kathy brower Posted January 3, 2005 Report Share Posted January 3, 2005 Does this happen to anyone? Does anyone know how to fix this? After a day of riding hard especially with very hard or very soft snow my front medial collateral ligament (forward knee on the inside) feels like I am putting too much strain on it during heelside turns. It doesn't exactly hurt but feels wrong and loose when I stop. THis problem improved some with changing my angles from 55f50r to 60f and 57r, adding lift and widening my stance (not sure which thing helped) Any ideas? Thanks Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted January 3, 2005 Report Share Posted January 3, 2005 just a thought but are you sure you dont have a lingering injury? have you had it looked at? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathy brower Posted January 3, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2005 D-Sub you may be right but if so the injury is years old - years ago I was at a night racing league event at Wachusett (of all places) and did a real boneheaded move - I was skiing on my Atomic GS skis and due to previous bad pre-release experiences set my DIN setting to 11 or 12 - not smart as I probably weighed 130 at the time and that would keep a big man in place - wiped out and torqued my knee ( I have had several other more minor knee injurys but that is the one that came to mind...) but anyway I doubt there is much an MD could do for me at this point - I do work at keeping my quads strong to protect my knees - ie go to the gym and lift, bike etc - and I believe good health depends on doctor avoidance unless you are really hurt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted January 3, 2005 Report Share Posted January 3, 2005 ahahahahahah! doctor avoidance! couldnt agree more. Last trip I made to the doc for a simple physical the bastard tried to get me on Lexapro. Im still fighting them. told em I wasnt giving them a single cent for that crap. I dont need no damn PROZAC anyway...Ive never had the same sort of feeling youre talkin about. I fouled up my right MCL 10 years ago in utah...it was bad for a while...never went to a doc though because I couldnt afford it. I wore a brace for about 5 years after that, but dont even use that anymore. perhaps an over the counter brace would help tighten things up a little down there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjl Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 I think you should actually see a doctor - just make sure he is good :) I've torn both my MCLs and it turns out they heal by themselves after just 6-7 weeks in a limited extension brace. If you keep straightening your leg out all the way it may never heal all the way, or it may heal but not be short enough and be loose forever. The other thing is that other knee damage may create symptoms like MCL pain. I have a torn PCL in my right knee that is degenerating rapidly (trying to get it fixed, but the allograft keeps failing), and the way that it hurts is that it feels like the medial meniscus and MCL are damaged, even though they are not... yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjfarbs Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 Sorry kjl but torn ligaments do not actually heal. A completely torn ligament is toast. Only your neighbourhood surgeon can repair a torn ligament (and for which you will have to donate some other body tissue). A sprained ligament will heal. I tore my acl in a hockey game Sept 02 and had surgeory (hamstring) in Nov 02. I rode in my softies with a full brace for most of 03 but this year have stayed true to my carving deck / except for the pow day when I brought out the two planker. I did a little damage to my meniscus and strained my mcl. I have dropped the full brace this year for boarding in favour of a Tensor bandage which comes with two small flexible metal rods inserted on each side of the knee. This little Tensor is cheap, effective and washable. Your local drugstore will probably have this little wobbly knee helper. Anybody riding with a fresh hamstring acl? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebionicman Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 I have been riding this year with an ACL fixed with the hamstring in Dec of 03. About a year since surgery, though I might not be the best one to talk to. In Dec of 02 I had the PCL, LCL and Poplateus (sp?) replaced too. From what I have read getting the ACL moving again is the best thing to do. I depends on your surgeon. I was in physical therapy and there were people on the old recovery schedule and I was on the new one. Needless to say at 4 weeks I was out and about like nothing even happened, those on the old way were still using crutches. From what I have read and heard the ACL is pretty minor as far as ligaments go. Since I don't have any that are my own I really don't think they are that mine (okay the ACL is mine, just from a differnent part). If I was having problems with the MCL I would go and get it checked out, like was said before it might be something else. Just my $.02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathy brower Posted January 4, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 thanks for people's thoughts - fairly certain I do not have a torn ligament - knee stable and strong all the rest of the time - maybe just a little weaker than pre-injury? I think I am just getting an overwork strain because I am doing somehing wrong either technique - set-up or both - I just wasn't sure what to try next Already much better cause now it takes 6 hours of riding instead of two to bring it on - Yes Bob I will be at Stratton and am very excited about the video - I think that is exactly what I need now to get better - I think if I can see myself and what I am doing I will be able to make some good adjustments - Curt and Eric have already helped me with some pointers and yes I will take a lesson - I thought I was lined up to take some lessons from another awesome rider / teacher but that may not work out in which case I will ask PSR... The counter-rotation thing may be somewhat better now - let me know on Friday what you think Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjl Posted January 4, 2005 Report Share Posted January 4, 2005 Originally posted by jjfarbs Sorry kjl but torn ligaments do not actually heal. A completely torn ligament is toast. Torn ACLs and PCLs and most other ligaments do not heal. MCLs and LCLs are some of the few ligaments in your body that will amazingly heal from a complete tear on their own if you help them out with a brace. I was dumbfounded to learn this fact myself when I saw my doctor about my two MCL tears- I still do not understand how a rubber band can grow between locations on two different bones. What does it looks like 15% of the way healed? A really, really thin rubber band or a thick band of hardening jelly? I have no idea. My point being that if she has had an MCL strain, partial tear, or tear in the past, it may have already healed but be too lax due to lack of bracing/casting, or it may currently be trying to heal, and require some time in a brace to have it heal correctly, so see a doctor(!) Medial Collateral Ligament Injuries Medial collateral ligament tears have a higher potential for healing, and nonoperative treatment is usually successful. These tears are often graded based on the severity of the tear. Some distal grade 3 tears will need casting to aid in healing. However, it is very rare that an MCL tear will need operative intervention to improve residual laxity. ------- MCL tear: - treated non operatively, most MCL tears will heal with non operative treatment; Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjfarbs Posted January 6, 2005 Report Share Posted January 6, 2005 thanks for that info kjl maybe its just that acl is more likely to go pop bionicman is right - physio and activity are the best healers I found my knee was fine and I had good range of motion and strength was ok to ride one year after surgeory. Initially I had substantial atrophy of my quad. An electric muscle stimulator and lots of quarter squats helps to get your muscle firing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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