knee injuries and braces - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

octothorp · 08-29-2007, 08:22 AM

I'm hoping to tap into CP's sports injury knowledge, which seems to be pretty substantial. Last night I did something to my knee playing softball. It's the second time this year that I've injured it, and both injuries were identical: it happened while I was batting, as I plant my rear foot and spin. There`s an audible pop, and then a tremendous pain in my knee and I end up dropping to the ground. I can`t put any pressure on it immediately, but within a couple innings I mostly fine, and it ends up being stiff and sore in the mornings for the next couple days. So right now it`s nothing more than an annoyance and inconvenience, but I don`t want it to get worse or more frequent. Prior to this year, I`ve never had any problem with my knees, and I would guess that aging plays a role in all this.

Should I look at getting a knee brace? It seems that what is causing these injuries is the combination of putting a lot of weight on my knee while I'm twisting it (in part because of the big pits in the batter's box). Will the right knee brace actually prevent this sort of injury, or help me recover faster after such an injury? It's also been suggested to me that wearing a knee-brace all the time will actually weaken the muscles in my knee and cause me to become dependent on it. Would it make sense to wear the brace just when I'm batting? What exercises should I be doing to build up strength in my knee?

ken0042 · 08-29-2007, 08:28 AM

I have a similar condition, and just started physio for it. I've been told I really shouldn't have waited too long.

I wear a knee brace when playing sports. I got a tensor one that just has two metal things on each side that provide additional support. Otherwise I leave it off.

Quote:

Originally Posted by octothorp

What exercises should I be doing to build up strength in my knee?

My doctor started me doing an exercise where I put a 5 pound weight in a grocery bag, pick up the bag by the handles with my foot while sitting on the edge of my bed, and extend my leg straight. I usually do 4 reps of 10 with that.

habernac · 08-29-2007, 08:32 AM

I wrecked my ACL a number of years back. After two years of that, I had surgery to repair my liagament. I went through months of physio, but never did wear a brace. Your injury sounds familiar, as my knee used to pop when I turned too quickly. Mine took a lot longer to get better, though. A few days to more than a week, so maybe your's isn't as serious (yet). A good knee brace will certainly stop it from moving. The only real strengthening I do for my knees comes from cycling, and since surgery I have had zero problems.

I would definitely get it checked out, make sure there isn't any damage in there that you could fix with some physio or other strengthening exercises.

JiriHrdina · 08-29-2007, 09:28 AM

If you are popping your knee regularly you might need a patella stabilizing brace. Its a simple two part neopreen (sp?) brace that costs around 80 bucks. You can find them at a drug store, but those are not great ones - get your doctor to refer you to a place like Calgary Prosthetics and get a proper one. That is of course if this is what you need.

I wore one for about 5 years and it helped immensley. Of course I eventually tore my ACL and miniscus and had surgery from which I'm still going through a very long recovery process. I don't wish that on you. It has not been fun.

octothorp · 08-29-2007, 01:06 PM

Thanks, some great advice. I think I'll tough it out as is for the last week of the softball season and then see a physiotherapist afterward.

FireFly · 08-29-2007, 01:13 PM

Hmmmm. This all sounds vaguely familiar to what I experience and have been experiencing since a basketball injury in Grade 8. That was almost 15 years ago. (Am I really that old?!) Perhaps I should really look into these things as well.

Flash Walken · 08-29-2007, 02:22 PM

Check out a physiotherapist, they may be able to give you exercises to strengthen the area, rather than simply compensating with a brace.

If given the choice, they would all rather the area heals/strengthens itself.

FireFly · 08-29-2007, 02:28 PM

If only I had done that after the injury happened... probably wouldn't happen so often now. Stupid 13 year old self thinking I'm invincible. (Not that it matter but what irks me the most is that I got called for a foul and I'm the one who was injured. Not that I let it stop me from playing... it was the playoffs!)

soulchoice · 08-29-2007, 05:54 PM

I would caution in just buying a neoprene brace so you can continue to play, if you dont want to avoid further damage. Neoprene braces are not very effective unless you get one with metal sides(for MCL, LCL, doesnt help ACL or PCL at all) If you are hearing a pop when you are planting, it could be you have torn or aggravated a ligament. It could be one of either LCL, MCL, PCL or ACL. Though from the description, I highly doubt it would be a PCL injury, as that is rare.

If it is an ACL or PCL injury, you would be better off with a CTI type brace, however it is very expensive.

I would go consult your Doc and get him to examine it. If he knows what he is doing, he may refer you to see a specialist to determine the damage. Unfortunately the only real way to diagnose the injury would be to get an MRI. Which can be a long wait(4 months) in the city, unless you are willing to shell out approx 750 and get it done at a private facility. An MRI can essentially tell you to what degree(Grade 1 to 3 tear diagnosis) your ligament has been damaged, which will determine the best way to cure the problem. It will also tell the DR on the state of every other problem you may have in the knee if not ligament.

No point starting physio unless you know what damage has been done to your knee. Diagnose the problem first, then fix it after(whether it be time off, physio or surgery).

There are several ways to strengthen your lower legs, and if you do have a minor ligament problem, many exercises are possible. For example, if it is a PCL injury, you would want to strengthen your quads(leg press, etc), as they will compensate your weakened PCL. It really depends on what injury you have occurred. However, if you have suffered a LCL, MCL or ACL grade 3 tear, surgery is really the only way to go. If it is PCL, then surgery is usually not reccomened. It really depends on what injury is diagnosed.

droopydrew19 · 08-30-2007, 01:14 AM

you may want to have your knee checked out. A scope of it will not put you down for very long at all. In fact you will walk out of the hospital afterwards. Having gone through 2 knee surgeries myself it sounds like you may have a miniscus problem. It is the cartiage that stabilizes the knee joint. You may need to have it repaired or partially removed. If it is screwed up you it may be harming your knee which will lead to ligament damage in the future as you knee is less stable. As Jiri and I can contest to, you would much rather avoid an ACL replacement as opposed to a minor miniscus procedure.

Hope that helps.