knee injury

SeaDawg · Joined: 12 Sep 2002 Posts: 384

While excuting a simple beach start something went pop in my knee. MRI indicated badly torn maniscus.Im a week past arthroscopic surgery, Dr. says OK to sail again.Anyone have similar experience?

carl · Joined: 25 Feb 1997 Posts: 2674 Location: SF bay area

Why question the doc? as long as the skin is healed, it should be fine. Maniscus is just cartilage, they only took out the broken piece. It the 4 ligaments thats holding your knee together. Youll have to do more than a beach start to damage those!!

forwards · Joined: 30 May 2000 Posts: 109

I had mine lock-up beach starting in breaking waves, had same surgery, and 1 week later while doing nothing athletic had an artery burst in the knee capsule causing it to fill, and then had doctor drain with huge syringes which really sucked. Fine after 4 weeks. I normally heal fast. Dr said this was one of a number of possible post-surgical complications. If I had to do it again I would give it at least 2 weeks.
Good luck.

SeaDawg · Joined: 12 Sep 2002 Posts: 384

yesit hurt like hell, I couldnt put any weight on it. I was sailing the sound in obx,waist deep about half mile out. The pain went away but my knee kept buckling. I was able to take little steps into shore and some guys helped get my gear in the van.I called my Doc and was able to see him about 4hrs latter. He thought the knee was pooched and set up the MRI and the surgery. I was doing the cruch deal for about two wks until the opp. I slid down the stairs on my ass to leave for the hospital at 6:30am and walked out of the hospital, without crutches at 2;30pm. One week after the opp. I did some mild mountain biking. It feels better on my knee to ride than to walk. As for choosing whether to have the surgery or not, there was really no question. Any way theres 20-25 forcast at the obx this weekend Im going to take my son down with me and try a few runs.

Rondeauboy · Joined: 06 Jan 2001 Posts: 13

Four years ago in the spring, I got catapulted when I hit a sandbar, and didnt walk for a few months.

I landed left foot first in about 8 inches of water, and poof, there went my ACL, PCL, and MCL ligaments which pretty much are responsible for stabilizing the knee..... complete tears of all three.

As the PCL is evidently very difficult to operate on, my knee doc convinced me to let them heal on their own, and follow with some serious physio.

I eventually resumed windsurfing the following spring, and have been going strong ever since. However, I do wear a custom DonJoy knee brace for pretty much all sports (windsurfing included) where there is a possibility of my knee hyper-extending, or sports where there is excessive rotational torque on the knee (golf).

My knee does hurt a fair bit once in a while after sailing, but not enough that an Advil doesnt take the edge off.

Good luck with your recovery, and keep sailing!

DF

coachg · Joined: 10 Sep 2000 Posts: 3550

I guess I lucked out. I injured my knee during the summer of 04. I was carving too low into a turn with my 10.5 sail and when I started to flip the sail the clue hit the water and pushed the mast back against my shin, pinning my leg between the mast and the footstrap. I got launched over the sail and hyperextended my knee. The funny thing is it didnt hurt much. It was more of a gut feeling like ooh, that wasnt good. I kept on sailing, no problems.

Drove home, ate, took a shower and when I tried to get out of the shower my knee wouldnt bend. That night I had a hard time sleeping because I was in so much pain. I had to elevate my knee on top of a bunch of pillows. Since there was no loosness to my knee, I figured it was a sprain. I spent the next two days off my feet packing my knee in ice or massaging it with Dixie ice cups. I wore a knee brace for sailing the next two weeks and have had no problems since.

Coachg

hookipswindboy · Joined: 07 Jan 2006 Posts: 11

tore my acl and had sergury, i waited 6months just to be safe, id wait atleast a month or 2 for mcl, docs think windsurfing is just touring around a flat lake in 5kt winds, they dont understand it can be very physical on da knees....o, and DF or Rondeauboy or whatever, ligaments dont heal by themselves, they r NOT like bones!!! if they were torn, chances r they r STILL torn, u sure u can still walk with nothing except skin holding half ur leg in place?....