Any knee injury experts here?

[Twoply 0]

Hey everybody,

My daughter injured her knee. She landed on it pretty hard at soccer, but finished the game. The next day at recess, she kicked her foot forward in the air while dancing with her friends and felt a pop in the same knee and pain set in.

We did the emergency room thing and they diagnosed a sprain. Nothing came up on the xray. They referred us to a specialist.

We have an appointment a week away with an orthopedic surgeon so I've been studying up on the anatomy of the knee. I've got a pretty good understanding of it's basic function, but I'm stumped as to what her injury specifically is.

She cant straighten her leg all the way because it will hurt too much. She says it doesn't feel like there is anything physically blocking her from straightening it, just the pain stops her.

She cant bear weight on it.

She can twist her foot out, but if she twists it in, it hurts.

If I hold above the knee and pull the lower leg forward, it hurts. If I push it backwards, it hurts.

There's no pain trying to shift it side to side.

When I press on the patellar tendon, it is painful. It is also more rigid than the other knee.

There is a bruise that stretches from above the kneecap to below the kneecap on the lateral side. The bruise goes around the kneecap, not on it.

The pain is described as being in the middle of the knee.

What could have been damaged/ popped loose from a "kicking" motion? It sounds like it was just a clean kick in the air. I cant figure out the physics of how an acl or pcl could tear in that motion.

We all know a "popping" sound is a ligament or tendon letting loose.

She is coping well, but I'm not. I'm fearing a torn ligament.

It's killing me to see her miss soccer, dancing and being a general goofball running around.

Anyone have a suggestion?

WebMD says we have cancer.

[oldwomanc6 38]

At least you're honest about expecting a correct diagnosis from a bunch of internet wannabes.

lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

[Phillbo 11]

I'm thinking she has cancer.

[Niki1 1]

The popping doesn't have to be a tendon or ligament "letting go". It could be moving over something else that's out of place. The tendon or ligament slides, momentarily gets hung up, then "snaps" over the obstruction. Still, something is out of place to cause that. The knee operates in 1 plane. (The shoulder works in range of different directions) An MRI will most likely show what the problem is. X-rays don't always.
I hope she's out running around and dancing again soon.

I'm not a doctor and have no medical expertise other than what I've experienced and seen friends go through.

Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossilbe before they were done.
Louis D Brandeis

Where are we going and why are we in this basket?

[riggerrob 558]

My knowledge is limited to one accident that tore 3 ligaments in my left knee.
That bruise - around her kneecap - might indicate damage concealed under her knee cap.
Start with x-rays to rule out broken bones. Then ask for MRI and CAT scans to determine soft tissue damage. Ultra sound (as used on pregnant women) can also help locate soft tissue damage, but I am not sure if ultrasound can see through homes.
Bruising and swelling can complicate diagnoses, so continue RICE and limit movement until she can visit a knee specialist. Definitely get her knee examined this month, because knee injuries might cause her grief later in life.
My surgeon mumbled repeatedly “You’re 57 but you don’t smoke. You’re 57 but you don’t smoke .......” he eventually re-aligned my tibia 6 years after the crash!

[wmw999 2,114]

Let us know the end result... my only expertise in knees is that I’m equipped with two.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[theplummeter 14]

An Orthopedist will do a series of tests (Lachman and Pivot) that can isolate what if any ligaments are torn. You shouldn’t try to do it yourself and if they are positive most likely an MRI will be ordered.

Partial tears in any ligament will heal, the only ligament that finds it’s way back after a full tear is the Medial Collateral Ligament. Anything else requires repair or you can live without at a lowered activity level.

I went 24 years without an ACL (and partial PCL) but had surgery last winter to build an ACL and repair the PCL as I keep damaging the MCL and LCL every time I pivot or stop running quickly.

I too am curious what the diagnosis will be, come back and share after someone qualified takes a look at it.

[Ronhend 0]

Freaky things can happen!
A month ago my 22 yo son was chasing a Frisbee and came down wrong, heard a pop and had lots of pain.
Long story short, he had surgery Thursday to repair his ACL.
It was not a tear but completely torn in half.
6 months to total recovery!

Ron

ATP B-727 B767-757 CFI-II

[Twoply 0]

Hey guys!

The doctor diagnosed a "bruised bone."

No evidence of any tear or popped out of place parts.

We are rocking a simple knee brace and she is getting better everyday.

She's back doing gymnastics with some thought to throttling back to allow healing.

THanks for the support!

[wmw999 2,114]

That’s great news.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[Bob_Church 7]

Twoply

Hey guys!

The doctor diagnosed a "bruised bone."

No evidence of any tear or popped out of place parts.

We are rocking a simple knee brace and she is getting better everyday.

She's back doing gymnastics with some thought to throttling back to allow healing.

THanks for the support!

Every great once in awhile you get the diagnosis that you wanted to hear. This is great.

Bob

[TriGirl 268]

Excellent! I encourage her to "throttle back" for a bit. The pain may not seem like much, but that contusion will make the bone weaker and subject to stress fractures. Plus, the other structures (ligaments, muscles) will be picking up the slack and also over stress, possibly leading to other types of issues.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as they say. One less double-back, one more day off the vault, could be the difference between full recovery and a whole season out of competition.

See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus

Shut Up & Jump!