Please read! I’ve fucked my knee

[Orangemare]

Has anyone ever sprained or stretched their knee before? How long did it take to feel normal again?

i posted on here about 4 weeks ago (ish) when I fell off my horse. For context- I still don’t know quite how it happened but my leg caught caught in something (I think in the stirrup leather) and I ended up dangling from my horse from my knee whilst getting dragged as he bolted. Eventually my leg become untangled and I fell off (which was actually a relief not to be dragged anymore.) I don’t know if it was the falling or the twisting of my knee that damaged it but maybe both.

my knee was so painful afterwards. I knew I hadn’t broken or dislocated it so I didn’t go for help immediately but I did after almost a week and was told I had strained or stretched it but it should resolve itself . There wasn’t much bruising or swelling

But it’s been 4 ish weeks now and it’s still so sore and stiff. It doesn’t hurt to walk on but when bending or straightening it it feels SO tight. It also gets stiff so quickly so after sitting down I can’t straighten or bend it and have to hop about until the seized feeling passes. It feels so tight and seized when I try to either bend or straighten it and it still doesn’t feel right. I’ve soo started getting the same tightness and pain and seized feeling down the calf and lower leg which is new since the injury

sorry for the long post! Has anyone ever injured their knee and have any advice? Starting to worry I’ve completely fucked up my knee and it won’t ever go back to normal!

Did you get it crated or scanned?

Crated 😳

X-rayed

Not my knee but I badly sprained my ankle a few years ago and it was 4 months before it was mostly back to normal, but it was still a bit weak nearly a year later.

It also affected other parts of my leg, because I was walking unnaturally on it.

So what your saying could be completely normal OP, but I'd recommend going to the doctor to get it checked out just in case.

Can't offer any advice but a similar thing happened to David Beckham, according to Jethro.

Presumably you were given exercises by the physio? How are they going?

I think you should go back to the physio. You could have torn your ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) - the manner of the injury fits, as do your symptoms. An MRI might be helpful.

Unless you have imaging you won’t know for sure what you are dealing with. The GP and physio are probably working on the basis that most injuries self resolve in six weeks so they will only refer you for further investigations if that doesn’t happen.

DS sprained his ankle very badly as a teenager. Hospital X-rayed it and sent him away. Next 14 years were a cycle of re-spraining it, getting sent round a loop of physios and GPS. Eventually I paid for a private sports consultant who did an MRI. He’d ruptured a ligament which would never regrow and give lifelong instability.

With that information he managed to get seen by an NHS ankle surgeon and get it repaired. The NHS can be quick to dismiss’sprains’.

See GP and ask for an MRI. I waited after damaging my knee and hobbled round for ages. Turned out I'd ripped the cruciate ligaments and it was 50/50 if I'd need surgery. Luckily I just managed with a bit of physio but it knocked my confidence for a while afterwards.

Did you get an X-ray or MRI? Can you do that because I would recommend that.

I was told to rest it and let it heal but also not to let it stiffen and seize up. They also didn’t really recommend an exercise regime for it but gave me a couple of generic exercises I could do but they were clear they didn’t think it warranted specific exercise treatment yet

I’ve followed the advice and it’s just not improving

The other thing I’ve noticed is I’m getting a lot of calf and thigh (the back side of my thigh) discomfort too. I’m also getting pins and needles a lot. As I’mtyping I’ve got that horrible tingling sensation in my calf and going down to the sole of my foot where it’s feels really glittery and almost as if I’ve got sand in my shoe (hope that explanation makes sense!!) it’s not painful like pins and needles it just feels like a dead leg but I’ve not been lying on it it just happened randomly.

im definitely going to go back to the physio hopefully next week, just posted on here in case anyone knew more about knee injuries than I do because this is my first (and hopefully last!) knee injury

You need to get xrays and mri. Particularly now you mention nerve compression symptoms - the pins and needles you mention going down into your foot.

I had small fall in December, fell a bit awkwardly. Really not a bad fall, I could weight on it straight away so a light sprain. Only 3 months later I finally feel better. These things take a ridiculous amount of time. The tingling could be because you're sitting loads more than before.

I wouldn't piss about with waiting for a physio appt.
I think you need to get it x-rayed and scanned ASAP, even if that means A+E. Why didn't you go there in the first place, btw?

@Orangemare - Dh has had ligaments done in one knee and cruiciate something in the other. He went to Gp who said rest & it & go to physio - did not get better. He then went & had a scan on his knee & has had a thing which takes out fluid & a mild steroid injection - that has made it better. In his case in a couple of years he will probably need a knee replacement ( but he is elderly so don't panic about that yet. )

I think it’s time for an MRI on your knee. You should tell physio and GP that your symptoms are not resolving themselves. I have a bad knee- tore my ACLU and the cartilage (meniscus). I’d been doing physio and had steroid shots to address the swelling and try and improve healing. The MRI showed the torn cartilage is unlucky for me in the area with no blood supply so no repair surgery could be done at the time. I am too young for a knee replacement as they have their own issues.

So it was knee brace plus physio for three months, and now physio for life. I had gotten to the point I couldn’t walk 50m, but after the brave & physio can walk 5miles albeit slowly and not without twinges of pain. So you do improve.

I have a lot of ankle problems due to pronating feet and numerous sprains. I find using comfrey ointment helps when it worsens. Maybe give that a try? Lots of research available online re it's efficacy. (Medical papers, not just herbal sites).

Pins and needles could be nerve damage. I think you need an MRI to see what’s happening inside.

Not trying to worry you but that sounds like it could be nerve damage,please go back to your Dr's and make them listen this time.

I have never damage in my neck from a road traffic accident when I was 9 years old,despite the very obvious injuries my neck wasn't checked properly and I still get bad neck pain(has made me blackout before)and I'm 47 now.Living with ongoing nerve damage and the pain it causes can be really debilitating.

The seizing and clicking makes me think you’ve torn your cartilage. If it is, it won’t heal over time. Likely ligament damage too. Keep going back to GP for a referral. I was told numerous times that it was just a strain and I had a locked knee. by the time I saw consultant he operated urgently as an emergency to stop longer term issues with muscle wastage. (I had torn cartilage)

You need an MRI if you want to know for definite what damage you’ve done . Ask your GP to refer you to orthopaedic consultant and don’t wait too long especially if you’re not walking properly.

MRI to see soft tissue damage such as ligaments or meniscus

Gosh, do they really do anything? I had hospital appt long ago (1997 ?) at which I was told "It's a soft tissue injury. What do you expect us to do about it?" so I honestly didn't think anything ever was done. Not in NHS, anyway.

No physio suggestion, no MRI, etc.

Not me, DH has.

Was a meniscus tear

We’re extremely fortunate that our GP fast-tracked an NHS referral as he’s a sport-based teacher and affecting his job

Few months on after they did what they could, still gives him a bit of grief but hopeful of a full recovery

I damaged my knee years ago when standing on a bus, the bus jerked and my knee went from under me. I was months in pain being told that it was a strain and it would heal. So i decided to pay for a private mri and it turns out I had damaged hoffas fat pad , which was now inflamed. The knee is such a small space and the pad was so swollen that it was causing the massive amounts of pain. I paid myself for private physio , who did dry needling and after a good few sessions it healed but it was a good six/ eight months. Even still to this day if my knee gets a jerk or sudden twist then it can start up again. Cost me a fortune to get to the bottom of it but the drs were really no help at all.

You're getting lots of good advice in this thread OP. I can only add ice, ice, ice. That's as well as physio, not instead of it. The physio I saw said that ice brings down the swelling in the knee which allows for more mobility which in turn brings much-needs blood supply to the area. She recommended applying ice at least three times a day

This website has excellent information about knee injuries:

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/knee-injuries#the-structure-of-the-knee

Because it’s been 4 weeks with little to no improvement I think you need a follow up appointment. If your GP and physio won’t investigate further then it might be worth seeking a second opinion.

I personally found a physio with a masters degree in sports medicine to be a bit more knowledgeable and helpful than a regular physio. Could you find a physio with a masters in sports medicine?

Another one saying it took months to recover. I fell off my bike and sprained both ankles and both knees. One ankle was so bad I was on crutches as I couldn't put any weight through it. The other knee was the next worst but in comparison not too bad so I didn't focus on it for physio. It took about 2 years to stop giving me gyp for particularly knee heavy exercises (i.e. bridge in yoga).

Physio is definitely the answer unfortunately.