If knee cartilage damage, must never run/jump even if heal? - General Health Message Board

MrDistersoc78 · 07-11-2008, 12:29 AM

I'm 2 8, male.

i did a fast kick 1 month ago. that's all i did. and i got damaged badly. dr, said he thought my meniscus got torn. But since i dont have money nor wanted surgery , he said for me to go to physical therapy and i've been going. got some exercises to do at home and i do em.

Ok, now 1 month after my injury i went from limping badly, i couldnt even stand to now walking pretty normal. i can even do light jumping( as in boxing). The pain i had before is gone almost cmopletely.

The main thing i have now is that i feel like this numbness right in the center of my knee. I guess if that's cartilage damage, then that's what i feel?

But in any case, everyday i keep feeling better. and i can even jump lightly and do jumping jacks, as i said. Still, since it's possibly damaged i shouldnt attemp to do any running even when i get better?

i'm ok with it, but just asking

feelbad · 07-11-2008, 08:48 AM

without having an MRI on that knee it would really be hard for any doc to really say with one hundred percent certainty just what is or is not actually damaged to a certain degree. while checking range of motion can help kind of detect a possible injury,it is not showing the whole story,believe me. i had alot of problems with one knee that i assumed were not too bad til i got that MRI which showed some pretty extensive wear and tear damage and also a torn meniscus. that was when i had to have the surgery,becasue of that torn meniscus. some how you really DO need to get that knee MRIed just so you know for certain just how really extensive your damage is.

if PT has actually helped,the damage overall may not be as bad as you think or the doc thought. but if you want to continue on with a normal lifestyle and there IS that level of damage,it WILL show itself when you do something that just re triggers it,you know what i mean? a torn meniscus wont simply 'heal" all by itself without being surgically repaired. any numbness you may be feeling could very well be a sign of nerbve damage or injury. numbness is just one sign of nerve loss or damage. you really just need to know what is going on in there and with that nerve. nerve loss or compression/damage can bring with it muscle loss too just becasue that nerve no longer is innervating the muscle it went to anymore.

i would just take it really easy on that knee and see how things go. but if you feel it needs attention,bypass the doc and go right to an ER where they will have to take you even without ins? they would at least evaluate that knee properly and do some level of actual scan on it. that is what you really do need right now,that inside look into it. you just really need to know what is and is not actually damaged. the knee is a load bearing joint that just takes alot of ongoing abuse everytime we walk or run,shift body weight or lift heavy objects. you do not want to live with damage that will get worse with time,trust me. the hospital can work out some sort of payment plan with you if you do decide to go that route. but at some point,that look needs to be done. i do wish you luck with this. just take it easy til you actually know for sure what it is that is going on in there. please keep me posted. FB

janewhite1 · 07-11-2008, 09:04 AM

It really depends. You want to continue to be careful of it for a long time even after it seems healed, but if all goes well, it's likely you could get back to sports. Do ask the doctor again before you do any running or jumping, though!

pinkpixies · 07-11-2008, 10:46 PM

dang...you healed fast...when I dislocated my knee...I was on crutches for a week...and in physical therapy for a good year. I limped for maybe 6 months or more. That was 5 years ago...just dislocated my knee again a week ago and I'm limping agian. LOL but of course, after the first time...dislocating it isnt even close to as painful.