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rubber_man
Apr 6, 2010, 9:24 PM
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Yesterday I was bouldering and took a small fall. I landed on my feet. The fall wasn't at any weird angels and I didn't land unusual or hard.
When I landed my knee had a small pop which isn't uncommon for me (I have bad knees) but it hurt a little more than usual. I tried to climb on it for a little bit longer but the pain prevented me from making a lot of movement.
I didn't swell up on the inside of my knee (where the pain is) but it is a little tender.
I can bear my full weight on my knee and have full range of motion still, but when I try to workout or climb the pain comes back. Also when I sit for long periods of time with my knee bent the pain also comes back.
Anyone experience this and/or know any thing to help minus the good ol' rest, ice, and wrap?
Thanks for your time.
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McSteve
Apr 18, 2010, 6:08 PM
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yes i have had for three to four weeks. as far as i know it is stressed tendons. and i have no idea how to get them to heal. everyone says stop excercising. but i just got fat. and the knees got worse . than people said ice it three times a day. that made it feel better till i went for a run or went climbing. now walking just agrevates it. so if you find a solution tell me. ha haha ha
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k82much
Jun 18, 2010, 9:56 PM
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Sounds like it could be a meniscus damage and/or an ACL tear. Hope you guys went to a Dr and got it checked out.
My knee had the "popping" sound after I took a nasty fall skiing... and when I got a MRI I found out that I had damaged my meniscus and the ACL was missing (I'm not joking - it seems that you can live without and ACL if your leg muscles are strong enough). Recovery is long and hard after the surgery... PT 3 times a week... and it's only been 2 months now... doc wouldn't okay me for climbing for another 6 months.
I hope you guys healed up since this posting.
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lrossi
Jun 18, 2010, 10:17 PM
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Disclaimer: I'm a software geek not a doctor.
When I blew out my ACL, it was also a direct fall onto my feet without any twisting. But the ACL acts like a cushion between the bones and can be wrecked without twisting. In my case however I did land very hard (from about 8-10 feet) and immediately knew something was screwed up.
If it is unstable (pops out of joint, or if you are really afraid to twist it) then you then I'd think it was an ligament problem. Only a doc can say for sure. But if it's just painful but feels strong, it could be cartilage or the meniscus. I don't know much about those injuries, but I think docs have few options other than to remove the broken stuff.
The one poster echoed what my doc said to me - some people lose their ACL and don't even know it. It's possible to get by without it.
ACLs basically don't heal. The other ligaments in the knee can heal, but very slowly (MCL at least, not sure about the LCL).
I would say - if it's unstable go see a doc now. If it's stable but just swollen and painful, then go see a doc if it's not making progress in a week or two after the injury.
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k82much
Jun 18, 2010, 10:33 PM
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lrossi wrote: If it is unstable (pops out of joint, or if you are really afraid to twist it) then you then I'd think it was an ligament problem.
After my accident I tried to ignore it and hoped it would heal on its own. I even went climbing and hiking after the accident but it always felt unstable if I pivot it a certain way. It's pretty painful for that couple of seconds until it "pops" back into place.
It turns out that I had a full tear and the bones would catch on the flapping meniscus which causes the massive pain. You can have a damaged (stretched out) or a full tear. If its damaged the only thing they will do is cut that section out. If it's a full tear they stitch it up.
But the best thing is to get it checked out... the sooner you get it resolved to sooner your back on the rocks.
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lrossi
Jun 18, 2010, 10:40 PM
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I can't argue with that - get it checked out.
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onceahardman
Jun 18, 2010, 10:53 PM
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This thread has some interesting things in it...
First, the "missing" ACL, on MRI. There is NO WAY (short of successive MRIs) of knowing WHEN the ACL "turned up missing". It may have blown years ago.
NFL Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas played his entire career without an ACL, which he (probably) blew in college. Not many more "knee-strenuous" jobs than NFL running back.
Function matters more than anatomy. MRIs show anatomy really well, but they do not show function, and they do not tell you when an injury occurred. I've argued here more than once that a specific diagnosis is sometimes unnecessary to achieve a good outcome.
It's possible you tore your ACL (or MCL, PCL, or LCL) when you fell. It's possible you damaged your meniscus. It's possible you damaged your articular cartilage, or in a severe enough fall, insulted the subchondral bone, which is pretty painful, and can be really slow-healing.
All bouldering falls are groundfalls. While many falls are short, and therefore seemingly contain little real risk of death, the risk of orthopedic injury is real.
If I Were You:
I'd first, avoid groundfalls. Ride the bike every day, to supply lots of synovial fluid to your joint surfaces. Don't stand up and jam on the pedals, just mellow slow peddling. Stationary cycling certainly is more controllable in this regard. Keep up this regimen at least two weeks. Are you now improving? If not, see the MD. If so, continue, and add some light closed chain strengthening, like light squats, wall squats with a therapy ball, static bodyweight lunges (edit: I've seen these called "split squats") with very careful technique, light leg presses, etc. Avoid quad extensions. Ice after your training sessions for 20 minutes. Ice won't be really curative, but it can minimize the post-workout inflammation a bit, so you can get in tune with what is going on. Don't take chemical anti-inflammatories as a way of getting through a workout session OR a climbing session.
Please post back your progress (or lack thereof) as it adds to everyone's knowledge base.
(This post was edited by onceahardman on Jun 18, 2010, 10:59 PM)
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k82much
Jun 18, 2010, 11:23 PM
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onceahardman wrote: First, the "missing" ACL, on MRI. There is NO WAY (short of successive MRIs) of knowing WHEN the ACL "turned up missing". It may have blown years ago.
I never said the MRI told me when I was missing the ACL... it just informed me that I didn't have one... therefore it is missing. The doctor said its most likely due to long term damage to the knee which evently wore it out or a previous traumatic impact to the knee (which I'm pretty sure if this happened I would recall it).
My point was for them to get it checked out.
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skyfurr
Jul 26, 2010, 8:16 AM
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New here and hope it’s ok to post onto this thread, as it’s quite related...
I just got back into climbing after a loooong time away from it, and so decided to edge back into it by starting out just training at an indoor wall, get my muscles in shape. Wouldn’t you know it, a week into it and I fall while bouldering about 5 feet off the ground, I was traversing and my left foot caught my right legs loose trouser, putting me off. Now I ‘think’ I probably at least slightly twisted my left leg before I fell because of this, or I may have knocked it’s knee on the wall before falling, as I remember landing flat on my back (which didn’t hurt at all thankfully).
My knee/leg hurt a bit, not too bad so I climbed a for a few minutes more. However, that night my whole knee area swelled up BAD (even with ice and diclofenac) I couldn’t sleep all night. For 2 days I couldn’t bend my knee much at all, it also felt really bruised just above the knee especially when bending it.
That was just over a week ago, and now although the swelling has pretty much gone and I can bend my knee a lot ‘better’, I still feel pain in the lower/front area of the knee and down the side of my shin.
What I’m wondering is whether this sounds like something close to what’s been mentioned in this thread –namely damaged ACL or Meniscus.
I will go to a doctor/specialist this week (after I get paid lol), but just wanted to see if there could be any advice/info here from people who have experienced similar pain?
Sorry, a bit long whinded, so thanks for reading!
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skyfurr
Aug 1, 2010, 11:56 AM
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Quick update on my post... knee/leg has healed up almost, got it checked out, doesn't look like anything too major most likely tears to muscle rather than any tendon. Surprising, as damn that was umbearable pain for two days preceeding the injury, seriously.
It's taken two weeks to stop limping!
May I just say though... the worst thing about injury is not the pain, way more so the debilitation in not being able to climb! Be careful out there (or even 'in' there and only a few feet off the ground!).
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