Medial ligament tear
ahh yes…confusion in amongst all of the gammy knees in your family…your mum had her knee done too once, no? and blindboy screwed his not that long ago either…
As long as it is inflammed/sore you should ice it. It wont do any harm!
Ha I am funny - just remember the Acronym H.A.R.M
Heat, Alcohol, Running, and Massage
After an injury you should do no H.A.R.M
ok fair enough, ill keep icing it and put the compression bandage back on.
it just seemed that after a week, id want the blood flow starting to rip through and get the repair process happening again. too soon?
I wouldn’t ice it constantly just once a day - at night say.
my physio told me ice for 20 minutes off for 20 and repeat.
best thing to do though is to do exactly what your physio tells you. one more vote here for doctors sucking! Last time I went it went like this:
doc: How did you hurt yourself?
me: snowboarding
doc: ok, just stop snowboarding and it will get better
me: kthanksbai
edit: i forgot: positive vibes to you dude. Hope you get better pronto!
my physio told me ice for 20 minutes off for 20 and repeat.
best thing to do though is to do exactly what your physio tells you. one more vote here for doctors sucking! Last time I went it went like this:
doc: How did you hurt yourself?
me: snowboarding
doc: ok, just stop snowboarding and it will get better
me: kthanksbai
edit: i forgot: positive vibes to you dude. Hope you get better pronto!
cheers mate! hows things over there? the house settled into?
That reminds me, I have to dig up that transceiver, probe, shovel thread where you were giving me advice. gotta get me a beacon.
Ill look into getting one of those braces NBG. Do suppose you remember how much they cost(ish)?
Unfortunately mate I have no idea as I borrowed it from a mate who had dislocated his knee and had bought it for himself. I remember when I did mine I was in denial for the rest of the day, went shopping with my gf at the time afterwards for an hour or so and remained mobile for most of the day. I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet and when I moved my leg off the side of the bed I almost started crying it hurt so bad, was not good at all! Still tried surfing the next weekend though, idiot. I eventually went to the physio wore a brace and it started to get better.
How long ago did it happen?
Acute management involves resting and ice.
This aim of acute management is to reduce the inflammatory process and manage pain!
You could also take anti-inflammatory meds if needed.
Once swelling has subsided, physiotherapy will help to get back your range of motion in your knee (I’m assuming you have some stiffness) with manual techniques and specific exercises. Other physio modalities such as ultra sound can also be used to promote healing.
Once you have full range, it’s all about strengthening strengthening strengthening!!
Your physio will prescribe specific strengthening exercises as well as proprioception exercises (balance type exercises)
Once you return back to football, you can tape your knee to support your MCL and provide extra stability.
My main adivce would be not to go back early
Let us know the exact result of the MRI, as that shapes the treatment protocol specifically.
Lucky you havnt ruptured your ACL (and medial cartilage)- the rehab is long and not fun after surgery. I’ve done that 3 times myself! Ahh!
All the best, Becky.
The MRI report in brief
high signal particularly around the femoral attachment of the medial collateral ligament.
Bone bruising is noted posteriorly at the lateral femoral condyle.
Results- Grade1-2 medial tear + bone bruising and fluid build up under the knee cap.
so it was better then expected. It still hurts like hell though if I bump it or over extend it. Today I hurt it again when some one knocked the chair out that i was leaning my foot against, it hurt just as much as when I first injured it. I was seeing stars and trying not to pass out. Now I feel like I’ve wasted 10 days of healing and I am back to where I started! I am doing the whole RICE thing again.
They also found two posterior ganglia one 19mm and one 9mm plus one septated bakers cyst…what the? This link describes them and says they are in around 5% of people in a random sample. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/387399-overview
but it doesnt really tell me if I should be worried about them. My physio didnt seem to bothered.
As long as it is inflammed/sore you should ice it. It wont do any harm!
Ha I am funny - just remember the Acronym H.A.R.M
Heat, Alcohol, Running, and Massage
After an injury you should do no H.A.R.M
Is this after you stop icing it completely or just say in the day (if I still ice it at night?)
Agree with above.
Unfortunately grade II can often hurt more than grade III which can sometimes hinder the recovery if someone’s got a big pain barrier. Best advice is to follow what your physio wants you to do, be really diligent with your rehab at home and stick with it. Time frames are often very individual but the 4-6 week mark is a rough guestamite for most grade IIs (sometimes less) so long as nothing else is complicating.
As also mentioned surgery is very rare for the MCL and LCL even with complete tears. Its just one of those things that they seem to heal just as well if left alone vs surgically repaired. The ACL is a different story.
So plenty of RICE, start your static quadricep contractions straight away with varying angles ie leg straight contract and hold for 5 sec then rest n repeat 10 times. Then also do with the knee at 30*, 60* (use a rolled towel under the knee for this if helps) and then 90*. Your physio will give you a complete run down.Chin up. You’ll be back on your board before you know it.
Any more thoughts now that I posted the MRI report summary Coop3? Ive been following the above suggestions. I like the last line best 
Hey. Sorry. I’ve been a bit out of action myself between having the outlaws to stay and I developed cellulitis in the arm from a nasty burn.
Firstly I would say ice consistently. Its never going to harm (unless you don’t wrap the ice pack in something and then yes it can burn) but yes the physio is correct 20mins on, 20 mins off. The more you ice, the more you’ll help reduce the swelling which will give you better range of motion/movement in the knee. This will help with the pain (less fluid so less pressure in the knee). However once the swelling starts to get under control then obviously you can ease off the ice. And fear not I used to knock my knee post op all the time and think I was back to square one. It would feel gammy for a couple of days then be on the mend. Great news its a grade 1-2. I snapped mine off with a piece of bone attached and its all good (they do mend 
I find meniscus tears/cartilage damage often give some of the worst residual problems as they catch and can be rather painful (thankfully I did no damage to mine).
The ganglia and bakers cyst shouldn’t be an issue. The bakers cyst can give some people problems though yours sounds like its possibly an anatomical variant than an actual pain causing bursitis.
So if you can keep up with the physio, be really diligent with your prescribed exercises and you never know you could be boarding with your favourite parrot on ye shoulder. Daaaaarrrrg. Its a tight timeframe and something you’d have to assess closer to the day but positive thinking
Your lucky you got her to respond with out pics.
She likes scan!
Be a dear and post up em up for her!!
Agreed- ice will reduce the swelling which will in turn increase your range of movement and therefore decrease the pain associated with it. Good news with the MRI report. With prompt physio, you will be back relatively soon. I also wouldn’t worry too much about the bakers cyst. Occasionally they burst but again I wouldn’t be concerned that this would happen either!
Agreed- ice will reduce the swelling which will in turn increase your range of movement and therefore decrease the pain associated with it. Good news with the MRI report. With prompt physio, you will be back relatively soon. I also wouldn’t worry too much about the bakers cyst. Occasionally they burst but again I wouldn’t be concerned that this would happen either!
thanks a lot Becky! The reassurance about the cysts is good to hear.
Hey. Sorry. I’ve been a bit out of action myself between having the outlaws to stay and I developed cellulitis in the arm from a nasty burn.
Firstly I would say ice consistently. Its never going to harm (unless you don’t wrap the ice pack in something and then yes it can burn) but yes the physio is correct 20mins on, 20 mins off. The more you ice, the more you’ll help reduce the swelling which will give you better range of motion/movement in the knee. This will help with the pain (less fluid so less pressure in the knee). However once the swelling starts to get under control then obviously you can ease off the ice. And fear not I used to knock my knee post op all the time and think I was back to square one. It would feel gammy for a couple of days then be on the mend. Great news its a grade 1-2. I snapped mine off with a piece of bone attached and its all good (they do mend
The ganglia and bakers cyst shouldn’t be an issue. The bakers cyst can give some people problems though yours sounds like its possibly an anatomical variant than an actual pain causing bursitis.
So if you can keep up with the physio, be really diligent with your prescribed exercises and you never know you could be boarding with your favourite parrot on ye shoulder. Daaaaarrrrg. Its a tight timeframe and something you’d have to assess closer to the day but positive thinking
Thanks Coop, Ill try and stay right on top of the exercises. I have resigned myself to not being able to ride by the 18th, so if I am able to it will just be a bonus. A least it sounds like I should get some days in before the end of the season.
How long was it before your knee was feeling 100%?
Well I can tell you at the 12 month check my surgeon said I was 0 (he’s probably right too as it was crap before hand lol). Hard to compare as I completely ruptured the ACL, MCL, LCL. and meniscofemoral ligaments so that always complicates timelines a little.. The posterior cruciate was the only one left attached. As for my timelines I set myself goals to keep me motivated with the rehab. I was off crutches 7 days post op (well actually before but don’t tell my surgeon back in the gym two weeks post op. I had two distinct goals one to hike Kosci in the first six months and second to be back on the snow in under 12 months. The hike was awesome (exactly six months post op but I was back hiking every weekend 3 months post op) and I was back on the board (albeit very nervous and felt like a beginner again) in just under 12 months. The knee would have been fine sooner but that was my first op to hit the slopes.
So keep at it and keep motivated. But yes most importantly look after it. Whilst I set about to achieve a lot quickly with my knee, I never put it in a situation it couldn’t cope with too soon.
Well I can tell you at the 12 month check my surgeon said I was 0 (he’s probably right too as it was crap before hand lol). Hard to compare as I completely ruptured the ACL, MCL, LCL. and meniscofemoral ligaments so that always complicates timelines a little.. The posterior cruciate was the only one left attached. As for my timelines I set myself goals to keep me motivated with the rehab. I was off crutches 7 days post op (well actually before but don’t tell my surgeon
So keep at it and keep motivated. But yes most importantly look after it. Whilst I set about to achieve a lot quickly with my knee, I never put it in a situation it couldn’t cope with too soon.
Sounds like you really went through the wars. My injury is nothing compared to that. do you still wear some sort of brace all the time when riding? you seem to really know your stuff as well.
My swelling has gone down heaps now. The knee is really stiff though, both on the medial ligament and under/around the knee cap. I still can’t straighten my leg without forcing it (gently), by that I mean, if i sit with my legs flat on the ground, the injured one sits up about 15cm off the ground under the knee even when I relax completely, even when I push it down I cant get it past 5-10cm without it starting to hurt too much. Bending the other way is worse, if I lift my knee up and pull my heel in towards my arse, i can touch the heel of my right leg to my bum cheek but the left I cant get within about 30cm. It hurts like crazy if I go too far that way. I see the physio again tmrw so Ill see what he says about that as well.