injured knee :-(

binniesmart

Hi all

My fitness and healthy eating momentum has been lost since I injured my knee skiing last week. Not seen specialist yet but French doc said my medial collateral and anterior cruciate ligaments are severely sprained +/- torn. Ouchy. Most of the pain has settled but swelling is taking its time. Been icing it and doing the usual rest and painkillers. Anyone had anything similar? When were you back at the gym? I am really into my kettlebells classes but all the squats and lunges are a no-no I suppose. Any physiotherapists out there know when I should start getting some treatment?

GillianMcK

You could always look at using arnica & Rhus Tox for the swelling and sprain (alongside your other medication), both homeopathic remedies.

I have a runner friend who has damaged his knee and is on at least 6 weeks rest, he's hitting the upper body weights to keep him going without putting any pressure on the knee.

Not sure if it would work and you would need to check with someone with a lot more knowledge than me, but what about exercising in a pool where the impact is dramatically reduced??

sassyjae21

I don't know about treatment options or anything like that, but I know about knee pain! I sort of went through similar issues. Well, not really. But I did injure my knee and was diagnosed with something called IT Band Syndrome. Yours sounds a lot worse, TBH. Definitely stay off of it. I stayed off mine for a week (you'll probably need waaay longer than that) and it's nearly back to normal. I agree with the pool. When I did the research, I read that swimming is a great way to stay active and is very, very easy on the joints. Make sure you ask your doctor first

Also, I couldn't even lift weights. The most I could do was lifting while sitting down. No pressure on the knee at all. Be careful, and best of luck to you in your treatment!

thickerella

I am a knee-injury veteran. I cracked the patella in a car accident. Tore my meniscus and hyper-extended my ACL in a skating accident. In Jan, I hyper-extended again and sprained it badly.

So when I give you this advice, please know that I know what I am talking about.

DO NOT GO BACK TO THE GYM UNTIL YOU ARE FULLY RECOVERED!!!

You can, and WILL hurt yourself more. Now, it will take time to regain your strength after an injury, but take the time. If you are still in pain that is because there are still wounds you cannot see. If normal activity hurts, anything at the gym will hurt worse.

It took me a month after my most recent sprain to make it back to the gym.

Once you get back, take it slow.

Also, this is advice for ANYONE recovering from tissue damage, keep your deficit low and eat more protein. Your body needs fuel to heal the damaged tissues.

njitaliana

I tore my meniscus, sprained both knees and shattered the cartilage in both knees last summer. It took about 4 months before I could do anything. So, I only did upper body exercises during that time. When I was able to finally start exercising my knees, I went to PT for 3 months and gained my strength back under the guidance of a physical therapist. I didn't get surgery. I am now going to start aquatherapy because favoring my one knee and resting for so long weakened my low back muscles.

See a physiatrist - pronounced fizz-i-a-trist - as they specialize in rehabilitation and pain management for athletes. I should have done that first instead of going to an orthopedist, since orthopedists just want to do surgery. A physiatrist's emphasis is on getting people back on their feet as quickly as possible. That's who prescribed the PT for me instead of surgery.

A few years ago, I had a grade 2 sprain of my medical collateral ligament and was completely better in 4 months. It was much easier to recover from than this current injury.

PS, Thickerella's advice is excellent.