self assessing a knee injury, in the hopes that season isn't finished

[ma4149]

i tore my meniscus 6 weeks ago snowboarding… no pain, no symptoms (no locking) - only reason I bothered seeing a doctor was because I heard the knee pop and there was some minor swelling.

...from the physical examination, the doctor thought my knee was okay, but as a precautionary measure, we had an MRI...it revealed that I tore my meniscus pretty badly. It's not a life threatening injury, so no need to have immediate surgery, but was told that the longer you delay fixing your meniscus, the less likely it'll heal properly or at all.

I reluctantly agreed to surgery which obviously ended my season (season pass in the garbage, vacation plan ruined). But boy am I glad i had the surgery, the surgeon discovered through the scope that I tore the meniscus in half (MRI didn't show this). Surgeon repaired the meniscus which effectively meant that I'm out for at least 6 months.

It really does suck that my season this year is over, but having early age arthritis/knee replacement would suck even more.

See a doctor, find out what's going on down there, then make an INFORMED decision based on what you know rather than guessed. Your doctor can't force you not to ski, even if you have something major like a torn ACL, but at least you'll know how to mitigate the risks from damaging whatever even further.

Sorry to hear that.

Yeah, I had an MRI 2 years ago after I twisted my knee skiing and it hurt pretty bad and swelled up. The doctor that interpreted the MRI said torn MCL and meniscus, but that i would heal with rest and physical therapy for 6 weeks. As far as I know that did the trick because I was OK for 2 years.

Then recently I re-aggravated something down there running down stairs trying to not miss a train. This only felt like a minor irritation so I did not let it derail my annual ski trip with my brother. I was fine skiing 2 days but by the end of the third day my knee told me it had enough - swelling and pain. I don't know if I did further damage skiing or if it just did not like skiing 3 days straight after tweaking it.

This morning I sit here and it the swelling and pain is gone, and I have almost a full range of motion. It certainly doesn't feel like a show stopper but I also don't want to believe that it is.

[ma4149]

And I can’t emphasize enough how this knee brace seems to secure and support my knee, giving me the rest of what I need to feel that I can ski without making matters worse.

Look, I see that the consensus here seems to be “don’t fuck around, go see a doctor” but is there ANYONE here that believes they have injured their knee in a minor way and have concluded on their own that they can continue to ski cautiously, with a brace or whatever?

At 50 fucking years old, forced to live where I don’t want to live because of a stable job, I REALLY don’t want my 15 to 20 day ski season reduced to 6 days. I live for these days, they are my sanity days, they are what keeps me content and thinking positively until the next winter.

[Ottime]

Didn’t you read my post? You have insurance for fucks sake. Go see a doctor so they can inform you. If these are the days you live for, why the hell would you rationalize maybe not getting this checked out by a professional. You really have not learned much in two years. Still obtuse. Go see a doctors and stop asking to get a diagnosis from a bunch of strangers on the Internet. Dumb is dumb.

[bknyc]

at worst, doctor will find something serious like a blown ACL -- and advise against skiing, but can't stop you from it. Plenty of skiers with torn ACLs skiing with braces

at best, they might find nothing, you'll have some mental clarity and possibly even give you a cortisone injection to help with the lingering soreness

[ma4149]

Didn’t you read my post? You have insurance for fucks sake. Go see a doctor so they can inform you. If these are the days you live for, why the hell would you rationalize maybe not getting this checked out by a professional. You really have not learned much in two years. Still obtuse. Go see a doctors and stop asking to get a diagnosis from a bunch of strangers on the Internet. Dumb is dumb.

I don’t believe it’s a major issue. It doesn’t hurt like I imagine a major knee injury would hurt. So I am reluctant to have a doctor tell me to stop for 4 weeks. I don’t want to fucking ski the April mush.

You are probably right but I don’t want to be done for the year. If he tells me to rest it for a month he will basically be telling me to rest it for 10 months. That will piss me off.

[Ottime]

You can ignore your doctor just as easily as you ignore others advice. But then you will actually know what is going on. Not what you imagine it might be. Would you prefer to not ski ever again after putting a few more days in March?

[ma4149]

You can ignore your doctor just as easily as you ignore others advice. But then you will actually know what is going on. Not what you imagine it might be. Would you prefer to not ski ever again after putting a few more days in March?

You got a point. But I’m not reckless or dumb. If I determine that there is something going on I’ll have to reluctantly pack it in. But it took 3 days of skiing to start acting up. I dont’t think it was a big injury, I think it was just trying to tell me that 3 consecutive days was too much after aggravating it a few weeks before that.

[Kinnikinnick]

So you want us to tell you:

Go for it!! There is NOTHING wrong with your knee. Skiing will be just fine for your knee.

You good now?


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[ma4149]

So you want us to tell you:

Go for it!! There is NOTHING wrong with your knee. Skiing will be just fine for your knee.

You good now?


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NO, I’m just inquiring if there is ANYBODY ELSE out there that had what they believed was a minor knee issue and kept skiing...how they dealt with it and how things turned out. I can’t be the only one here that felt they had a small enough injury that they considered proceeding with caution.

[Kinnikinnick]

NO, I’m just inquiring if there is ANYBODY ELSE out there that had what they believed was a minor knee issue and kept skiing...how they dealt with it and how things turned out. I can’t be the only one here that felt they had a small enough injury that they considered proceeding with caution.

Yes, me. Kept skiing from injury in Feb to July and hiking til September. Kept getting worse. Kept going after diagnosed as needing meniscus repair. Finally had it. Should have gone to doctor and had surgery sooner.

But go ahead, I certainly understand first hand the desire to push through.


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[ma4149]

Yes, me. Kept skiing from injury in Feb to July and hiking til September. Kept getting worse. Kept going after diagnosed as needing meniscus repair. Finally had it. Should have gone to doctor and had surgery sooner.

But go ahead, I certainly understand first hand the desire to push through.

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Shit! And I’m just trying to enjoy one week and then I’ll hang up the skis and rest it, and see a doctor if I must!

[cmcrawfo]

.... is there ANYONE here that believes they have injured their knee in a minor way and have concluded on their own that they can continue to ski cautiously, with a brace or whatever?

Are you illiterate or just a troll? WTF? You got your answers, but you are not contributing in any way . Rather than focusing on the actual issue, you just keep baiting people.

this is why no one should ever respond to an M Series Jong.

[PNW_Skier206]

This thread is ridiculous. As anyone who has been through a torn ACL will tell you, DONT FUCK AROUND WITH YOUR KNEE. I know not skiing sucks but you could literally never be the same again if you tear your knee. Especially if you are older. It took me ~3 years post surgery before I was 100% confident in my knee again and I got surgery at 21.


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[PNW_Skier206]

Also this is America, you can live wherever you damn well please. If skiing is what you live for then move near a mountain. Like many others here, I have passed up higher pay, better job, etc. for the ability to be near a mountain.


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[ma4149]

This thread is ridiculous. As anyone who has been through a torn ACL will tell you, DONT FUCK AROUND WITH YOUR KNEE. I know not skiing sucks but you could literally never be the same again if you tear your knee. Especially if you are older. It took me ~3 years post surgery before I was 100% confident in my knee again and I got surgery at 21.


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I'm sorry about your ACL. I'm nearly certain that this has nothing to do with my ACL and is a re-aggravation of my torn MCL / meniscus from 2 years ago. This morning I sit here 95% pain free with 95% range of motion. HOWEVER, my one concern IS preventing it from becoming about my ACL, so that is why I am sitting between being reluctant to getting back out there and going back out west in 2 weeks.

[ma4149]

Also this is America, you can live wherever you damn well please. If skiing is what you live for then move near a mountain. Like many others here, I have passed up higher pay, better job, etc. for the ability to be near a mountain.


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In your twenties you can do that. When you're 50 and in a very stable good paying job that would be nearly impossible to get fired from, which will get you a very good pension, providing the right wingnuts don't take over government everywhere, it would not be wise to walk away from that.

[uglymoney]

Could just be tendonitis. My stepson had that from soccer. His knee would lock up completely. 5 minutes at the knee doctor and he was reassured and on his way.

Also S. America and New Zealand are an airplane ride away this summer if you can't ski now.

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[AmmergauerTele]

Get MRI. Simple as that. Without MRI doc won’t know too much.

[bknyc]

I'm nearly certain that this has nothing to do with my ACL and is a re-aggravation of my torn MCL / meniscus from 2 years ago…my one concern IS preventing it from becoming about my ACL

a hurt MCL/meniscus isn't putting your ACL at greater risk to tear, if that's your fear - don't worry.

you don't have a life threatening injury, plenty of pros have finished off their seasons on injured knees but get them repaired in the off-season. Obviously there's some risk doing that, but if you gotta ski, go for it.

though personally, i'd still get an MRI at the very least…at least you'll have some clarity on what's going down there. At best, you discover there's nothing wrong and all this will be for naught, at worst, you find something but your doctor can at least guide you to a sports orthopedist or physiotherapist to help ski around that injury, either through some type of prophylactic (e.g. knee brace), cortisone shot, or modified technique.

[Ottime]

Okay dude. I did not need to look you up. I remember your posts, as I recall your accident at KW, then your insane help me with my quiver thread.

Have you significantly improved your off piste skiing ability? Are you still skiing in the backseat in challenging terrain?

I broke my ankle last September. I’ve skied 11 days since 12/31/17. My first day was 3 laps for 2000’ of groomers. Then I was out of my boot. Day 2 got me 4K, Day 3 8k. All smooth surfaces, with regular old man ski instructor turns.

I’m now skiing about 80% in pow, and it is fun. But I’m still not full throttle. It helps that the season was off to a slow start.

Yeah, totally different issues, but point is, at the point of where you are now, taking it easy is the smart thing to do. You are not that stronger of a skier, in pain, and not skiing at all in between ski trips. So you are out of shape. That just makes you more likely to get hurt.

I dunno. Maybe you stuck to the groomers at Jackson. Is that your plan for your next trip? Can you dial it back and take it easy?

I can imagine leaving NYC to ski for the weekend is a pita. Do you live in the city? Can you move to Hudson or Conn? And then just buy a pass and ski.

Go see the doctor. Do you need money for the copay?

[old goat]

And I can’t emphasize enough how this knee brace seems to secure and support my knee, giving me the rest of what I need to feel that I can ski without making matters worse.

Look, I see that the consensus here seems to be “don’t fuck around, go see a doctor” but is there ANYONE here that believes they have injured their knee in a minor way and have concluded on their own that they can continue to ski cautiously, with a brace or whatever?

At 50 fucking years old, forced to live where I don’t want to live because of a stable job, I REALLY don’t want my 15 to 20 day ski season reduced to 6 days. I live for these days, they are my sanity days, they are what keeps me content and thinking positively until the next winter.

"If wishes were horses you'd have a ranch."--paraphrasing Lucinda Williams.

You sound a lot younger than 50; a lot younger than 18 actually. Own your life or change it, but either way quit whining.

[ma4149]

a hurt MCL/meniscus isn't putting your ACL at greater risk to tear, if that's your fear - don't worry.

That's the main thing for me. If that is true...that combined with the fact that the swelling and pain in my knee from 1 to 10 are both under a 1, the range of motion is in the >90% range, and wearing the knee brace I was issued 2 years ago really supports it and gives me confidence...I'm leaning towards cautiously going forward with my out west trip, perhaps skiing every other day, or just seeing how it goes.

you don't have a life threatening injury, plenty of pros have finished off their seasons on injured knees but get them repaired in the off-season. Obviously there's some risk doing that, but if you gotta ski, go for it.

Gonna wear the brace and pay attention to what it's telling me.

though personally, i'd still get an MRI at the very least…at least you'll have some clarity on what's going down there. At best, you discover there's nothing wrong and all this will be for naught, at worst, you find something but your doctor can at least guide you to a sports orthopedist or physiotherapist to help ski around that injury, either through some type of prophylactic (e.g. knee brace), cortisone shot, or modified technique.

The way I feel now I don't think an MRI is necessary but I will be wearing the brace.

You know what pisses me off? I put that brace out to take with me on my President's Day weekend trip out to the Tetons...and then left the thing right where I placed it! Had I been wearing it I have a feeling it would not have been re-aggravated or it might have bought me some time, maybe that 4th day I had to sit out.

[ma4149]

You sound a lot younger than 50; a lot younger than 18 actually. Own your life or change it, but either way quit whining.

No I don't.

[ma4149]

Okay dude. I did not need to look you up. I remember your posts, as I recall your accident at KW, then your insane help me with my quiver thread.

Fair enough. Why was my help me with my quiver thread insane? I probably wasn't the only one TO make it insane. Hey, remind me after this I still have what-skis-should-I-get questions!

Have you significantly improved your off piste skiing ability? Are you still skiing in the backseat in challenging terrain?

I ski blacks off piste providing it's not all bumped up. I think I've improved at staying center / center-forward.

I broke my ankle last September. I’ve skied 11 days since 12/31/17. My first day was 3 laps for 2000’ of groomers. Then I was out of my boot. Day 2 got me 4K, Day 3 8k. All smooth surfaces, with regular old man ski instructor turns.

Sorry to hear that. Glad you're back at it. Yeah, seems like one of the top to bottom groomed (ish) bowl runs that put a lot of force on my quads and aggravated knee last Tuesday is what really did me in that day. I really think the knee just told me that it had enough for a while.

I’m now skiing about 80% in pow, and it is fun. But I’m still not full throttle. It helps that the season was off to a slow start.

Awesome. One of my goals for my week long trip, if I go back to the Tetons, is to ski the hell out of the Hobacks on powder days...I haven't skied that area yet but it looks like my kinda stuff - moderate pitch, wide open, loose trees. I think I could spend days back in there and not get bored!

Yeah, totally different issues, but point is, at the point of where you are now, taking it easy is the smart thing to do. You are not that stronger of a skier, in pain, and not skiing at all in between ski trips. So you are out of shape. That just makes you more likely to get hurt.

If I weren't nursing the knee for the next trip I should be doing something to stay in shape, you are right about that.

I dunno. Maybe you stuck to the groomers at Jackson. Is that your plan for your next trip? Can you dial it back and take it easy?

Gonna do 50 / 50 on / off, and just "listen" to my knee.

I can imagine leaving NYC to ski for the weekend is a pita. Do you live in the city? Can you move to Hudson or Conn? And then just buy a pass and ski.

I live in northern Westchester, the county directly north of the city.

Go see the doctor. Do you need money for the copay?

I will when I'm convinced that's what I have to do. The money is not the issue. Thank you if that was a sincere offer.

[cmcrawfo]

Troll.

....still waiting for the results of the provocative testing I advised on page 1.

You reap what you sow.