would venture to guess that when I first posted about this there was still some residual swelling that was causing the knee to feel all weird.  Just doing daily activity does not cause to much problems with the knee, even some exercise is alright.

Even now and then the cartilage bothers me but it isn't a big problem for most situations.  The specialist actually told me to come back if it bothered me.  However, the knee seems to have some instability in only 1 particular place.  When the inside of my foot is planted and a valgus force is applied has caused problems and the injury to reoccur.  Basically the inside of my left knee opens up.

My doctor has stated that everything is fine but on the advice of physiotherapist and doctor I tried playing soccer a couple times but I can still feel the movement in the knee.

The MRI has known to not be a perfect system, and I am going to have to go back for a reevaluation.  Overall this process has not been fun at all.

 

[Greymatters]

I would suggest a knee-brace of some kind before things start going pear-shaped.  You should see a specialist who can recommend the right ype to wear...

 

[1feral1]

My knee surgery Jul of 2007 from a tear which happened in Iraq. Here is a few pics taken the same day, and once I was home. So 10 months later, and there is still problems, enough to get a potential medical discharge if I did not downplay it.

So if you have problems get them checked out.

 

[Greymatters]

Nice souvenir...