coming back from sprained knee
 

Maybe some of you have been down this road and can give advice.

Just over 2 weeks ago I sprained my knee by wiping out in my new recumbent. Well I've been getting better and most of the small road rash is healed with just the 2 bad spots still needing to be bandaged. Occasionally I get a twinge in my knee, similar to how my foot felt when it was healing after I broke it.

From what I can tell using anatomy diagrams and such on line, I've injured my ACL in my knee. I do not know how badly, but from reading some of the horror stories online, I think I got off lightly. I did not hear any 'popping' sound and I'm regaining range of motion pretty well in my knee. I do know that when I was going down and my foot got pinned under the pedal I made a quick decision to loosen up and just go with it because I was afraid I'd break some bones if I didn't. If the ACL is torn and not severed, will it knit itself back together?

Last Saturday I rode about 2 miles taking it easy and it was a lot better than the week before. I got out last night and rode about 4 miles and did pretty good, things are not back to normal yet, but as long as I take it easy it's ok. Where i run in to difficulty is on the upgrades, I experience pain in my left knee as I ride up them. Yes I spin, but it's a bit harder to spin with my knee stiffness. I can also favor the right leg to help power up the inclines, but I won't attempt hills.

2 weeks ago I had to lift my leg with my arms to pull it into the car, last week I'd just have to help it along to clear the door, now I can lift it on it's own and there isn't pain until I hit the end of my normal range of motion.

This coming Saturday i'm thinking about doing 10 miles with friends on the local trail. The incline is not any worse than what I have to do on my 2-mile rides out from my house. Am I pushing this too far? Not enough? One of my friends is doing the whole trail out and back (80+- miles) I'm jealous and would have attempted to join him now that I have the cushy seat, but that would seem like a recipe for disaster.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions,

Jim

Go for it. If you don't have pain or tightness in the joint, it should be OK.

I'm going to do attempt the 10 for sure. I'm tempted to start out in the early morning and just see how far I can go at a leisurely pace. Last night after 3 miles I started to feel it in my knee. I was heading up an incline thinking I really shouldn't have had those 4 hotdogs for dinner because I think they're hurting me more than my knee is on these little inclines, interfering with my breathing and such. Yeah I got too hungry and over-ate, I admit it. That probably hurts me more than anything.

Ice it daily. Inflamation is the enemy.

A sports injury physical therapist who has a night job as a dominatrix, hates cats and looks at you with a wounded knee as a helpless kitten.

It seams to be working for me.:twitchy:

This is all well and good, but...

Bah, I partly tore a quadriceps tendon and kept riding, so HTFU! Well, actually the orthopedist gave me the all-clear on riding since it didn't cause any pain. I would suggest seeking medical attention for a professional opinion.