C-Forum

Hey ya'll,
I'm majorly bummed right now. It looks like I tore up one of my knees. I'm not sure if its c boat related or not. I wasn't boating when it happened. Actually I wasn't doing much of anything when it happened. Just a freak thing. Anyway it sucks and I will probably have to have surgery to fix it. Has anybody here had to have knee surgery. What were your experiences, recovery times, etc? I know that everyones situation is different but any info would be useful. I'm still in the diagnosis stage so the Doctors are being most unhelpful. I should know more next week. I'm hoping I don't have to go k1. Ugggg!

Thanks, Dave

Once the diagnosis is made, let us know. The end result could be to simply not do as much as you have been doing. Even though I wrote previously on another post that kneeling with your feet pointing in the wrong position can cause knee problems, specifically meniscal damage, the injury would not be as sudden as you are describing. A guess could be that you have done previous damage to the knee (falling on it, twisting it like in a game of soccer) or loose connective tissue left the knee loose and unstable. But those are just guesses.

Hang in there and keep us up to date.

KNeal

yo Dave,

I'm so sorry to hear about your knee injury, but don't be too bummed. It doesn't have to mean the end of c-boating.

I would know. this fall i tore not only my meniscus, but also my ACL and MCL -- all at once. I was playing soccer. same as you, it was kind of a freak accident -- just a routine tackle gone completely wrong.

anyway, they didn't all tear completely -- the meniscus was a tiny tear, ACL was like 10% torn, MCL like 60%.

they had no idea how bad my meniscus tear was until they actually got me into surgery. and it was much smaller than they imagined. (the bill for the surgery, however . . . )

i had surgery in early November, did intense physical therapy, and was c-boating by Christmas. it definitely needed a little stretching out, so i duct taped my seat up higher. about five pool sessions later i was back to my old 4.5 inch seat.

the key for me was working hard at rehab. you've got to work hard to regain your range of motion.

in my case, my MCL is probably always going to be a little tender, so I think my days of soccer are over. but it's just as good as it ever was in a canoe.

good luck,
Alden

Aldenb - You were playing soccer. I was playing rockstar . My band was playing a show. I was playing guitar and went towards the 'rockstar' pose and pop - my butt was on the floor. Everybody including my band mates thought I was doing some sort of crazy Chuck Berry imitation. A friend later said that I kept playing until the end of the song laying flat on my back. I don't remember because I was in so much pain. The ER docs thought it was pretty funny.

Kneal - How should one have their feet turned to prevent meniscus tears? I missed the post. Usually mine are either straight or slightly turned in. I've never noticed any knee pain while boating other than a little stiffness after standing up. That would sometimes last an hour or so after boating. I also take lots of breaks to let my feet wake up. Usually every 30 minutes or so. Then I usually rest a while after boating. I had paddled hard for about 3 hours that day and then later that night I had to play a show and I didn't have much time to kick back in between. More than likely its just too much hard livin'. I do a lot of backpacking, play ultimate, mountain bike, and c1 boatin'.

Thanks for the encouraging words. I'll let you all know how it goes.

Wish me well.

Dave

Wow! The Rock Star Pose 'n Pop! Yep, that'll do it every time. I hope the damage was minor. As far as your foot position in your c-1, you should be just fine, even after this injury. Just like what Aldenb stated, once you complete some vigorous physical therapy and gradually increase knee flexion, you should be back in your boat and just as comfortable as before. Just take your time . If you care to read what I said earlier, look down several posts on the message board. I think it was listed as "foot position", though the information there may not be enlightening.

Keep us posted on your progress.

KNeal

I found your post. It makes sense. If you just turn your foot towards the outside while sitting and press down gently you can feel the tension in your knee If you turn it to the inside it gives you a nice comfy stretch feeling.

Well the good news is I'm getting a g-force so I can spend my idle time doing the conversion. Having a new boat will give me more incentive to rock on the PT. Taking my time will be the tough part. I'm going to want to paddle that new boat and I'm pretty impatient sometimes. The water it calls to me... Can you hear it? Bad water! Be quiet. This would be easier if it wasn't raining right now.


My Momma was right - rock and roll is bad for you.

Dave

Glad to hear some good recovery stories. I completely tore my ACL about 17 years ago. This past January I was running on a treadmill when I stepped on the edge and my knee buckled in pain. Went to the doc...got an MRI and it revealed that I tore the inside meniscus on my right knee in half. They are suggesting complete knee rebuild with either cadaver ACL or ligament from from the front of the knee. I decided I would wait for the rebuild until the fall (gotta boat). The doc warned me that my knee has become very unstable and the torm meniscus might flip over and lock my knee which will mean instant surgury. Well, last weekend it flipped and my knee locked for an instant and then it fell back in place.
Long story short, it looks like I'm getting a new ACL, hopefully not until this fall. I'll be everyone's guinnea pig for rehab over the winter.

Neal, I'll give you the blow by blow at the armada as I would like to get your opinion on the cadaver ACL route.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on the 10th....DM