Knee Injury

yesterday while riding, I landed straight legged on a heelside 360, I heard a "pop" or a "snap" (in my back leg) right when i landed and dropped the rope. I managed to wiggle on to the sundeck of my friends wakesetter and we drove back to the dock(5 mins). By the time we got back, I could not move my leg at all. I decided to wait it out overnight and if it was still bothering me I would go to the hospital. Well I woke up this morning and it isnt much better, the swelling went down slightly, but it still looks like a balloon in their. It's the inside of my right knee where the pain is.. so im just wondering what might be wrong before I go to the hospital, just in case its something minor...
Thanks

Doctor, Specialist, MRI, Torn Acl, Surgery.

That's my guess.

thanks blabel,
this sucks

Sorry. Didn't mean to be blunt but I've heard your exact scenario many times.

no problem, I figured thats what was wrong.
thanks again

BMooch is pretty much in the ballfield for your injury.
I wouldn't waste my time @ the Hospital or Urgent Care unless you're having severe pain and loss of sensation in your leg.
Just keep it iced & elevated from now until you can get in to see your MD on Monday.
If you have any crutches it would be great for you to keep weight off the leg as well.
Good luck...

thanks guys,
unfortunately I did waste my time at the hospital and they pretty much told me they cant tell anything at this point other than its not broken. So i'm in more pain now than before because of all the twisting and jarring they did at the hospital. So i guess I have to wait a few days and see my family doctor.

Blabel has it right. Except that he forgot REHAB. I can speak from experience and let me tell you. Your life is going to suck. Don't forget the big picture though, make your leg strong and you'll be back.....almost as good as new.

today it hurt when I woke up, but I've been icing it most of the day and its starting to loosen up. I can straighten it about 3 inches now, which is better than 0 yesterday. When would be a good time to go to the doctor, because at the hospital they said they can't tell if anything is really torn because when an injury is that fresh, the muscles tense up. So im just wondering when a good time to see a doctor might be. Still can't bear any weight on it.
thanks everyone who helped, and I might need more insight in the future.

I did the same thing my first day of vacation. I had just completed a perfect 320 and thought I could hold on to the rope...When it was finally ripped from my hands it almost landed in the boat. The knee was ruined. It will feel better in a few weeks, and thats when you go to the Dr. get an MRI and they will tell you what to do...Dont be guided by the lackof pain, you could end up doing alot more damage

How can you make your legs strong to prevent a torn ACL? What excersices are good?

it feels pretty much the same today as it has the last couple of days. I don;t think they do MRI's in town, so I'm going to the doctor today to try and get referred.
If it is a torn ACL, and i need surgery, what procedure do you think would be best.
keep in mind im only 17.
Drew

Drew,
I just went through this whole thing just a few weeks ago. My doctor gave me two options: 1. Leave it alone and build the leg up, you would then be able to ski, but no wakeboarding anymore. 2. Surgery.
I had the Surgery four weeks ago tomorrrow. I had cruches the day of surgery and then started walking on it the next day. My doctor dumped my knee brace last week so I am back to walking fairly normal and lots of rehab...lots of biking and stretching. My doc says I will be out for about 4 months until surf and wakeskate, 6 months b/f I can wakeboard again.
It's really not that bad, one thing to ask your doctor is to have a block put in your leg at the end of surgery. I had one put in and had no pain for about four days after surgery, was not bad at all.
The best thing you can do is all the rehab you can, they may even start you on rehab b/f surgery.

Good luck, don't worry if you have a good doc it's not that bad. The worst part is sitting in the boat watching everyone else ride.

David,
thanks, it's good to have a place like this where people have gone through the same senerio. I'm not completely sure if it is an ACL tear because from the stories i've read, most people who hurt it are able to limp around. It's monday now and I hurt it on friday, it doesn't seem to be getting better, is there anything else it could be. I know everything points to the ACL but im just curious.

Drew,
I am betting it is an ACL tear. The best thing to do now is go to your family doctor and talk to him, he will probably give you a referal to a Othropedic Surgen, the other thing I would do is ask for some anti-inflamitories to get the swelling down. They can't do surgery, or really an MRI until the swelling is down a bit, if you have pain get some Vicoden.
An x-ray really won't tell them anything so you will have to get an MRI, no big deal the machine just makes a ton of noise.
This is just a part of the sport we play. It will happen, hang in there in the long run it's really not that bad.

I just went through it too man. It's no fun for about 6 months. But REHAB, REHAB, oh and did I mention REHAB. Don't lose hope, you'll start thinkin' this thing's never gonna get better, but it will. You might go weeks at a time and not feel any progress, and then one day you're a whole lot better than the day before. Trust me, it will get better but patience is mandatory if you want to remain sane. You're young too, you'll have full recovery and a year from now you'll never know what happened. GOOD LUCK DREW.

thanks guys.
Just got back from the doctor and he figures it's an MCL injury. He said it's still too early to tell much more. So i'm going back in a week, and then hopefully some progress can be made. I haven't heard of many MCL injuries wakeboarding so I was a bit suprised when he said that. Any MCL stories out there?

I'll let you know next week after my MRI

Good luck man, I'm having surgery on mine the 28th. I tore my acl and miniscus. I can't wait to get it repaired. I can't do anything with it the way it is now.

Can you really feel it tear. I was out riding a couple of weks ago and when I fell one foot came out and one stayed in the board made my knee bend sideways and i felt a big pop and when i bent my leg to get my foot out I fell another little pop. I couldnt move my leg for a while it hurt prtty bad. But no swelling that i could see not that I am good at seeing that stuff if its not big. It only hurts When I ride for a long time or on rough water.

Can you really feel it tear. I was out riding a couple of weks ago and when I fell one foot came out and one stayed in the board made my knee bend sideways and i felt a big pop and when i bent my leg to get my foot out I felt another little pop. I couldnt move my leg for a while it hurt prtty bad. But no swelling that i could see not that I am good at seeing that stuff if its not big. It only hurts When I ride for a long time or on rough water.

Mitchel,
when my ACL went it felt like takeing two pieces of velcrow and twisting and pulling at the same time. You will know when it is gone, there is no question. If you are not swelling, you probably just stretched it out. Best thing to do is go see the doctor. If somthing is torn they can take care of it, if not the doc will at least give you some exercises to strengthen the leg.
I did somthing close to that in college, a little rehab and I was good until this last summer.

It's best to see your doctor. My first acl tear I didn't have a lot of swelling at all. With my latest tear in the other knee I had quite a bit of swelling. You really can't tell by the amount of swelling.
If you felt a pop you may have torn your acl. Both times I felt a definite pop. Also, the pain is pretty intense when it happens.

apporximately how long until you're able to walk?

Drew,
depends on what you mean by walk. I was able to get up the next morning after surgery and hobble around without cruches. To walk with the brace unlocked was on week ( start bending the knee), three weeks untill I was told to loose the brace. Not much down time at all.

here is my story in short form, new byerly board, double up, acl completely torn, CADAVER acl surgery, ( with a very good surgeon), missed 2 days of carpentry work and was back on my landlock in less than two weeks. this is a true story. I am at three weeks today and i have full extension and 135 degree of flexion. I dont know what the long term is going to bring, but as of today i am sold on the cadaver acl. I might go out and blow my other one so I can get a matching pair(kidding)

right on,
thanks

I would skip the MRI, you tore your acl, they are going to scope it anyway so the MRI is redudntant and expensive. Sometimes they are inconclusive too.
Just have 'em scope it, a good doc can move your leg and tell the acl is gone. I went for the hamstring on my acl repair. Good luck

"I would skip the MRI, you tore your acl, they are going to scope it anyway so the MRI is redudntant and expensive. Sometimes they are inconclusive too.
Just have 'em scope it, a good doc can move your leg and tell the acl is gone. I went for the hamstring on my acl repair. Good luck"

Hey jackass...if it's an MCL, and they do an MRI...he most likely won't need surgery. Only a select few have surgeries on their MCL's. Why have a 10 thousand dollar operation when you can get 1 thousand dollar MRI? Nice advice.

andy strawn (andystrawn)*on*Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 10:36 am: ** *** I would skip the MRI, you tore your acl, they are going to scope it anyway so the MRI is redudntant and expensive. Sometimes they are inconclusive too.
Just have 'em scope it, a good doc can move your leg and tell the acl is gone. I went for the hamstring on my acl repair. Good luck
*
Not necessarily true.....A good history & physical exam is pertinent to making a diagnosis , but to operate on someone without using the least invasive methods to confirm your Diagnosis first is just setting you up for a major malpractice lawsuit....
I'm sure you would be fairly pissed off someone decided to operate on you "because your knee felt loose in their hands"
Depending on the severity of a MCL tear , surgery maybe an option. But otherwise you would need to wear an immobilzer locked out at a certain angle to let the MCL scar down for the healing.