Posts Tagged ‘brace’
Several things happened at my first trip to the orthopedist:
- Straight leg brace was removed: Immediately after an injury, my orthopedist told me that you should do your best to bend your knee and regain your range of motion.
- MRI scan ordered: After listening to my story, the doctor had me schedule a scan of my right knee. He said that a “popping” sound is usually a sign of a ligament tear.
Knee drain: This was nowhere as painful as my injury but it was very uncomfortable. The doctor administered a numbing agent to my right knee. Ten minutes after he applied the agent, the doctor inserted a syringe into my knee. The nurse held my leg down and pushed my calf and thigh toward each other so the liquid would concentrate in my knee for draining. He drained my knee twice. Immediately after the procedure, my knee felt MUCH better; the pain was still there but the pressure was gone. I could bend my leg to 70 degrees compared to what I originally came in with (nada!). The nurse instructed me to bend my knee as much as possible and continue to ice it.
How It Happened
Posted on: December 26, 2010
My injury happened the second week of November in 2010. I was playing flag football like I had been doing every week since school started.
I was ready to cut past my opponent when I heard 4 loud pops from my knee. The popping happened when I decelerated and planted my right leg, extended, into the ground. Studies have shown that a person is more susceptible to an ACL injury when using cleats.
The next thing you know, I fell to the ground, curled into a fetal position, and was clawing the grass with my fingers because the pain was unbearable. Initially, my right leg was numb; more than 5 minutes later, when I was taken to the sidelines, the stabbing-like pain went away.
I had never broken a bone but I instinctively knew I did not. I went to the ER that same night and the X-rays confirmed my guess. The doctor prescribed two painkillers (one was Darvocet — it was recalled 2 weeks after my ER trip!) but I never bought them from the pharmacy. Instead, I took Advil. I was given crutches and my right leg was put in a cast-like brace (the photo isn’t me) that prevented me from bending. I wore this brace day and night (including sleep) until I went to the orthopedist 2 days later.
Between the time of my injury and my first visit to the orthopedist, I iced my right knee for 2 hours each day in 20-minute intervals without the brace. I lost all range of motion (couldn’t bend at all) and my right knee was the size of a grapefruit. My leg was elevated above the heart using pillows placed under my foot and calf rather than under my knee.
The 21-Year Old and Her Tear 