mitty2328

So last year i got hit by a car and have been stuck with arthritis. Last year i heard a popping noise when i would walk and a tendon move so i got it checked out and my doctor said i probably had a torn miniscus. After tests i didn't but it was very weak(thin). Last night during my ski practice my knee that had the weak miniscus gave out on me and prevented me from skiing the last 30 minutes of practice. I dont want to go in to the doc but will if i have to. I'm wondering if i should stop skiing to let it heal or keep going and see how it feels. any thoughts?

deep_sky

Why is this even a question? Do you want to be a cripple and unable to do any of your favorite sports? I truly do not understand people who think they need to be a tough guy and not see a doctor when they hurt. News flash, no one is impressed, and you are only hurting yourself.

mitty2328

I"m not trying to impress anyone dip****. I'm asking because quite possibly somebody on this forum might just be a doctor. I know jack **** about knee injuries and my miniscus all i know is that it hurts. It might not be a career ending injury. So i'm asking if its alright if i keep skiing or if i should stop. SOMEtimes being a tough guy is a good thing. Let me ask you this: If you fall during a race and get road rash are you going to stop? NO. So why should i stop skiing if my injury(as is road rash)only a temporary thing.


Dont you love being told off by a 15 year old.

EDIT: This probably helps for anyone that wants to seriously answer the question. It only hurts well skiing, walking up stairs and getting up from sitting. Otherwise it just feels weaker.

Rice923

I'm with deep sky on this one. Your doctor told you it's weak and thin. This type of condition isn't comparable to a road rash. If you push it, you're going to tear it. It's like a thinning rubberband; would you keep putting tension on it if you still want to use that rubberband tomorrow?

mitty2328

^^^Like i said i dont know anything about my miniscus. Does cartalidge grow back? If it does then should my miniscus have grown back by now? Thats why i'm hoping that there is a doctor on these pages because that way i can get advice from a cyclist who actually is qualified to give me this advice. I know its pushing the limits of trying to find somebody on here(and i didn't mean any of the things i've said in an affensive way just annoyed/angry). I've tried searching the web but none of the pages i have gone to have given me any information about biking/skiing with the condition being as is. Sorry for any affense or whatever it may have been.

pumpguy

Unfortunately, nothing you are told here or find on the web is going to give you a diagnosis to your specific problem. Go to the orthopedic surgeon and see what he says. No sense causing more injury. I wish I would have heeded this advice when I was 15!

mitty2328

pumpguy thanks and thanks to everyone else. Pump:did/do you have a similar problem? How's riding/walking now?

pdedes

i've been skiing quite a bit this winter, and my knees have taken a beating, more from overuse than anything. but the only better time machine than a bike, is a pair of skis.

chewybrian 

I had miniscus surgery, which took care of the popping and locking problems. It sounds like your doc is not recommending surgery for you.

I can only suggest going to physical therapy, which also helped me a lot. It's pretty cheap, and very low risk. I did not go with great expectations, but I came out of it much better off. I stilll do some of the excercises every day.

milnerpt

go see a doc. ask questions. if you dont understand, ask more questions. Better yet, have your parents go with you.

the fact that you talk about a "thin" and "weak meniscus" that gives out means you dont know about or didnt hear much from the doctor.

posting on the internet about health concerns is a good way to get paranoid and worried. I fact, why dont you post this question to a fibromyalgia message board, as Im sure they will have lenty of food for thought.

spry

A lot of us ride bikes due to the fact we have knee issues and wish to avoid jogging.
Nice thing is after that "pop"the knee feels a little better for awhile.


Your first name Walter?

Sardian

Yep, I ride a bike because my right knee is crap. I went to the Dr. 10 years ago when it started popping and swelling, they did an MRI and found nothing. So here it is 10 years later, loosing 40 pounds and riding the bike has gotten me off the Advil and has it feeling better than ever. The bike never bothers my knee, running kills it....in about 1/10th of a mile.

shouldberiding

There is no quick fix for knee injuries. If it can heal on its own it's going to take months to do so. Don't assume that because it doesn't hurt that you're at 100% again.

Don't stop riding completely, at least not for too long, but don't push it too hard either. My knee feels stiff as a board if I stop riding the bike. Activity lubricates the knee joint, but impact will make the situation worse. Too much running and stomping around isn't a good idea.

Hunt-man

If you are 15 don't push it and f up your knees. Rest and let them repair. Go back to doc and get physical therapy. PT can be magic. PT has helped me so much. I have injuries from my youth that still trouble me to this day, I'm in my 40's now. Some things you do to your body never quite heal. So take a chill pill and recover.

joe_5700

Mitty, why are you resorting to name calling? Anyways, I had a similar injury when I was around your age playing football. It wasn't serious enough for surgery at the time and it did "heal". I still have the popping sounds every now and then with feelings of unstability in my knee. It has not locked in years.

Now back to your question. It as if you are saying that it hurts when you put your hand on the stove and you are asking all of us if you should stop.... If you keep pushing it, you will require surgery. It's that simple. I am not a doctor, but I do not think cartilage grows back. Have you tried to wrap your knee? It may help. Before you take the advice of myself or others on the internet run our advice past a doctor.

stapfam

When I was 22 -I suffered severe knee injuries. I was told I would be in a wheelchair within a few years if I did not keep active. Kept active for 12 years and then the problem hit.

So I started cycling.

Skiing- like running- weight lifting and I presume many other active sports will put a lot of strain sideways on the knees. The knee will only take so much movement this way before it gets damaged. Cycling keeps the joints working without straining them or the cartilidge.

So get back on the bike and ride. Tell us if it still hurts in 20 years time.

echappist

all jokes aside, OP, you should have known better than to ski when you hurt your knees. although i run quite a bit, i would never do any downhills knowing that there's the elevated risk of a knee injury. i slid on ice & crashed about ten days back, and my left knee was hurting. i went on with cycling & even did some xc-skiing thinking the knee would just heal itself. turns out it's not healing so fast & i saw a doc today. the verdict is inflammation of the underside of kneecap, and the treatment is icing and a minimal 14 days off the bike as cartilage recovery is SLOW. if you want real medical advice, don't come to us as a) most of us aren't board certified, b) those of us who are can't do any testing on you. get offline, call your primary care physician & schedule an appointment asap

edit: when i spin at >90rpm, my knee feels fine, and when i get out of the saddle, my knee feels fine. but i'm just not going to take that risk & spend 3months + on the sideline when i can get sidelined now during off season & train my way back. also OP, i hope you are doing lower body resistance training as stronger muscles can help quite a bit. if you aren't, you should go see a PT as well

mitty2328

^^^^I do do lower body and upper body resistance training(coaches orders) and to joe i was just frustrated. Like i said earlier i apologize. but i skied once more last night and couldn't take it so for a minimum of atleast two weeks i'm not gonna be skiing. Thanks to everyone for the advice. And to everyone that said that my knees don't hurt while riding only well running, its the same for me. I just thought that cycling would still hurt my knees if without the pressure of impact. Thanks everybody.


PS: I know that most of you are not doctors but i was just trying to see if anyone was.

EDIT: I will be taking it to the doctor asap.

deep_sky

Even IF any of us were doctors, we cannot examine your knee or perform any tests to assess the state of your meniscus. Again, being a tough guy about something that is potentially crippling for life is not doing yourself any favors.

Comparing road rash and a possible meniscal tear is laughable. Not even in the same category, at all. Educate yourself about physiology as it applies to your knee. Then you will understand that asking around on internet forums is pointless when it comes to proper assessment and treatment of your knee. You will also understand that that being a tough guy and not going to the doctor gets you nothing.

Well that explains the willful ignorance and overdone tough guy crap. I am not a teenager, so it falls on deaf ears here.


Stay off the skis, ice the knees to reduce the inflammation, and see your doctor and get a referral to physical therapy if possible. A good physical therapist will be able to assess if you have actually torn the meniscus and to what degree. If its not severe enough to require surgical intervention, then the pt will show you exercises to strengthen your knee and prevent further injury to the meniscus.

mitty2328

^^again i am sorry i was just frustrated when i responded to your first response but in my defense i am not trying to be a tough guy just a normal 15 y.o who wants to continue his high school skiing career. But thanks.