Need some advice...

[Zatnikitelman]

Back in March, I was playing Dodge Ball with my scout troop. In a spectacular move where I dodge 3 balls, I first went down, then half-rolled left, then rolled all the way right. Well, when I rolled right, I apparrently hit a rock or something (not that hard) just to the left of my right patella right where the tibia and femur meet literally at the joint.

It seemed ok, so I popped right back up and it was a tad sore (extremely minor) but I could still walk and run and everything (I've fallen numerous times of course not given a second thought). But that night I was sitting on my knees in my desk chair, and when I tried getting up, it felt like a DG had collided with me (outside of Orbiter of course ) my knee literally exploded in pain. I ignored and decided to just sleep on it coming this far.

Sure enough, it was "fine" in the morning. A tad sore, but I could do everything. Pain finally died off completely after about 36 hrs. However, here's where the problem lies. About a month after that I felt a slight twinge when I walked occassionally usually down stairs, or down a slope. It has steadily gotten worse till it happens at least every other day now and ocurs even while walking flat. As a college student on a big campus, I have to walk A LOT! So, should I just stick it out, or try doing something...I'm just not sure at this point, I rely on driving to get there so if a doc did look at it and I ended up imprisoned in a brace, I'd be up a very fast flowing creek.
I know this isn't exactly everyone's area of expertise, but..I don't know. Perhaps I'm just rambling cause I'm tired.
Thanks,
Zat

 

[Cobalt]

I had a relative who's had four knee surgeries (or more, and at least one on each knee) to date. The only thing that ever stopped her from driving (stick, even!) was the pain, not the braces she had. That being said, anecdotal evidence doesn't really do a whole lot for you.

If it's swollen, you can put ice on it (wrap a towel around it or something.) to bring it down. Grab some tylenol and see a doctor, that's the only good advice I can give you. Hope that can help, at the least.

 

[Linguofreak]

Definitely see a doc. The longer you wait, the more restrictive the brace or other implement the doctor gives you will have to be, and the longer you'll be in it. I had a roomate who injured his knee (and I seem to recall that it did involve ignoring problems for too long), and ended up with a cane as well as a brace.

I may want to take my own advice... I've had a sore knee for two years or so and haven't seen a doctor because it hasn't gotten as severe as you describe, nor have I been able to associate it with a specific injury, nor has it really gotten much worse. But I do want to get back into the habit of jogging to keep myself in shape, and I'm afraid that if I start, it will get worse. So I should probably see a doc myself.

 

[V8Li]

I had problems with both of my knees, when I was a kid I was plying hard-core socker (I mean for 2-3 hours). I was in pain for about 2 years and did nothing about it since I herd that I will have to overtake surgeries (only my friends knew about it). It's OK now, rock solid, about 10 years later... so I guess one knows (usually) better. I will suggest seing a doctor dough...

 

[Urwumpe]

If it does not go away until the next day with cooling, go to a doctor. Usually, when it is really something bad, the knee would swell in minutes and you should not be able to walk away. If it takes a longer while and your motoric capabilities are only slightly impaired, you can often solve this at home.

 

[GregBurch]

I hate to say it, but it sounds like you may have torn your anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The same thing happened to me when I was about your age. I ignored it for 20+ years, with the symptoms being occasional stabbing pain and loss of support in the effected knee, which could cause me to completely collapse. Amazingly, I never did anything about it and carried on a fairly active life, including some mild mountaineering. I was lucky that it didn't kill me on the side of some mountain ...

I finally went to an orthopedist in my late 30s to look at it. This resulted in having ACL replacement surgery. Ironically, I should have waited, because the techniques for this kind of surgery improved dramatically in the years after I had it done, making the procedure MUCH less invasive and recovery time MUCH shorter. To end this long story, my replacement has now failed and I'm back to where I was before, but now I've got pretty bad arthritis, which will complicate whatever I end up having done, if anything.

My advice: Go ahead and have it looked at by an orthopedist. They'll probably MRI it. At your age, and with current techniques, you can have the replacement done if that's the problem over the Xmas break. But you should have it done, because every time it "goes out" you damage the cartlidge in your knee because of the "off nominal" bearing stress that results.

 

[joeybigO]

I'm not a doctor or anything, but it sounds like an ACL or MCL tear, and those surgeries however minor they call them, Hurt like a b****.

It would be more pleasant giving birth to a cow, IMHO.

 

[Notebook]

Call me old fashioned, but go to a doc now.

N.

 

[astrosammy]

Yes, it sounds that going to a doc is the best. I once had problems with my back, going to the doc probably saved me from beeing a cripple later.

 

[Andy44]

I would go to a doc if I were you, but only because it's knees.

Once you start approaching 40, though, there will be little aches and pains enough that you could spend half your life at the doctor's office complaining about them all. I've found that the cure for most of them is to quit whining and work out more, but that's just my attitude.

With knees, though, don't mess around.

 

[Zatnikitelman]

Well, thanks everyone. What I plan to do is go to college as normal tomorow, then once my knee begins hurting, make a beeline for the nurse's office to start getting this thing squared away ASAP.
Thanks everyone for helping me make this decision.

 

[Zatnikitelman]

Thought I'd let you guys know what's next. I saw the campus nurse Thursday and she definately recommended that I get it looked at by a doctor. Got an appointment Tuesday afternoon and we'll go from there.
This will sound slightly weird...but I actually half-hope there is truly something wrong. That way, they know what to fix instead of "yea, it's going to hurt, but we don't know what it is so we can't 'fix' it."
Reminds me of the description of the events leaidng up to Apollo 1 based on "Lost Moon." Grissom (I think) said that the craft just didn't "ring right" which Lovell went on to explain that that was one of the worst appraisals a test pilot could give cause you didn't know what exactly to fix.

 

[Andy44]

Well, hopefully your knee won't burst into flames. Good luck.

 

[Zatnikitelman]

Ok, saw general doctor today (have to go through her first, darn insurance) she's recommending I see an orthopedist so we'll make an appoint tomorrow for whenever is available. I got the impression though that she seems to think there IS some true damage and not just some random ghost.

 

[GregBurch]

Ok, saw general doctor today (have to go through her first, darn insurance) she's recommending I see an orthopedist so we'll make an appoint tomorrow for whenever is available. I got the impression though that she seems to think there IS some true damage and not just some random ghost.

We should start a betting pool on the diagnosis. :rofl: I'm down for 2:1 for a torn ACL; two hundred Bank of Heinlein credits.

 

[Biscuit]

We should start a betting pool on the diagnosis. :rofl: I'm down for 2:1 for a torn ACL; two hundred Bank of Heinlein credits.

I'll take some of that action ... I'll match your two hundred BoH creds ... what are the odds on a meniscus tear.

:rofl:

....

ps. seriously though, Zat, I hope it turns out to be something minor and easily correctable.

 

[Zatnikitelman]

I don't know Greg, from what I know of the Knee's anatomy, the ACL is more to the right and behind where it hurts. I'm in 3:1 for Meniscus, and 2:1 for "unknown problem that doesn't have definite treatment."

I see the Orthopedist at 15:15 next Tuesday, then we'll again go from there.