Sports Injury Advice...

addick16

I was playing football when my knee got stuck in some shite astro turf and my knee buckled under me...

The MRI describes a partial tear in my patella tendon on my right knee. The doctor said some people never fully recover from this injury without surgery.
3 months have passed with physical therapy but i still feel pain in my knee whenever i fully sprint or cut 45 or 90 degrees.

Does anybody have experience or advice with this type of knee injury (Partial Tear Patella Tendon). Is surgery my only option to fully recover???
HELP!

Thanks in advance...

Robert

To be honest, you are better off asking a doctor or surgeon than a bunch of people on a football forum (you could get bad advice and make the problem worse than it already is)

addick16

[cite]Posted By: robert[/cite]To be honest, you are better off asking a doctor or surgeon than a bunch of people on a football forum (you could get bad advice and make the problem worse than it already is)

I am asking those people who have had the same injury as me.
In the search for personal stories rather then seeing a 4th different knee specialist inside 6 months.... maybe a football forum where people who play the sport might be able to relate with a fellow footballer....

dabos

There was a similar thread to this a while ago (though perhaps not quite with your exact symptoms).

I'm having ACL reconstruction/cartilage repair in a couple of weeks. I've lived with a torn ACL for 5 years and it's not got better. Tried going back to football a few times and only made it worse.

No harm in asking people for advise on here, but if your doctor/consultant recommends it then I'd go for it. 6-9 months of rehab now is a lot better than a lifetime of knee problems.

Robert

[quote][cite]Posted By: addick16[/cite][quote][cite]Posted By: robert[/cite]To be honest, you are better off asking a doctor or surgeon than a bunch of people on a football forum (you could get bad advice and make the problem worse than it already is)[/quote]

I am asking those people who have had the same injury as me.
In the search for personal stories rather then seeing a 4th different knee specialist inside 6 months.... maybe a football forum where people who play the sport might be able to relate with a fellow footballer....[/quote]

However, every injury is different. What you experience may be different to those of others. definatly seek advice from a professional (maybe a sports physion would be a good be) and then follow their advice. Its much better to get the problem sorted out sooner rather than later.

kigelia

if you have already had physio on the knee and are still finding pain you need to ask your physio what they expect the recovery time to be and if you should expect to be pain free after a specific period of time (this will obviously be an estimate).

i would also ask you doctor what the success rates for this surgery are, it may be that surgery is a last resort for this type of injury as there is a chance it will make it worse or have no effect. Your physio will almost certainly have a view on the likely success of surgery and what treatment you will need afterwards.

I have never had this sort of injurt before but my experience with tendon injuries is they can be a pain to resolve and take a long time and potentially can remain weak from that moment on regardless of what rehab you have had on it.

basically the advice I would give is ask as many questions as you can, give it some time and then make an informed decision.

LenGlover

I get the impression (rightly or wrongly) that you are quite young, even still in your teens.

Your joints and tendons should be flexible and the prognosis, assuming a competent surgeon and consultant, for a complete recovery should in theory be pretty good from surgery.

Surgery is daunting but if a second opinion confirms what the first guy says probably best to bite the bullet sooner rather than later.

EDIT: you say you've seen 4 knee surgeons. Do they all say different or much the same?

Red5

This board is turning into NHS DIRECT. We had the hand burns thread earlier, now the sports injury thread, what next: itchy cockadoodledoo!

addick16

[cite]Posted By: LenGlover[/cite]I get the impression (rightly or wrongly) that you are quite young, even still in your teens.

Your joints and tendons should be flexible and the prognosis, assuming a competent surgeon and consultant, for a complete recovery should in theory be pretty good from surgery.

Surgery is daunting but if a second opinion confirms what the first guy says probably best to bite the bullet sooner rather than later.

EDIT: you say you've seen 4 knee surgeons. Do they all say different or much the same?

I am 26 years old and healthy. This is my first knee injury and the only serious sports injury i have ever had in my career.

Each of the 4 specialists have been varying in their recommendations. One suggests surgery now, the other two suggest physical therapy with rest, and the 4th different knee specialist suggests prolotherapy.

LenGlover

[cite]Posted By: addick16[/cite]

[cite]Posted By: LenGlover[/cite]I get the impression (rightly or wrongly) that you are quite young, even still in your teens.

Your joints and tendons should be flexible and the prognosis, assuming a competent surgeon and consultant, for a complete recovery should in theory be pretty good from surgery.

Surgery is daunting but if a second opinion confirms what the first guy says probably best to bite the bullet sooner rather than later.

EDIT: you say you've seen 4 knee surgeons. Do they all say different or much the same?

I am 26 years old and healthy. This is my first knee injury and the only serious sports injury i have ever had in my career.

Each of the 4 specialists have been varying in their recommendations. One suggests surgery now, the other two suggest physical therapy with rest, and the 4th different knee specialist suggests prolotherapy.

Excuse my ignorance but what is prolotherapy?

addick16

[cite]Posted By: LenGlover[/cite]

[cite]Posted By: addick16[/cite]

[cite]Posted By: LenGlover[/cite]I get the impression (rightly or wrongly) that you are quite young, even still in your teens.

Your joints and tendons should be flexible and the prognosis, assuming a competent surgeon and consultant, for a complete recovery should in theory be pretty good from surgery.

Surgery is daunting but if a second opinion confirms what the first guy says probably best to bite the bullet sooner rather than later.

EDIT: you say you've seen 4 knee surgeons. Do they all say different or much the same?

I am 26 years old and healthy. This is my first knee injury and the only serious sports injury i have ever had in my career.

Each of the 4 specialists have been varying in their recommendations. One suggests surgery now, the other two suggest physical therapy with rest, and the 4th different knee specialist suggests prolotherapy.

Excuse my ignorance but what is prolotherapy?

its a new treatment where you get a bunch of needles stuck into your knee, which causes the blood flow and a quicker healing process of the scar tissue and injured tendon. You can google it and see some videos, if you dont like needles then dont watch tho...

Jayajosh

I know exactly what you're going through. I had a chronic ligament strain in my left foot. I am naturally left footed so was devasted. I was a good football player and left footers are a rare comodity. I was 19 when the injury occurred. A Consultant Orth Surgeon advised not to operate as it could be made worse so I had a few manipulations and injections. I am now 40 and I still feel some pain today.

It seems that your specialists sound positive that something can be done which is rather a good thing. If I were you I would try a number of those options and perhaps have an operation as a last resort, unless of course the surgeon means it when he says you need it 'now', to avoid it getting any worse.

stilladdicted

This may sound daft, but can you describe the pain, is it crunchy or just achy etc? Are any of the consultants kee specialists and do they have specific expertise in sports injuries?

addick16

[cite]Posted By: stilladdicted[/cite]This may sound daft, but can you describe the pain, is it crunchy or just achy etc? Are any of the consultants kee specialists and do they have specific expertise in sports injuries?

The pain is achy. I havnt played football on it for 3 months but it used to have a crunchy pain when i would cut at sharp speeds. The crunchy pain has stopped more recently with extensive physical therapy workouts. Today the pain is described as lingering and subtle. i had a great workout 2 days ago and did some spriting along with long distance running. During the workout, my knee felt fine and strong. But almost immediately afterwards, my knee would be achy and feel very weak at times.(going up and down stairs especially)

The doctor that recommends surgery is the Chicago Bears Head Surgeon. The other doctors who recommend rest and PhysTherapy are local orthopaedic surgeons who specialize in knees.