Knee injury

Hi all,

Sorry if this is not the right place for this question, but I spent a
good
deal of time trying to find a more appropriate group with no luck, so
here goes:

I have a knee injury, acquired via a fall straight onto concrete while
walking briskly (tripped in a hole covered by leaves), that is getting
worse. Initially, I had a little trouble walking (with a very slight
limp),
and very mild pain, except when I would accidentally move/twist my
foot/calf a certain way (difficult to reproduce reliably), when I would
get an extremely sharp, intense pain somewhere deep behind my
kneecap. This pain also seemed to shoot down some muscle in my
calf. This only happened sporadically, maybe a couple times a day.
When walking, though, I could consistently feel a mild ache and a
strange "weak" feeling like something wasn't right inside my knee,
though putting weight on it seemed to feel fine.

I went to my doctor, he took X-Rays and said that nothing appeared
to be wrong, and if it didn't get better in 2-3 weeks, come back.

Today, while walking at a normal pace down a hallway with the
barely-perceivable limp I have gotten used to, without warning my
knee half-buckled with an extremely loud "pop". For a split-second,
I could swear my knee felt like it had aligned correctly, but then
extreme pain set in. Now, it hurts to put weight on it, and to
straighten
it, and to try any side-to-side or twisting movement. I can walk very
slowly with an extreme limp, but it really hurts.

What kind of injury does this sound like ? Any short-term measures
I can take to gain some mobility until I can get back to my doctor ?

Thanks in advance,
Aztek

Aztek wrote:
[...]

> What kind of injury does this sound like ?

Have you tried the obvious?

http://www.google.com/search?q=knee+...en-US:official


And from the top of that list:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/k...disorders.html

Looking at that list and considering your description:

Did you hyperexted your knee?

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hyp...d-knee/AN00283

ACL seems like a very common complaint and one that seems to be a
simple and successful fix as well.

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_r...pcategory=Knee


>From the URL above:

You might experience a "popping" sensation when you tear the meniscus.
Most people can still walk on the injured knee and many athletes keep
playing. When symptoms of inflammation set in, your knee feels painful
and tight. For several days you have:

* Stiffness and swelling.

* Tenderness in the joint line.

* Collection of fluid ("water on the knee").

Without treatment, a fragment of the meniscus may loosen and drift into
the joint, causing it to slip, pop or lock—your knee gets stuck, often
at a 45-degree angle, until you manually move or otherwise manipulate
it. If you think you have a meniscal tear, see your doctor right away
for diagnosis and individualized treatment.
/copy and paste

Note especially the word popping. ;o) Okay, it's not funny. And that
may not be what you have at all. I do, however, wish you the best in
your search for some answers.

> Any short-term measures

Acetaminophen.

> I can take to gain some mobility until I can get
> back to my doctor ?
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Aztek

Good luck. Report back!

--
Curt

Curt wrote:
> Aztek wrote:
> Have you tried the obvious?
> http://www.google.com/search?q=knee+...en-US:official
>
> And from the top of that list:
>
> http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/k...disorders.html

Boy, do I feel silly

I have at times become so frustrated with weeding through all the
junk (especially advertising propoganda) from google searches that
I have gotten in the habit of limiting my searches to google groups;
obviously not the best practice in all scenarios...

Thanks for the info - it looks to be very rich in content - I'll absorb

Aztek wrote:
> Curt wrote:
> > Aztek wrote:
> > Have you tried the obvious?
> > http://www.google.com/search?q=knee+...en-US:official
> >
> > And from the top of that list:
> >
> > http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/k...disorders.html
>
> Boy, do I feel silly

Don't.

You're in pain. You're frustrated. And that info may not be at all
applicable, but I suspect that something there MUST be.

> I have at times become so frustrated with weeding through all the
> junk (especially advertising propoganda) from google searches that
> I have gotten in the habit of limiting my searches to google groups;
> obviously not the best practice in all scenarios...
>
> Thanks for the info - it looks to be very rich in content - I'll absorb
>

You're welcome. Please report back with the word from your doctor. Hey,
I'm a nosey cuss.

(thumbs nose at John Williams)

And somewhat spiteful at times. ;o)

--
Curt

"aztek" <aztek@charter.net> wrote in message
news:1164676676.912290.225910@l12g2000cwl.googlegr oups.com...
> Hi all,
>
> Sorry if this is not the right place for this question, but I spent a
> good
> deal of time trying to find a more appropriate group with no luck, so
> here goes:
>
> I have a knee injury, acquired via a fall straight onto concrete while
> walking briskly (tripped in a hole covered by leaves), that is getting
> worse. Initially, I had a little trouble walking (with a very slight
> limp),
> and very mild pain, except when I would accidentally move/twist my
> foot/calf a certain way (difficult to reproduce reliably), when I
> would
> get an extremely sharp, intense pain somewhere deep behind my
> kneecap. This pain also seemed to shoot down some muscle in my
> calf. This only happened sporadically, maybe a couple times a day.
> When walking, though, I could consistently feel a mild ache and a
> strange "weak" feeling like something wasn't right inside my knee,
> though putting weight on it seemed to feel fine.
>
> I went to my doctor, he took X-Rays and said that nothing appeared
> to be wrong, and if it didn't get better in 2-3 weeks, come back.
>
> Today, while walking at a normal pace down a hallway with the
> barely-perceivable limp I have gotten used to, without warning my
> knee half-buckled with an extremely loud "pop". For a split-second,
> I could swear my knee felt like it had aligned correctly, but then
> extreme pain set in. Now, it hurts to put weight on it, and to
> straighten
> it, and to try any side-to-side or twisting movement. I can walk very
> slowly with an extreme limp, but it really hurts.
>
> What kind of injury does this sound like ? Any short-term measures
> I can take to gain some mobility until I can get back to my doctor ?
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Aztek

It sounds like you need a different doctor.

-S-
http://www.kbnj.com

Steve Freides wrote:
> It sounds like you need a different doctor.

I've considered that - having almost no experience
with doctors (I see them so rarely, maybe once every
15 years of so, always for pretty obvious and clear-cut
things), I wasn't sure if his handling of the situation was
unreasonable or not... you think so ?

"aztek" <aztek@charter.net> wrote in message
news:1164736702.185175.22540@j44g2000cwa.googlegro ups.com...
> Steve Freides wrote:
>> It sounds like you need a different doctor.
>
> I've considered that - having almost no experience
> with doctors (I see them so rarely, maybe once every
> 15 years of so, always for pretty obvious and clear-cut
> things), I wasn't sure if his handling of the situation was
> unreasonable or not... you think so ?

I'm not a doctor, either, but I assume that your posting here means
you're involved in some kind of sports, so you might want to look for a
sports medicine specialist - they usually see quite a few knee problems.

-S-
http://www.kbnj.com

Curt wrote:
> You're welcome. Please report back with the word from your doctor. Hey,
> I'm a nosey cuss.

Finally got in at the doc - results: sprained/strained ACL and PCL,
and PCL has a very small tear, which should heal on its own. He
recommended a brace to keep my leg straight while walking, try to
not walk more than I have to, and some Ibuprofen if ache/pain/swelling
comes back.

I was very happy to hear that there's no cartilage problems

After 2+ days with the brace, my knee feels quite a bit better, though
I still can't put all my weight on it. All in all, it seems I'm
fortunate in
that I should be good as new shortly.

Thanks for your insight and encouragement