Knee injuries

clones_jer

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Apr 16, 2006
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As I sit here with a bag of frozen broccoli on my knee I figured I'd survey CF for information on knee injuries.

I felt a popping sensation tonight during men's league basketball on the outside of my knee.

Anyone want to play doctor :wideeyed: and guess if its a sprain or anything tore?

I can bend it and put a little weight on it and kinda hobble around. It doesn't really hurt, but it just feels unstable, and it hurts along the outside if I step wrong. It definatly isn't swelling up.

this sucks.
 

cmoore_23

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Mar 23, 2006
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Ankeny, IA
i also hurt my knee 2day.. in a bball pick up game.. sprained it i think..

cant really help ya tho.. normally im pretty good at that.. but tonite i cant think strait
 

cytech

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Apr 10, 2006
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Sounds kinda like what happens to my knee's occasionally. It is just a sprain when it happens to me, I went to the doctor the first time, but it has probably happened 5 or 6 more times. I just throw a knee brace on and go about my way.
 

cyclonedave25

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Jul 10, 2007
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What motion were you doing when you injured your knee??? That often times help the diagnosis...
But when you mention the "popping" sensation and the "outside" of your knee.
If i had to guess, it sounds like maybe a slight tear of your LCL. Sprains usually involve the ACL and/or MCL, but can also be your LCL. And when you say "outside" thats why i figure that. Also, the popping is usually the result of a ligament being torn or slightly torn. And since you aren't in great pain i would say probably a first-degree sprain. Which is a mild sprain with few ligament fibers being torn. And there is usually little to no swelling.
Hope this helps.

(hmm.. looks like my athletic training class is actually paying off...)
 

ISUFan22

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Apr 11, 2006
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You did it today? If so, that's how mine went down. I hurt it in a league...felt horrid when I did it...10 minutes later it felt sore but not bad. Just very unstable.

Drove myself home, iced it and took some IB Profen (sp).

The next day though...whoa...couldn't do a damn thing. Went to the doctor immediately. Wasn't fun news.

If you felt a pop, I would definitely go to the doc. I'd venture to guess you're not going to do more damage by waiting - although it won't hurt to get it checked out. I take it you got hit from the inside as it's hurting on the outside (LCL)?

Elevate tonight and ice off and on - 20 on and 20 off, etc. If you can, stick a couple books under the foot end of your mattress...even that slight elevation will help the bloodflow back to your heart and help minimize swelling should it occur.

I honestly do hope it's nothing serious - because that stuff is zero fun.
 

clones_jer

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Apr 16, 2006
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well, there's not much swelling this morning, but it still feels really unstable at times. I definatly feel right where it hurts down the out side of the knee cap from about mid-knee cap to maybe 3 inches below. Whats the outside ligament called? LCL? I could probably draw a picture of whatevers hurting on the outside of my leg with how specific the pain is to one area.

anyway, going to have it checked at some point today depending on when I can get in. Hoping its anything that doesn't required surgury.

and no 22, I didn't get hit. I actually just planted hard and cut sharply to my right causing the pain on the outside of my left knee. I didn't audiblely "hear" a pop, but I did feel something give. Didn't really hurt too bad, but became unstable instantly.
 

Cyclonesrule91

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Apr 10, 2006
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When I tore my ACL playing basketball, I was in such intense pain that I couldn't put weight on my knee until the next day. That was by far the worst pain I have ever felt. So I don't think you would have torn anything but maybe just strained a ligament somewhat which would make it feel unstable. Don't go playing hoops tonight though, let it recover a while.......

I am not an athletic trainer or doctor, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.........
 

jay moe

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Apr 10, 2006
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Sounds like you might have some cartilage problems, maybe a slight tear or a piece floating around. I'm not a doctor but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express.....

As I sit here with a bag of frozen broccoli on my knee I figured I'd survey CF for information on knee injuries.

I felt a popping sensation tonight during men's league basketball on the outside of my knee.

Anyone want to play doctor :wideeyed: and guess if its a sprain or anything tore?

I can bend it and put a little weight on it and kinda hobble around. It doesn't really hurt, but it just feels unstable, and it hurts along the outside if I step wrong. It definatly isn't swelling up.

this sucks.
 

jay moe

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Apr 10, 2006
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southern iowa
Sorry didn't mean to copy, didn't read down far enough

When I tore my ACL playing basketball, I was in such intense pain that I couldn't put weight on my knee until the next day. That was by far the worst pain I have ever felt. So I don't think you would have torn anything but maybe just strained a ligament somewhat which would make it feel unstable. Don't go playing hoops tonight though, let it recover a while.......

I am not an athletic trainer or doctor, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.........
 

ISUFan22

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Apr 11, 2006
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Denver, CO
Unstable could mean you sprained it pretty good or you tore something. Hopefully the former.

Yes, the ligiment on the outside of your knee is the LCL. This could be your ACL though and the pain is just localizing at the outside of your knee.
 

mjlane

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Apr 21, 2006
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If you felt a pop, I would definitely go to the doc. I'd venture to guess you're not going to do more damage by waiting - although it won't hurt to get it checked out.

That's the only advice you need, and it sounds like you're already going to get checked out, which is good. I injured my knee several years ago and never went to the doctor because it didn't appear to be that bad. Then, about 4 years later I was kneeling down and my knee locked up. Talk about pain. Turns out I had a torn medial meniscus, which only needed scoping to fix, but they had to remove most of it. Had I gone to the doctor right away, I'm sure the damage would have been much less.
 

redbird

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Apr 9, 2006
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Hearing a pop can be bad news. I've blown my knee up twice and it wasn't exactly fun. Good luck. If you get an MRI they are kinda creepy.
 

bstegs

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Apr 11, 2006
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I would guess that you have a cartilage tear. I had the same thing in High School where my meniscus would rollup/flipup onto itself and get pinched by the bone and then unroll. One time it didn't, then came surgery.

Anyone for a wager on what is injury actually is? Someone set up a bet.
 

mjlane

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Apr 21, 2006
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If you get an MRI they are kinda creepy.

If an MRI is needed, see if you can get in at Nydic Open MRI. They have an open MRI machine, not the tunnel thing that you see on TV and movies. You just lie on a table and the machine does it's thing.

Also, I'd highly recommend Dr. Timothy Kenney at the Iowa Orthopedic Center if anyone is ever looking for an orthopedist. He did a great job on my scoping procedure, it's like nothing ever happened to it.
 

ajk4st8

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Mar 27, 2006
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Im a physical therapist that works in Ames/Story City. Let me know and Ill check you out for free.
 

clonomaniac

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Apr 12, 2006
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As I sit here with a bag of frozen broccoli on my knee I figured I'd survey CF for information on knee injuries.

I felt a popping sensation tonight during men's league basketball on the outside of my knee.

Anyone want to play doctor :wideeyed: and guess if its a sprain or anything tore?

I can bend it and put a little weight on it and kinda hobble around. It doesn't really hurt, but it just feels unstable, and it hurts along the outside if I step wrong. It definatly isn't swelling up.

this sucks.

Man, I hate the popping sensation, last time it happened I sprained my ankle and its been a month already. I am slowing getting back into sports, I hope yours is nothing severe though. Hang in there.
 

jdoggivjc

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Sep 27, 2006
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My best advice is don't do anything stupid physically while you're dealing with this. While I haven't had many problems with my knees, I've had to deal with ankle injuries all the time. I'll sprain my ankle, and then I'll go work out on it before it's really ready to handle that kind of activity, and I'll end up hurting something else when compensating for the injury (usually I'll give myself a wicked case of tendinitis in my Achilles in the same ankle).
 

clones_jer

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Apr 16, 2006
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Well, I've been told its a probably a LCL sprain combined with a strained lower quad. The quad giving the general soreness and the ligament sprain doing the unstablility and occasional shots of pain if I step wrong.

They want to hold off on an MRI unless I feel it give out or the pain gets worse rather than better ... basically telling me to quit being such a little girl :smile:

It hurt like a mother this morning, but there was no noticable swelling and its gotten better an better throughout the day. I'm only walking with a slight hitch now.

The appointment only cost me $35, which I'm assuming is way less than am mri so things are looking up.