Knee Injury 5 months never healling

Discussion in 'Injuries' started by slair76116, Sep 11, 2012.

  1. slair76116

    slair76116 Regular Member

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    I heard a dull click sound while running, and my knee swelled up for about 3 days.

    5 months down the line I still can't put weight on that knee, climb stairs etc.. When I try to jump when I go down I just cant come up becasue of the pain.

    Did X-ray clear bones all good.
    Did MRI clear as per Doc he can't see any problem

    The doc suspects its Patellar Tendonitis, I'm on physiyo therapy for 6 weeks.

    It's killing me that I can't play even though I can play partial after heavy bandage. But doctor keeps stopping me, and my knee swells up every time I play.

    I'm coming to singapore on the 14th any good doctors I cuold go and see for this?

    the doctor here in the UAE now want to drill a small hole in my knee and insert a camer to see whats wrong as the Xray and MRI are clear.
     
  2. jimmycass

    jimmycass Regular Member

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    I had something similar.
    Had a camera inserted in my knee and the doctors found nothing.
    Had intense physio after including weight work and it seems to have cleared up.
    It will never be 100% again but feels good to be back on court.
    Hope you get it sorted
     
  3. vcrpex

    vcrpex Regular Member

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    if you are willing to go for alternative treatment like traditional Chinese medical that might include accupunture, i can intro you one at Burlington Square near Bugis Mrt in Singapore. i been there for my sprained ankle, intro my own father there when he hurt his tailbox after a fall. i have intro quite a number of my friends and relatives there, so farthe tcm doctor is in her eighties, so far one of the better ones that works for me. let me know if u r keen. i can pm u the details.
     
  4. slair76116

    slair76116 Regular Member

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    Hey thanks a bunch guys. Yes please id like information on the accupuncture lady and expected price too if you don't mind. Really hope it works out.Thank you again
     
  5. Nict_26

    Nict_26 Regular Member

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    Haf u tried de macdavid knee guard? I saw de knee guard lvl 3 protection wif inserts at world of sports outlets n it looks solid. U might want to go n test fit....
     
  6. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    X Ray gives limited info
    MRI gives more info but it still cannot show up everything. i.e. false negative

    You might need a repeat MRI.

    Arthroscopy to see under direct vision would be very accurate depending on skill and experience of the surgeon.
     
  7. slair76116

    slair76116 Regular Member

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    Should I get a repeat MRI ? How can I know how good the surgeon is? I'm in a foreign country
     
  8. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    MRIs can have different quality depending on the machine used. (like any manufacturing process). Sometimes in China, although a place advertises they have an MRI, the quality of the machine and therefore the image, may not be good. I don't know how it works in Dubai but probably the image is OK. A radiologist/radiographer or orthopaedic surgeon (for your case) are the people to ask if a repeat MRI is indicated.

    How to know a surgeon is good? Difficult question to answer. Usually you have to ask friends and acquaintances for their experiences/recommendations. Even better is if you can find those people who lead very active lifestyles. You can ask them for the results of their surgery. That's why many people also go to different doctors looking for a second opinion.

    For an orthopaedic surgeon, try to find out if he is a general orthopaedic surgeon or a orthopaedic surgeon that has a special interest in sports and/or knee surgery. Usually a general one is adequate for ordinary people. However, a sports person usually would have a higher expectation and would want to find the surgeon who has experience with lots and lots of knees.

    The surgeon should have the full qualifications of a specialist in orthopaedics but I don't think there is another one that exists for special interest in arthroscopy. Sometimes, bad eggs do occur even in those with special interest in sports medicine. Hence you need to solicit for opinions.



    If you go to a public/government hospital, the orthopaedic doctor might be training in orthopaedic surgery - i.e. working to full orthopaedic qualifications - hence, less experienced. Technically, they will be working under supervision of a senior orthopaedic doctor.

    If you are looking in private doctors, do check your medical insurance coverage will cover the costs of treatment. Some people will choose doctors deliberately because the doctor is expensive believing higher costs equate to better skill. That can hold true but there many exceptions both ways so again, it pays to check.
     
  9. minimarcy

    minimarcy Regular Member

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    Has there been any indication that this may be a cartilage problem??
     
  10. slair76116

    slair76116 Regular Member

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    From what the doctor said, I think it's the cartilage behind the knee cap. plus some slight swelling.

    I have good medical insurance and I'm covered worldwide, company perk.
    I'm coming to Singapore for 5 days from the 14th sept on I'm wondering if I should have it rechecked over there? I heard Singapore has good doctors.


    I think the MRI is of good quality, the doctor I'm seeing is a
    Specialist Orthopaedic Surgeon
    MBBS (Pakistan)
    FRCS (Ireland)
    FRCS-Trauma & Orthoapedics (UK)
    ATLS
    BLS

    What do you guys think? should I have another go in singapore? I'm going to give the Accupuncture a go like vcrpex suggested.
     
  11. Pete LSD

    Pete LSD Regular Member

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    For MRI machines, you want the highest magnetic strength possible. The old standard is 3T (3 Tesla). The trend is moving towards ever higher magnetic strength like 9T. In Vancouver (Canada), a 1.5T MRI scan of one knee costs C$475 while a 3T one is around C$875.

    FYI, http://www.normanmarcusmd.com/media/mri Go through the entire website.
     
  12. slair76116

    slair76116 Regular Member

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    Informative ill call the hospital and ask them how strong is there MRI
     
  13. slair76116

    slair76116 Regular Member

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    It was done on a 1.5t machine. Should I look for a higher rated machine?
     
  14. visor

    visor Regular Member

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    Sounds like pattelo femoral syndrome.

    http://www.aafp.org/afp/1999/1101/p2012.html

    Go with the higher tesla MRI's first before you consider any invasive investigations like arthroscopy, which is not without risks and complications.

    Have you seen a sports physiotherapist yet? Often times they are more skilled at diagnosing and treating such injuries that are quite common in athletes.
     
    #14 visor, Sep 12, 2012
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2012
  15. slair76116

    slair76116 Regular Member

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    I found 2 hospitals that have 3t machines. Should I look for higher resolutions?
     
  16. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Disagree on diagnosis. I think you are very brave to diagnose that over the internet.:D

    But I think we have a clue that a second MRI might show up more information.

    I do agree that a visit to the sports physio is useful. I went to a physio about a knee problem that was missed by an orthopaedic doctor (in fact I had one injury that caused two problems, so one was diagnosed correctly but the other was missed). She did 4 sessions of physio, some acupuncture and I got back to playing badminton with much less pain.
     
  17. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    He actually quoted BLS? LOL. That's like scraping the barrel trying to impress people.

    I have BLS, ACLS, ATLS, APLS and never bothered telling anybody. Used to be an ACLS instructor as until I got bored with it.

    The FRCS is a surgical qualification and he has the one for orthopaedics. It tells me that he has at least reached the standard of a general orthopaedic surgeon. However, one can't tell whether he has a special interest in arthroscopy and knee (i.e. further training in that field).

    I must clarify, that a general orthopaedic surgeon can do arthroscopy and fix simple knee problems - he is qualified to do that. When it comes to more complicated knee problems, which one are you going to pick?
     
    #17 Cheung, Sep 13, 2012
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2012
  18. bazzaman

    bazzaman Regular Member

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    To the OP, if you dont mind a little pain and you dont want to do any of the above, give ESWT a try. If there's no obvious improve stop the treatment. Fortunately its cheap here in HK, around 70USD per session 1/10th of the cost in the states.

    I'm getting it done on multiple body parts :eek: and it's finally having some effect on my dodgy hips. But less effect on my pinky finger and wrist.

    Acupuncture cut out 80% of my wrist pain but it all came back quickly after the needles came out.
     
  19. visor

    visor Regular Member

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    What can I say, I'm feeling a bit courageous today. And I'm working towards my long distance diagnostic skills. :D.

    But seriously, going from his symptoms and his ortho's working dx, PFS sounds right. So happens that I've seen a few of these recently and one friend who recently restarted badminton also just started having this.
     
  20. CanucksDynasty

    CanucksDynasty Regular Member

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    Probably is PFS.

    Here is a little story. My wife twisted her left ankle. So she kept the weight off her ankle but in a span of 2 weeks she developed PFS on her right knee. All because the weight shifted to her right leg. The muscle is supposed to be centered but was now more pulled to the side (outer). It hurt like heck and she had pyshio for a few weeks. Apparently its a common sports injury like tennis elbow.

    @OP...try compare the position of the muscles in your left and right knee. There are some items for sale to help with PFS like a brace/wrap just under the knee.
     

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