Think I twisted my Knee

[Sav25 1]

So I skated hard into a corner to steal the puck on Tuesday, and turned to check the guy that had it.

I felt a nasty pain on the inside of my knee and came off limping. All week It's felt really weak, like I cant do any kind of turning movement on foot at all.

I dont know if this is likely to be a twisted knee, torn ACL, sprain or somthing else?

Any ideas?

Going to the doctor today to get his view, but he's not always the best.

Rich

[fatwabbit 93]

Did you hear a pop? If it were a torn ACL, chances are it would have swelling, but you would be able to walk after about 3-4 days. Might be a strained/torn MCL if its on the inside of the knee.

Have a doc check it out is the best advice. All you going to get here is just advice to go see the doc.

[Sav25 1]

Did you hear a pop? If it were a torn ACL, chances are it would have swelling, but you would be able to walk after about 3-4 days. Might be a strained/torn MCL if its on the inside of the knee.

Have a doc check it out is the best advice. All you going to get here is just advice to go see the doc.

Thanks mate

Turns out the club manager is an orthopaedic nurse! She never told us that before!!? Anyhow, she thinks it could be a torn cruciate ligament - whatever that is?

I'm trying to get an appointment with the doc today. Until then, I need to avoid junk food as the lack of hockey could get me fat in no time ;)

[RadioGaGa 162]

Thanks mate

Turns out the club manager is an orthopaedic nurse! She never told us that before!!? Anyhow, she thinks it could be a torn cruciate ligament - whatever that is?

I'm trying to get an appointment with the doc today. Until then, I need to avoid junk food as the lack of hockey could get me fat in no time ;)

That's the "C" in ACL and MCL!

[Sav25 1]

That's the "C" in ACL and MCL!

Oh crap - that means it's as bad as I thought then!

Damn - I cant live without hockey, gonna be so bored and frustrated.

Watcha reckon - 6 weeks?

[Sav25 1]

...and even after the 'healing time' with or without surgery - surely it's more likely to happen again as it's gone before?

[bob_flip 0]

Oh crap - that means it's as bad as I thought then!

Damn - I cant live without hockey, gonna be so bored and frustrated.

Watcha reckon - 6 weeks?

You have to get knee MRI. I was out of the game 1 year, after ACL reconstruction and 2 months after MCL sprain.

Those things are really bad. I wish you the best!

[Sav25 1]

You have to get knee MRI. I was out of the game 1 year, after ACL reconstruction and 2 months after MCL sprain.

Those things are really bad. I wish you the best!

Looks like I better find a new hobby. Thanks for the info and support.

Then again, I dont know if it's def an ACL injury - but it doesnt feel good!

[regularjoe 1]

You have to get knee MRI.

This. If the pain is on the inside, it's most likely the MCL. Hurting the MCL (the interior ligament) is the lesser of the two evils. Depending on the severity, you may or may not need surgery, just rest and rehab but the MRI will tell the doctor this.

I sprained my MCL on my right knee over the summer in a knee on knee collision. I had pain but none of the instability you feel. Turned out it was a grade 2 sprain. Doctor prescribed 4-6 weeks of rest/rehab and then a month of playing with a brace. I still play with the brace for the security altho the knee feels perfectly fine now.

[Sav25 1]

This. If the pain is on the inside, it's most likely the MCL. Hurting the MCL (the interior ligament) is the lesser of the two evils. Depending on the severity, you may or may not need surgery, just rest and rehab but the MRI will tell the doctor this.

I sprained my MCL on my right knee over the summer in a knee on knee collision. I had pain but none of the instability you feel. Turned out it was a grade 2 sprain. Doctor prescribed 4-6 weeks of rest/rehab and then a month of playing with a brace. I still play with the brace for the security altho the knee feels perfectly fine now.

Hmm maybe I have a similar injury. It wasn't caused by impact, just twisting/stretching the wrong way, but not by much. I was really surprised it happened.

I can walk on it and I onbly have a very slight limp, more likely where I'm a bit worried about making it worse. It's also on the inside right.

I find it just 'hurts/gives way' when I try to turn when walking.

What's this brace thing, is it like one of those support things that slide on to your knee?

[bob_flip 0]

What's this brace thing, is it like one of those support things that slide on to your knee?

I wore this one http://www.muellersportsmed.com/Hinged_Knee_Brace_Deluxe.htm

[regularjoe 1]

I wore this one http://www.muellersportsmed.com/Hinged_Knee_Brace_Deluxe.htm

Yeah, the one I have is very similar. The only major diff is that the metal hinges/braces on the side are not covered. Makes it easy to remove the metal part and wash the material.

Had to dig up my old Rbk 4k shinpads to wear over them though as my regular Itech 660s would not fit over. One case where hoarding gear pays off I suppose.

[fatwabbit 93]

Depending on how extensive the damage is and how fast your body recovers. I was back playing competitive hockey in less than 6months. The main important thing is to bulk up your leg muscles again regardless of whether you do surgery or not. The muscles play a very important part of keeping your knee stable. Also, try and get a hammy graft instead of a patella tendon graft (Gazza got a patella tendon graft and you know how many times he's gotten injured after playing for spurs). I got the patella tendon graft, and although its pretty solid, I havent really kept up with the muscle bulking exercises.

If you are going down the knee brace route, may i suggest looking at some Innovative Sports CTI2 braces (if you have insurance) and the C180. The CTi2 has got a hockey specific brace, and works well. I've got both, and wear the CTi2 on my injured knee, while the C180 is more preventive. I've been hit numerous times before, and if I didnt have my braces on I'd be out of hockey totally (already retired from soccer). Of all the knee braces I've tried, these two give me freedom of movement and you intend to forget that they are there. Breg also makes some good braces... like skates all the knee braces would fit differently, so you will need to shop around and try different brands before deciding which one to go with.

As for shin pads... I wear my knee braces under my Mission NME1 shins without any problems. The RBKs 6k are pretty good from what I hear, and you should be able to get away with the Supreme line as well. I've never personally tried the Vapor line, so cant comment on those. Best thing is, once you get a knee brace, try it out with your current gear. You might have to tweak the pads a little to get a little more flare in the shin pads, or just bring the knee brace down with you when you are trying it out in the store. You might notice a little more bulk overall since the knee braces add some girth to your overall leg, but the ones I've mentioend above tend to have a much lower profile.

Send us a message if you need any more help... not a medical person or expert, but glad to pass on what I've learnt since I've gone down this track pretty much blind.

Edit... just reread your posts. The slight pain and limp a few days after the initial injury; feels like collapsing while turning... classic symptoms of ACL damage. The MCL would prevent your knee from collapsing inwards, but the turning would be more ACL. Like I said, I;m no medical expert so I could be wrong. I just had a buddy of mine get his done, and he's back to motorcross within 3 months of the injury. He's 48, and he said the knee feels better than his uninjured one.

[Sav25 1]

Depending on how extensive the damage is and how fast your body recovers. I was back playing competitive hockey in less than 6months. The main important thing is to bulk up your leg muscles again regardless of whether you do surgery or not. The muscles play a very important part of keeping your knee stable. Also, try and get a hammy graft instead of a patella tendon graft (Gazza got a patella tendon graft and you know how many times he's gotten injured after playing for spurs). I got the patella tendon graft, and although its pretty solid, I havent really kept up with the muscle bulking exercises.

If you are going down the knee brace route, may i suggest looking at some Innovative Sports CTI2 braces (if you have insurance) and the C180. The CTi2 has got a hockey specific brace, and works well. I've got both, and wear the CTi2 on my injured knee, while the C180 is more preventive. I've been hit numerous times before, and if I didnt have my braces on I'd be out of hockey totally (already retired from soccer). Of all the knee braces I've tried, these two give me freedom of movement and you intend to forget that they are there. Breg also makes some good braces... like skates all the knee braces would fit differently, so you will need to shop around and try different brands before deciding which one to go with.

As for shin pads... I wear my knee braces under my Mission NME1 shins without any problems. The RBKs 6k are pretty good from what I hear, and you should be able to get away with the Supreme line as well. I've never personally tried the Vapor line, so cant comment on those. Best thing is, once you get a knee brace, try it out with your current gear. You might have to tweak the pads a little to get a little more flare in the shin pads, or just bring the knee brace down with you when you are trying it out in the store. You might notice a little more bulk overall since the knee braces add some girth to your overall leg, but the ones I've mentioend above tend to have a much lower profile.

Send us a message if you need any more help... not a medical person or expert, but glad to pass on what I've learnt since I've gone down this track pretty much blind.

Edit... just reread your posts. The slight pain and limp a few days after the initial injury; feels like collapsing while turning... classic symptoms of ACL damage. The MCL would prevent your knee from collapsing inwards, but the turning would be more ACL. Like I said, I;m no medical expert so I could be wrong. I just had a buddy of mine get his done, and he's back to motorcross within 3 months of the injury. He's 48, and he said the knee feels better than his uninjured one.

Thanks for writing that mate - lots of good info there. Probably one of the best forum replies I've had since I discovered Windows 3.1!

Went to a 'walk-in' NHS doctors surgery today. The twisted me around, tested this n that, pulled me, pushed me and squeezed me.

She reckons I've just got a sprain and that it should pass, with rest, in up to 3/4 weeks.

I have another doctors appointment on Friday as well with my own local doctor, so I'll get a second opinion there as well. I don't want to get my hopes up until I'm certain that I'll be back on my wheels, but so far so good.

Fingers crossed eh?

[fatwabbit 93]

Normal doctor? As in GP? They wont tell you much, and possibly not even do a Lachman's test. The Lachman's is basically used to twist, turn, pull, push etc your knee to see how much 'give' there is. If the ligament is in good nick, then you shouldnt have any movement in the joint. Too loose and chances are you have something to look into.

Also, they might suggest getting an arthroscopy, which is basically making very small incisions to see the extent of the damage. Small hole, put in camera, take a few snaps, and see what needs to be done. Spoke to my buddy who did his surgery a few months ago, and he told me that they did the actual operation thru keyhole surgery as well. Having said all that, make sure you get a second/third/fourth opinion before electing for any surgery to be done. I was 19 when I first had my surgery, and all I cared about was getting back on skates. If I had been more patient, I would have looked into it more and researched it before making a decision.

One point I want to add about the knee braces. If you can get it covered by insurance, great... if not, then you might wanna try a cheaper knee brace first. a) you might not need a custom made one that is friggin expensive; b) an off the shelf one like the C180 is also made of carbon fibre with the exact same hinge as the custom made CTi2, and can also be used for more extreme sports; c) your muscles are going to get smaller (cant remember the term, but something like distrophy or something like that) due to the lack of exercise, and believe me the difference to your uninjured leg can look very substantial. If you get customs when the muscles are at their worst, once you bulk up the brace might not feel as 'custom' anymore. I had to get my CTI2 remade about 6months down the line, and breaking it in was a pain (stiff straps etc).

One thing to note about the C180. Although its an off the shelf brace, it is very functional, and very solid. The thinner profile makes it easy to fit under pads, and is lighter in weight compared to the CTi2 (but not much). The carbon fibre can be moulded a little with a heat gun, but make sure the orthotist does that and not you. I had my C180 for about 4 years now, playing hockey and soccer about 3 times a week, so it does get used quite a fair bit. I've only recently started to notice it getting a little loose in the hinges, but after 4 years for an off the shelf brace its gone thru quite a number of miles. It will take a while to get used to the knee brace, but lets say that after a while of playing with the knee brace, I can still control a soccer ball as well as when I was playing without it.

By all means please try other brands and find out what fits you best, as everyone is different. What fits me, might not work for you... just trying to give you a heads up. The Innovation Sports braces worked for me as I found them to be the least hinderance when walking, running etc.

Best of luck pal... wishing you the best in a speedy recovery

[Sav25 1]

Normal doctor? As in GP? They wont tell you much, and possibly not even do a Lachman's test. The Lachman's is basically used to twist, turn, pull, push etc your knee to see how much 'give' there is. If the ligament is in good nick, then you shouldnt have any movement in the joint. Too loose and chances are you have something to look into.

Also, they might suggest getting an arthroscopy, which is basically making very small incisions to see the extent of the damage. Small hole, put in camera, take a few snaps, and see what needs to be done. Spoke to my buddy who did his surgery a few months ago, and he told me that they did the actual operation thru keyhole surgery as well. Having said all that, make sure you get a second/third/fourth opinion before electing for any surgery to be done. I was 19 when I first had my surgery, and all I cared about was getting back on skates. If I had been more patient, I would have looked into it more and researched it before making a decision.

One point I want to add about the knee braces. If you can get it covered by insurance, great... if not, then you might wanna try a cheaper knee brace first. a) you might not need a custom made one that is friggin expensive; b) an off the shelf one like the C180 is also made of carbon fibre with the exact same hinge as the custom made CTi2, and can also be used for more extreme sports; c) your muscles are going to get smaller (cant remember the term, but something like distrophy or something like that) due to the lack of exercise, and believe me the difference to your uninjured leg can look very substantial. If you get customs when the muscles are at their worst, once you bulk up the brace might not feel as 'custom' anymore. I had to get my CTI2 remade about 6months down the line, and breaking it in was a pain (stiff straps etc).

One thing to note about the C180. Although its an off the shelf brace, it is very functional, and very solid. The thinner profile makes it easy to fit under pads, and is lighter in weight compared to the CTi2 (but not much). The carbon fibre can be moulded a little with a heat gun, but make sure the orthotist does that and not you. I had my C180 for about 4 years now, playing hockey and soccer about 3 times a week, so it does get used quite a fair bit. I've only recently started to notice it getting a little loose in the hinges, but after 4 years for an off the shelf brace its gone thru quite a number of miles. It will take a while to get used to the knee brace, but lets say that after a while of playing with the knee brace, I can still control a soccer ball as well as when I was playing without it.

By all means please try other brands and find out what fits you best, as everyone is different. What fits me, might not work for you... just trying to give you a heads up. The Innovation Sports braces worked for me as I found them to be the least hinderance when walking, running etc.

Best of luck pal... wishing you the best in a speedy recovery

Yeah just a normal GP. Here in the UK we have to go through that route first to get referred for a specialist or hospital treatment. (assuming you're from the US?)

I gotta say, it's feeling a bit better today. I feel much more confident on the leg and I was even running around with the guys on the court today doing a few wristers helping the goalies out etc.

Sideways/turning movement is still a no-go though- just feels weird. Hard to explain.

Still, at worst, I still have fishing and DJing to keep me busy if it all goes Pete Tong

[fatwabbit 93]

Nope... Singaporean, working in Australia (trying to sneak in as well).

Be careful with what you are doing, I had the exact same thing when I initially got injured. Thought it was a sprained knee, GPs thought nothing of it. Medical Officer in Army cleared me to do my physical fitness test, and during the shuttle run (normally do it in less than 9.5sec) I heard a pop, huge pain thru the knee. Doc reexamined me and told me that it might have been a slight tear, but the twisting during the shuttle run just finished it off. Arthroscopy confirmed that the ACL was basically torn right thru.

The shooting that you are doing might not feel like its bad on your knees, but dont forget that your body torques when you are shooting. I would suggest waiting the few days and playing it safe, rather than causing further damage. It wont be that bad, and with physio to strengthen the knee it would help.

[Sav25 1]

This is driving me mad

Last night I was walking around like I had no injury at all, now this afternoon, I can just about get out of my chair?

How can it go from being so much better to so much worse? I haven't done anything taxing, just a little bit of walking here and there

[lib310 0]

This is driving me mad

Last night I was walking around like I had no injury at all, now this afternoon, I can just about get out of my chair?

How can it go from being so much better to so much worse? I haven't done anything taxing, just a little bit of walking here and there

Hey new to the boards but I have quite a bit of experience with knee ligament damage so I think that I can help out here.

You need to see an orthopedic surgeon as soon as you can. Is there swelling around your ankle? Usually with ligament damage your ankle swells up as well since the blood drains down. Is there any popping when you walk?

[lib310 0]

double post sorry

[Sav25 1]

Hey new to the boards but I have quite a bit of experience with knee ligament damage so I think that I can help out here.

You need to see an orthopedic surgeon as soon as you can. Is there swelling around your ankle? Usually with ligament damage your ankle swells up as well since the blood drains down. Is there any popping when you walk?

Thanks for offering help mate

It's hard to say what I feel because every day seems to bring a different pain...I really don't know what's going on.

Today, I'm feeling shooting pains when walking (specifically when my leg straightens out). It feels like the top part of my calf is really tight as well. Also today, i've felt sharp pains (like someone has a nail in my kneecap) to the inside (left) of my knee. It's weird because last night I was walking just fine - I seem to have good and bad days.

Any ideas? Maybe I've discovered a new type of injury lol!??!

[bob_flip 0]

Don't kidding with it. You have to get MRI at least and good doctor's review. Sometimes even MRI can't show the damage. In my case it has been clarified only after arthroscopic surgery.

[Chadd 916]

Any ideas? Maybe I've discovered a new type of injury lol!??!

We don't have many members that are doctors and none of them have responded so far. Given the pain you describe, you really need to see a doctor ASAP.

[lib310 0]

We don't have many members that are doctors and none of them have responded so far. Given the pain you describe, you really need to see a doctor ASAP.

Sorry to be blunt, but my bet is on an MCL or ACL. After you tear a ligament you will still be able to walk and get by on skates or whatever, but eventually you are going to feel it pop off and you'll be in quite a bit of trouble. Bet bet is to get some crutches, or if not that at least put a heavy brace on it until you figure out whats wrong. Knees are wily ones, even if you feel alright some crazy stuff could be going on there turning it all to a soup. Gotta get that fixed man, I know how scary it is but eventually everything will be back to normal.

[Sav25 1]

Sorry to be blunt, but my bet is on an MCL or ACL. After you tear a ligament you will still be able to walk and get by on skates or whatever, but eventually you are going to feel it pop off and you'll be in quite a bit of trouble. Bet bet is to get some crutches, or if not that at least put a heavy brace on it until you figure out whats wrong. Knees are wily ones, even if you feel alright some crazy stuff could be going on there turning it all to a soup. Gotta get that fixed man, I know how scary it is but eventually everything will be back to normal.

Hey guys - just a quick update (might help someone else in the future so keeping this thread as a bit of a log)

Went to another doc (my regular GP) and he's convinced it's an MCL sprain, not a full rupture.

I'm on anti-inflammatory pills and I have phisio in a couple of weeks, who may refer me for scans etc.

The pills make it feel good, but I'm still taking it easy and not doing anything at all with that knee - just a light bit of walking.

Until then, i'm keeping close to hockey by helping the local new starters and young kids by teaching them to pass, skate, shoot etc. It's not exactly fun (well it can be rewarding) but i'm still close to it this way.