Help With Knee Brace/wrap

[Caffeine Addict]

hey chris i hope all works out for you so you can get back out on the trails

joe

[CHRIS]

I have an appointment for my knee on Tuesday but after reading more trip reports I am having hiking withdrawels. I am hooked and can't wait to get back out there. Of couse my wife says " I ain't going nowhere till I see the doc". She is right of course. I just hope I do not need surgery because that would lay me up for a while but at least it will be all set (hopefully) for STP09.

[CHRIS]

I went to the docs. today and he is sending me for an Mri. From the xrays everything looks good but when he started poking and squezzing around I almost left the bed I was laying on. He believes it might be torn cartilage but he wont be able to tell me until he sees the Mri. He gave me another appointment Sept. 16th to go over the mri but says I can still hike as long as it is all flat. He's a funny guy I have never seen a mountain flat. This really sucks because I am having all kinds of withdrawals reading everybody elses trail reports. This is going to be a long month.

[Charlie]

this may help

i was on a hike today that was so flat i had to stop and take the arch supports out of my shoes so i did not think i was hiking up hill

[bikehikeskifish]

First, I feel your pain. I really do.

Second, I had both an MRI and a bone scan and neither one showed anything conclusive. The MRI showed a "possible pocket of fluid consistent with a torn meniscus." Call my broker and tell him to buy, buy, buy! based on that news. Hopefully yours is more conclusive.

The hardest part, by far, was taking it very easy for a while. With no direct blood supply, cartilage is very slow to heal.

Tim

[CHRIS]

Update on my MRI. I went to see the doc today and he said he did not see any tears or anything and said it was my IT band, abreviated because the name is to long to even pronounce it. He said what happened is it is suppose to be tight like a guitar string but after to many miles of use it becomes lose and instead of sliding from the front to back of the leg it starts to get kinda lose and rubs losely on the way back and fourth and creates alot of pain ( he's not kidding). He gave me a brace and he is having me go for physical therapy for three weeks twice a week. He said I can go hiking again and that made my day because I thought for sure he was going to say surgery. He told me to just take it easy for a while and to wear the brace for a while when I am hiking. Now I have to figure out where to go first because I am having major withdrawals to get some mud on my feet. Come to find out he has been hiking since 1968 all over the place VT,Canada,Utah,Alaska etc.. Boy was I envious. I am thinking of hitting Arethusa Falls and Frankenstein Cliffs as first hike back out. Now I just can't wait to get out there. Thanks evrybody for wishing me luck I guess it paid off..

[Brad]

Chris, that is great news. Keep us posted on your "first" hike.

[TrishandAlex]

Chris, that's wonderful. Take it easy though, okay? Not too much too soon. But yes, get out there and get some mud on those boots!

[Steve M]

Update on my MRI. I went to see the doc today and he said he did not see any tears or anything and said it was my IT band, abreviated because the name is to long to even pronounce it. He said what happened is it is suppose to be tight like a guitar string but after to many miles of use it becomes lose and instead of sliding from the front to back of the leg it starts to get kinda lose and rubs losely on the way back and fourth and creates alot of pain ( he's not kidding). He gave me a brace and he is having me go for physical therapy for three weeks twice a week. He said I can go hiking again and that made my day because I thought for sure he was going to say surgery. He told me to just take it easy for a while and to wear the brace for a while when I am hiking. Now I have to figure out where to go first because I am having major withdrawals to get some mud on my feet. Come to find out he has been hiking since 1968 all over the place VT,Canada,Utah,Alaska etc.. Boy was I envious. I am thinking of hitting Arethusa Falls and Frankenstein Cliffs as first hike back out. Now I just can't wait to get out there. Thanks evrybody for wishing me luck I guess it paid off..

Glad to hear your doing better. My dad is having knee surgery on Friday. His knee keeps locking up on him and then swells up. He has had to stop training his border collie on the weekends because of it.

[Charlie]

Chris that is good news so go take a hike will ya