Hey Docs,
I will try to limit the story/word count to get to my point. As it is a bit to unpack.
I torn my MCL/MPFL from a tackle/dislocation last November. Before arriving at the hospital it dislocated numerous times(6 or so if i recall) because i kept knocking it back over into place.
Initial Orthopedist said the MRI looks “okay” and said i should heal fine w/o surgery following I do physical therapy, etc. Sorry i don’t have more information on the actual grade of tears and stuff.
I’m not sure if it was the repeated trauma or what but my knee was almost too swollen to move for about 2 months and was a bit in my head about it but then i started PT(maybe i waited to long idk)
I also visited another doctor here but he pretty much told me to keep going to PT, and hes not sure if I will ever regain full ROM of my knee. My initial ortho visit i felt pretty hopeful of the outcomes, but on this one with the lack of information and advice i felt like idk what to do now.
I have been discharged from PT because I am uninsured and met all the “expectations” of strength levels.
I still get ALOT of weirdness in my knee, instability, and just unsureness, and pain in certain ranges of motion i.e full extensions, or bending, and almost feels like it knocks or so every time it extends like when walking. hard to explain. just instability. It feels like its getting better but also its been nearly a year? I feel like I personally mismanaged my rehab somehow to get to this point and not feel even comfortable enough to walk around brace less. I’m just unsure
I started the knee rehab template this week, trying to get back to baseline as best as I can do.
I could get another MRI(just uninsured and its costly) and another idea from a separate Orthopedists as I am no longer in the same state. Or keep riding this train and seeing if it gets better, stressing it and seeing if the structures hold and symptoms resolve over time. Am a bit a roadblock as to WHAT DO.
I’d love to be able to get back to doing what I love, and that’s training at full capacity so any help, any steps, guidance is much appreciated
General questions
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Research online tells me normally 6 months for these kinds of injuries for most symptoms to resolve and returning to normal activities. But I am beyond this point by a few months. I know there will be variance individually, but is this normal?
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Do you think I should get another MRI and opinion? or complete the knee rehab template and see how it feels?
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Are outcomes good with this sort of thing? I am typically a 5 plate squatter and would like to trend that number to 6-7 at some point. Is this still feasible in my training career given other data/subjects?
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What would you do if this was you?
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Is surgery a typical course of action for these things if not resolved in a certain timeframe?
I’v done my best in managing my rehab up to this point using barbell medicine. I do my best to not catastrophize and stay active, doing things to tolerance.
Sorry for the long post,
Thank you for reading.