Area around Knee Swollen; Problem and Remedies?

[TripleB]

Played in the Single Team (3 singles players on a team vs. other teams) State Championships with weekend and ended up playing 5 matches (2 on Friday and Sunday, 1 on Saturday).

During my Saturday match my knee started hurting (an injury I've never had before) and by the time I got home it was a little swollen. I went and purchased a knee brace in hopes of being able to make it through the match(es) on Sunday.

I made it through the matches (icing in between and afterwards) but now my knee is swollen a lot. A golf ball size area (maybe a tad larger) is swollen on the outside and slightly above the knee. And a quarter size area is swollen on the inside and below the knee. There is not any 'popping' in the knee are but it's a struggle to bend my knee more than 90 degrees. It's somewhat painful when I walk but the biggest problem is that it doesn't feel like my knee is stable when I'm walking.

I plan to go see a doctor but not sure how long it will take me to get an appointment.

Can anyone give me an idea of what the injury might?

Is there anything I can do to help it (other than ice and brace it) until I can see the doctor? Ointments/gels/etc.?

Thanks for any and all help.

TripleB

[ollinger]

The problem is hubris. You're not 15 years old, shouldn't be playing so much. One doesn't deal with a swollen knee by putting on a brace and going out to play the next day. "Ointments" and "gels"??? I doubt it. See an orthopedist and don't play for now.

[Tim]

Given the circumstance I'd say you sprained your knee, which means you strained and/or tore one or more ligaments. Hopefully its not anything seriously torn but I would definitely keep icing it, 3 times a day for 20 minutes, and don't play anymore tennis till you see a doctor.

[TripleB]

Originally Posted by ollinger

The problem is hubris. You're not 15 years old, shouldn't be playing so much. One doesn't deal with a swollen knee by putting on a brace and going out to play the next day. See an orthopedist and don't play for now.

It was for a state championship, we only had 3 members on our roster, if I forfeited my court it would have made my other members have to win in order to get the team win, and I wasn't about to let my team down when playing for a state championship...even if playing on only one leg. Thanks for the advice.

Originally Posted by Tim

Given the circumstance I'd say you sprained your knee, which means you strained and/or tore one or more ligaments. Hopefully its not anything seriously torn but I would definitely keep icing it, 3 times a day for 20 minutes, and don't play anymore tennis till you see a doctor.

Thank you for your input and advice. I'll keep icing it and I plan to stay away from tennis for quite a while now.

One of my coworkers mentioned putting 'Tiger Bomb' on it...anyone ever heard of this stuff?

TripleB

[movdqa]

> It was for a state championship, we only had 3 members
> on our roster, if I forfeited my court it would have made
> my other members have to win in order to get the team
> win, and I wasn't about to let my team down when
> playing for a state championship...even if playing on only
> one leg. Thanks for the advice.

Would it be worth having to go for surgery? I've had plenty of knee issues over the years but never let it go to the level that you've described. I've used knee braces but my problem is cartilege scraping and that fixes itself with a little rest.

> Thank you for your input and advice. I'll keep icing it and
> I plan to stay away from tennis for quite a while now.

You might want to have a doctor check it out if it doesn't get better soon. The knee braces are to fix the knee mistracking. If you have a different problem, then the knee brace might not do much other than keeping the joint a little warmer. The quality of knee braces is all over the place. Some of the cheap sleeves don't do much while some of the types with steel rods restrict a lot of the different kinds of movement that the knee can normally do.

> One of my coworkers mentioned putting 'Tiger Bomb' on
> it...anyone ever heard of this stuff?

It's Tiger Balm. I've never used it but you can look it up on the web.

[Chas Tennis]

You need to see a well-qualified orthopedic or sports medicine Dr now. Does anyone that you know have a good Dr to recommend for a knee injury? When arranging to get an immediate appointment make it clear that you have swelling at more than one location, instability plus your other symptoms.

Don't do tests to see what makes it hurt.

(Is a torn ligament attachment to your bone what is causing the swelling, some other torn tissue?..........)

[TripleB]

Originally Posted by movdqa

Would it be worth having to go for surgery? I've had plenty of knee issues over the years but never let it go to the level that you've described. I've used knee braces but my problem is cartilege scraping and that fixes itself with a little rest.

You might want to have a doctor check it out if it doesn't get better soon. The knee braces are to fix the knee mistracking. If you have a different problem, then the knee brace might not do much other than keeping the joint a little warmer. The quality of knee braces is all over the place. Some of the cheap sleeves don't do much while some of the types with steel rods restrict a lot of the different kinds of movement that the knee can normally do.

It's Tiger Balm. I've never used it but you can look it up on the web.

To be honest, I've never had knee problems before, it didn't swell a great deal the first day, and you never know if you will ever get to play for a state championship again...plus my team was counting on me. Hindsight says I was stupid, but at the time I felt it was the right thing to do because I was playing in the number 1 position and felt our chances of winning would be greater if I didn't have to forfeit my match.

I wore a brace yesterday during the matches that offered a little bit of support...just enough to keep the leg tracking correctly and to give me enough confidence to be on the court. Today (at work) I'm wearing one that limits the movement of my leg a great deal more.

Going to my family physician this afternoon...basically because I've had congestion for about 10 days now and I need to get something for it. I'm going to have him look at my knee as well (he's a runner so he's pretty good with leg injuries). If I need something else I will see a specialist later in the week.

Thanks for clearing the 'Balm' up...maybe that's why I couldn't find it.

I appreciate your input.

TripleB

[TripleB]

Doctor says it's just strained ligaments...no tears and nothing permanent.

Ice, rest, wear brace, naproxen, no tennis for a while, and start stretching program (or else I'll continue to have knee and hip problems).

Thanks for everyone's input.

TripleB

[TripleB]

2nd opinion from orthopaedic doc says torn meniscus, cracked bone near my kneecap, or both. MRI next Tuesday!

TripleB

[movdqa]

Ugh. Good luck next week.

[3fees]

Yes,,Whirlpool it.....

[ollinger]

"strained ligaments" may be indicative of your GP's ignorance, as there's no such thing. "Sprain" is used to describe a ligament injury, "strain" for muscle or tendon. And it's denial to think of it as nothing permanent. Ligaments heal with a more disorganized deposition of collagen than what was there originally, so even a sprain means you have a substantially higher risk of recurrence. A torn meniscus or bone crack often means surgery, hopefully an arthroscopy but data published in the last six months now argues against doing meniscus surgery if the knee has significant arthritis seen in the MRI, as the procedure is ineffective. The point again is that playing as much as you evidently do is simply asking for trouble, as you don't allow your body enough rest periods to heal.

[maggmaster]

So what, in your opinion adults shouldn't play singles tournaments?

[Frank Silbermann]

Originally Posted by maggmaster

So what, in your opinion adults shouldn't play singles tournaments?

Do pros play five matches in three days? No, they do not. No one should, except maybe ten year-olds.

[Chas Tennis]

Originally Posted by TripleB

2nd opinion from orthopaedic doc says torn meniscus, cracked bone near my kneecap, or both. MRI next Tuesday!

TripleB

What bone is cracked?

Your MRI will be examined by a specialist at the imaging lab. That Dr will write a report for your orthopedic Dr. Suggest that you request a copy of that report from the imaging lab as it is a checklist of the conditions of most structures in your knee. Research each term mentioned in the MRI report and the condition described. My MRI did not show the meniscus tear definitively but the MRI image was 'consistent with' a torn meniscus injury.

I asked the Dr if I could see how my injury would heal. It was OK to try with my injury. He guessed the probabilities - 25% it would heal and 75% it would need surgery. After 4 months I felt that it would not heal on its own and got arthroscopic surgery. Good result for the 1999 injury & surgery.

[ollinger]

^^ Frank is spot on here. TripleB has posted in the past about playing three hours seemingly every day after work, then playing more than this on weekends. This is insanity. A middle aged adult who does this and doesn't get hurt is very fortunate, because that kind of regimen is simply begging for significant injuries.

[maggmaster]

I disagree, with appropriate conditioning and strength work you can maintain a heavy regimen through your warrior years. It is really all about slowly increasing the amount that you do, coupled with appropriate rest days and a good diet. If random guy suddenly starts training for 3 hours a day, yes he will get hurt. If he starts slowly and builds his base he is less likely to get hurt.

[ollinger]

^^ Since arthritis is a cumulative wear-and-tear condition that is evident in EVERYONE beyond a certain age, your point is lost on me. Muscles don't mitigate the load on your knees. There is no such thing as a muscle that supports weight. The best conditioned athletes in the world don't competitively get beyond their 30s -- sometimes 20s -- because "the first thing that goes is the legs." And what usually "goes" is the joints due to wear and tear.

[Chas Tennis]

Originally Posted by ollinger

^^ Since arthritis is a cumulative wear-and-tear condition that is evident in EVERYONE beyond a certain age, your point is lost on me. .............................................

I'm not certain that everyone has to get arthritis............?

http://osteoarthritis.about.com/od/o...oarthritis.htm

How can you distinguish the effects of

1) age
2) wear and tear
3) failure to allow healing in a timely manner when injury occurs.
4) posture issues that overload certain joint areas (such as my bow-legged friend who has arthritis and meniscus injuries where the cartilages are pinched from the bow-legged posture)

?? I'd say the research has not yet been done.

[TripleB]

Originally Posted by ollinger

The point again is that playing as much as you evidently do is simply asking for trouble, as you don't allow your body enough rest periods to heal.

Unless it's a State Tournament I typically only play twice a week. Monday and Thursday nights. If I miss one of those days I may play on Saturday morning.

Originally Posted by Frank Silbermann

Do pros play five matches in three days? No, they do not. No one should, except maybe ten year-olds.

Maybe you should send that information to the USTA of NC who set up the schedule for the State Tournament.

Originally Posted by Chas Tennis

What bone is cracked?

Suggest that you request a copy of that report from the imaging lab as it is a checklist of the conditions of most structures in your knee. Research each term mentioned in the MRI report and the condition described.

It's on the inside of my lower leg bone, right below my kneecap. It looks like a small (maybe an inch long or so) diagonal line at the top of the bone with what looks like a small protrusion sticking out the side (doc said it looks like where the bone was trying to heal itself).

Thank you for that advice. I'll to remember to ask for that information and do the research.

Originally Posted by ollinger

TripleB has posted in the past about playing three hours seemingly every day after work, then playing more than this on weekends. This is insanity.

As stated above, unless it's a state tourney (or I have some amazing demos), I typically only play twice a week. Coming from somebody who at one point ran over 30 miles a week, 6 hours of tennis doesn't feel like a lot.

TripleB