ACL/Meniscus tear questions

[wrench]

WOW! I cannot believe they did not drain it. BTW keep doing the range of motion drills. After you get surgery [if needed] look up ACL rehab on youtube, you will find good info there.

Here is pt 1 of a pre op regimen you can do to help strengthen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFR00HZeLbw

Good luck!

[jgas]

I have had both knees drained for various injuries. It really helps with reducing pain and stiffness, which helps you get into rehab mode quicker.

Man, I hope I never tear my ACL! I've damaged everything in my r. knee except the ACL and hurt my l knee almost as bad. Despite all my injuries my knees hurt far less than some other bodyparts.

Here's a question: Do we take over the counter anti-inflammarories when we get hurt or not? My theory is aspirin, tylenol, ibuprophen, or naproxen can help you allievate pain so you can rehab harder. I know that anti inflammatories can also inhibit recovery, although I've never read or heard exactly why.

Anyone know (with supporting evidence, not just guesses), whether to take over the counter pills after an injury so you can train harder and sooner, or forgo them and do less training? To clarify, my theory is not that taking OTCs is helpful in healing by itself, but taking them can help you rehab quicker and with more effort.

[wrench]

In most cases [according to my Surgeon and PT guy] Ice will give best results.
The anti inflammatory/pain reliever [OTC] can mask the majority of pain [the body's mechanism to tell you to stop] resulting in further injury. Ask yourself why do Pro sports teams and athletes submit themselves to Ice Baths? Because it kickstarts the body's natural healing/rehab process. I used to take as much as 10-12 alleve/advil/tylenol in a day because of a back injury many years ago.

This is what I use for my knee,
http://www.amazon.com/Aircast-Cryo-C.../dp/B003XX3G20
[Dr sent me home with it after surgery], there are less expensive versions but this one is not too bad on price and is a reciprocating system. I still use it after a workout or ride.

[jgas]

I use ice as well, but my question regards taking OTC anti-inflammatory drugs before or during a ride. Often I start a ride with nothing, but within an hour have to take something. I have a script for Hydrocodone, (due to having had 29 surgeries), but don't like to use it on ride/race day. If I take enough of it to really do much for the pain it makes me fuzzy in the thinking dept, and I ain't that sharp to start with!

I normally take Aleve before I ride, and it really does work but I always wonder if I am causing myself further joint damage. Sometimes I hurt so bad I can't concentrate on riding without taking something. Yes, I should quit but life's too short to spend it on the couch.

[wrench]

Originally Posted by jgas

I use ice as well, but my question regards taking OTC anti-inflammatory drugs before or during a ride. Often I start a ride with nothing, but within an hour have to take something. I have a script for Hydrocodone, (due to having had 29 surgeries), but don't like to use it on ride/race day. If I take enough of it to really do much for the pain it makes me fuzzy in the thinking dept, and I ain't that sharp to start with!

I normally take Aleve before I ride, and it really does work but I always wonder if I am causing myself further joint damage. Sometimes I hurt so bad I can't concentrate on riding without taking something. Yes, I should quit but life's too short to spend it on the couch.

I would guess in the situation of riding, you are probably not getting pain from more damage and would be ok. I was thinking that we were talking more in terms of working out or running, something along those lines.
Depending on how often you are taking them and how many times a day, your biggest concern may be your kidneys or liver.

[Pepperami]

I did my knee 9 weeks ago riding along a high speed rut the front started to wipe out, dabbed with my right foot and it twisted. I actually ran my own foot over with the rear wheel but didn't fall off which i think could have been a bad thing. Just had MRI scan and get the results on wednesday. Been stuck in this thing for 3 weeks now!

[Mud-Ectomy]

Pepperami, I am at 7 weeks and still no results.

I am very pleased with the helpful information which has been provided in this thread.

Good Luck!

[Pepperami]

I'm not too sure what health service you have in Canada but in England we have the NHS which is excellent but over stretched. I have private medical insurance. Same surgeon different hospital! My buddy is booked in for surgery and recovery time has been put at 6-9 months and he's young and fit so i'm a little worried about my recovery if I have surgery. I'm rapidly approaching 48 going on 25

[wrench]

Originally Posted by Pepperami

I'm not too sure what health service you have in Canada but in England we have the NHS which is excellent but over stretched. I have private medical insurance. Same surgeon different hospital! My buddy is booked in for surgery and recovery time has been put at 6-9 months and he's young and fit so i'm a little worried about my recovery if I have surgery. I'm rapidly approaching 48 going on 25

Pepperami, I had my surgery last December, do the rehab, before [if not already doing it] and after the surgery and like me your recovery time should be in the 6-9 month range. BTW, I am 47!

[jgas]

My comment is a little off subject, but kinda fits: I have this theory that dirt bike riders in general are mentally tougher than the average Joe. Not that we don't feel pain like everyone else, but that we are willing to put up with it to do what we love doing. I bet that if you could somehow test dirt bike guys and girls and assign personality types, we would almost all be "Type A" personalites.

Type A"s tend to have more heart attacks. Tend to have more strokes. Tend to have more physical problems related to lifestyle choices which bear out our need to push ourselves and accomplish more.

But research also shows that Type A"s recover faster and more completely from health problems. We might kill ourselves trying to do something difficult, or different, or dangerous, but then we deal with the circumstances of our decisions better if we happen to survive.

On any bike related website you go on, you see amatuer competitors with serious injuries like many pro atheletes have, but yet most of us ain't gettin paid for it! Yet we do it anyway. We put more emphasis on living to live rather than living to merely exist? Try to get more out of life and deal with the complexities that arise?

Are there any behavioral health experts, like shrinks, reading this who can comment?

Anyway, back to the busted up knee: Some injuries can be overlooked, rushed with recovery, worked around. Knees kinda can't. Pushing yourself with a busted knee is kinda like trying to win a race with a flat. You'll probably just crash, or bust a rim, or both, and still not win. When it comes to knee injuries, just suck it up and be smart and patient. Try to not live out your usual hardcore attitude and be smart and conservative enough to get it fixed and let it heal. Then go ride hard and see if you can bust it up again.

One thing you can do; however, is seek out a sports medicine doc rather than a regular doc. Tell him you are willing to suffer through a sports medicine based rehab, which will certainly hurt more, but will get you riding quicker. From what I have read, most people do equally well after a sports med recovery program as with a regular program. They just get back in action faster. I have taken this route with several injuries and it is very painful but worth it. My attitude is that it is gonna hurt a little for a long time, or a lot for a shorter time, so I'd rather get it over with.

Any good doc won't give you advice that will result in a poor recovery. Some injuries only respond to slow rehab. Others benefit equally from fast rehab. Might as well ask?