So I’m laying in bed scratching my big toe because I cut myself on something and it was irritated. I decided to get a closer look to see what it was. Laying on my side, I pulled my leg around and over to get a closer look. Somwehere between the leg being stretched out and the foot being in my face - closer to the latter - I heard what sounded like a shotgun blast. That might be exaggerating, but not by much. My knee just made the loudest “pop” I’ve ever heard. Usually such things don’t freak me out because I’m a crack-my-knuckles-and-jaw kinda guy but this one was really loud. For a second I was stunned, expecting my leg to fall off. I was not in a lot of pain, but it felt uneasy, like something was structurally unsound even though it did not hurt.
I went to sleep.
The next morning (and ever since) the knee feels stiff and has a dull, throbbing pain. Not an intense pain, but pain nonetheless. I can walk without a limp but it feels strange. Flexing it like normal is fine but when I try and move it side-to-side, the top right and right side of the joint hurts. Again, not intensely, but I am ill-prepared to run a marathon. I usually have a high threshhold of pain so maybe that’s why I’m not in agnony.
Even though I can get around (albeit gingerly) and the pain is not excruciating by any means, I still cannot help but feel that I did something really BAD to the knee. I’ll probably get it checked out at some point but I can see me procrastinating because I am not dying and can move.
Anyone here ever have a similar problem? I’m not looking for medical advice, just personal injury stories similar to mine and how you handled it… Or it handled you…
Yes, damn it, and recently. Back on June 1st, my knee felt a bit odd; on June 2nd, I was aware I was limping; on June 3rd, everyone knew I was limping. It didn’t stop me from going away for the weekend, though. On Saturday, June 4th, I admitted something was very wrong since my knee was in agony and looked like someone had replaced it with a softball. I wound up going to the emergency room. When I got home, the doctor took a cubic inch of fluid out of my knee. Eventually, he worked out that I had damaged the cartillage at the end of my thigh. The net result was a week off work and on drugs; 7 weeks on crutches and 4 weeks in a knee brace doing physical therapy.
I’m much better these days, but stairs are still not easy and I haven’t got the hang of running back. It’s frustrating, among other things because a friend moved into a new house with a lot of stairs yesterday and I couldn’t do nearly as much hauling as I wanted to.
As for how I handled it, the answer is “Badly, sometimes.” I followed the doctor’s orders, and I had good friends who took me shopping and on excursions so I didn’t go stir crazy. A lot of places will let you borrow a wheelchair and grocery stores have electric carts you can use to get around the store. If you’ve got friends who’ll help you out with such things as laundry, etc, that’s a very good thing. A good supply of books, movies, or hobbies which can be done while sitting also help. The main thing is, it simply takes time and that’s the most frustrating thing of all. I’m told my knee healed quite quickly, all things considered. It still wasn’t quickly enough, and the knee brace looked like something out of a cybertech novel was attempting to mate with my leg. I went to an SF con the weekend after I got it and I swore I was going to get a t-shirt made up which read, “I don’t care who you are of what. I will not be assimilated. Now quit humping my leg!”
Do get this checked out and good luck. It isn’t easy, but it does heal. Just ask the guy I went to ballroom dance lessons with on Monday night!
Yeah, really, you should see a doc unless it is all better tomorrow. Knees are tricky joints. I bunged mine up long distance running, and ignored the pain for a long time, but as it got worse, finally had arthoscopic surgery.
You may be able to avoid anything this drastic if you get it attended to. Don’t treat it with neglect.
If you can’t or won’t see a doc soon, then go to a drugstore and get a knee brace. One I liked is elastic, has a little hole in front for your patella to peak through, and metal ridges on the side.
And, I’m a great believer in glucosomine, as are most medicos. It takes a month or so to help, but it is amazing how it helps. It can actually regenerate cartilidge. You likely tore or ruptured something in there, so should get professsional help.
Just an opinion here. I did tear my knee up in 1972 playing tennis, and mean wrenched it badly.
Turns out I’d stretched some ligaments according to the doc. At that time, the best he could offer me was a major procedure on the knee with no better than a 50% chance it would actually improve things. He did warn me about how it would be forever more weak at certain angles and could give out on me at any time even after it healed. He warned me to be careful crossing traffic, as if/when it went out, it would be incredibly painful and temporarily incapacitating.
He was right.
And I have been careful, so it’s no big deal for me personally.
Things are different now, and I would encourage you to get some professional opinions / evalutation of the thing. If you really did some permanent damage, your options are MUCH better now than 33 years ago.
This must be the weekend for it. I helped relatives move this weekend.
I’m a brute. I lift weights, I’m in good cardiovascular shape, 'tho my legs don’t get the attention I used to when I was in spinning.
So I’m kicking butt and taking names, working a sweat and hauling boxes.
Then I notice the outside ligaments of my knees are hurting.
I slow down and move to non-stair related stuff and it eases somewhat.
Now if I’m just walking by myself, I’m okay. If i’m carrying any amount of weight, I can feel that stiffness on the outside of the knees. Man, I hope it’s nothing serious.
