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Torn MCL - how long til I can ride again?

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  • Torn MCL - how long til I can ride again?

    ARGH! Can you say frustrated!!!! Last week I tore my left knee ligament, doing HOUSEWORK, of all the stupid ways to get injured! Anyways, I am on a crutch and have the immobilizer thingy on my knee still. Can't feed my own horses yet even. Anyone else had a torn MCL? How long did it take you to get back to some semblance of normalcy? And how long 'til you could ride again?
    Thanks, J
    ‎"Luck favors the prepared, darling." ~~ Edna Mode

  • #2
    It's *torn* and they don't want to repair surgically? Cruciate or collateral? (found out the hard way people use "MCL" for both... )

    I sprained my medial collateral ligament badly on August 5. It was non-surgical, but very, very, very stretched and lax. Top of leg would go one way, bottom the other, in a way legs don't *go.*

    I tried to ride about 4 or 5 weeks later. Riding did not hurt. The Dr. told me I could do things that did not hurt. I was still having some trouble on the ground, but mounted on the off side on a very safe pony. Then I did something stupid (my own fault, not the horse's, and caught my toe on brush, and REINJURED badly. I was stuck on the (saintly) horse for a bit while I figured out how to get off. Then had to dump tack on the ground and crawl to the house to get crutches and immobilzer on to finish putting horse away and feeding and such.

    The lesson I learned from it was not to be stupid too soon. If you push early, you pay for it.

    I basically waited another month and then rode very lightly this fall. Maybe a dozen times total. Wore my brace for barnwork or anything strenuous through mid-December. I *did* push for a custom brace that was light and mobile but very supportive (one of the metal Donjoy ones) so that I would not reinjure.

    I've fallen twice and moved a couple times wrong in the snow/ice since stopping the brace. Each time the pain was fairly excruciating, but short lived. I really should be wearing some sort of light support like an SMx brace, but I haven't found one on Ebay yet. Tax return is coming...

    You might be talking about the cruicate ligament, in which case all of my anecdote is useless. They are quite different. But if it was collateral ligament, *I* personally would recommend at least 8-10 weeks before riding if you don't want to do more damage and be grounded LONGER. My Dr. & PT both said if it doesn't hurt, it's ok... it might not hurt to ride, but it's what ELSE can happen before, during and after that can be so damaging.
    InnisFailte Pinto Sporthorses & Coloured Cobs
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Bits are like cats, what's one more? (Petstorejunkie)

    Comment


    • #3
      Did you see an orthopod or regular GP?

      Complete straight leg immobilization AND no daily rehab exercises, I.M.E. is not typical for run of the mill ISOLATED MCL sprains. Do you remember the grade of the sprain?
      Sounds like you are also on crutches.....Yes?

      So,
      Is there a concern of a secondary injury to the ACL or cartilage or knee cap?

      Any idea when you will be getting rehab exercise instruction?

      REgards,
      Medical Mike
      equestrian medical researcher
      www.fitfocusedforward.us

      Comment


      • #4
        How did they diagnose? Simple palpitation or actual testing (MRI). A partial tear is one thing but a full tear is a whole other thing.

        Make sure they've done the proper testing instead of just slapping a label on it. See a physiotherapist and get a treatment program set up. You really want to make sure this isn't surgical before you mess with it.

        Take care,

        Comment

        • Original Poster

          #5
          Originally posted by pintopiaffe View Post

          The lesson I learned from it was not to be stupid too soon. If you push early, you pay for it.
          I just read your answer to my husband, and he said to tell you thank you. ARGHHHH


          Originally posted by pintopiaffe View Post
          But if it was collateral ligament, *I* personally would recommend at least 8-10 weeks before riding if you don't want to do more damage and be grounded LONGER. My Dr. & PT both said if it doesn't hurt, it's ok... it might not hurt to ride, but it's what ELSE can happen before, during and after that can be so damaging.
          Thank you... it is the Medial Collateral Ligament and it is classified as a Knee Sprain. I will attempt to "not be to stupid too soon" as I really don't want to re-injure it (yes, it is the most excruciating pain to feel it snap!) and spend even more time vegetating here. I go back to reg dr.s on Thurs, and we'll see what they tell me then. Meanwhile, I am frustrated as he*! to just be sitting here with my leg up...but I guess that's part of the process. Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. I am getting around the house with crutches, but am restricted to the house because of all the stairs outside. Thanks for your candid info... it's not what I wanted to hear, but it does help....

          Now, how do I tell my horses they are stuck in their stalls for the next 8-10 weeks while I heal! And the Half-Arabian was just about ready for his first Arab show in March, too... oh well

          J
          ‎"Luck favors the prepared, darling." ~~ Edna Mode

          Comment


          • #6
            I had a grade II sprain of my MCL when I was in college (skiing...or, more precisely, FAILING to ski... ), and my athletic trainer let me ride immediately on my calm horse, at a walk, without stirrups, if I wore my brace. (I did not have a full immobilizer, though.) I wasn't allowed to do more than that until I was out of the brace, which was a couple of months (once the knee's stability had returned), and then it was building up to full work (just like you would with a horse coming off an injury ).

            I was also doing rehab exercises and routine ice/heat and e-stim.
            Proud member of the EDRF

            Comment


            • #7
              Adding my two cents. I sprained my knee mid-October. My physio told me I could ride after three weeks but was not sure how I would manage. After a weekend of riding, I was back to square one.

              It was about two months before I was able to ride regularly and about 10 weeks until I could ride every day. Even now, I need to be careful not to do too much.

              My injury is an ACL that jumped off the bone rather than tearing, a significant bone bruise, and some meniscal damage, confirmed by MRI.

              Comment


              • #8
                I just had knee surgery in December, and am STILL not right- and there wasn't any actual soft tissue damage. Just scar tissue and plica, granted, a LOT of it, throughout the joint. My doctor joked it was like a haunted mansion everywhere he looked.

                They told me to "be up and around as much as possible" post-op, so I sucked it up and forced myself to get around, and way overdid. My quad swelled up so much it shut down for weeks- and it hurt. It hurt SO badly. And the icing was when my quad finally fired back up it was totally atrophied.

                Anyway. Don't push it. Even if you think you're okay, you're probably not. Give it lots of time. Wish I had.
                "The nice thing about memories is the good ones are stronger and linger longer than the bad and we sure have some incredibly good memories." - EverythingButWings

                Comment

                • Original Poster

                  #9
                  Originally posted by littleum View Post

                  Anyway. Don't push it. Even if you think you're okay, you're probably not. Give it lots of time. Wish I had.

                  o.k. - I need to hear this! I am such a "I-can-do-it-myself" person....it is difficult to be dependent on others for everything. I just need to take a chill pill and enjoy the slowing-down of my life, I guess.

                  (will update when I hear what the dr says tomorrow)

                  Thanks again. I appreciate hearing others stories.

                  J
                  ‎"Luck favors the prepared, darling." ~~ Edna Mode

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I tell you, I got some amazing, excellent advice here in August and Sept. dealing with mine.

                    I agree completely with MM that *complete* immobilization is counterproductive once you've got your certain diagnosis. Start PT as soon as you can. It will feel like stupid excercises, tightening the muscles in the top of your thigh etc., but that's what will get you back on sooner. And get a real brace--the immobilizer makes things worse rather quickly. In the beginning it's a godsend so you can walk and such... but pretty darn quickly it makes things 'tie up.'

                    I also learned to TAKE my Rx. I hate taking pain meds, especially narcotics, but the type of deep rest (and maybe relaxing of stress/tension in the WHOLE BODY) that the Rx meds give you really helps healing pretty dramatically. I took Vicodin only at night for about 5 or 6 nights. I tried not taking it-- but there was a BIG difference in pain the next day after taking it at night. Plus, then the moving in my sleep didn't wake me screaming. After that I got a narcotic mimic... Trammadol maybe? That didn't knock me out as bad, (didn't give me nightmares!)was legal for work (pesky federal regulations ) but still was more than I'd usually take.

                    The first week was all about getting around just enough for work, basically... then chores 1x/day on crutches. I didn't carry buckets probably for 3 months, and even now, this winter, I'm dragging water on the sled rather than carrying on ice/snow. I didn't get my GOOD brace until about 5 or 6 weeks post sprain. I wish now I'd pushed for it right away. Well, I sort of did, but referrals and insurance crap took a LONG time. (the brace was just under $1k! ) They started with a DonJoy neoprene brace with metal hinges, which might've worked if I didn't have fat knees. It chafed HORRIBLY in the back.

                    But the immobilizer worked for doing chores--and then I'd take it off and not be able to *bend* the knee. Not to mention catching my toe in a bit of hay or just a clump of grass.... ~*SPLAT*~...

                    Fight for a really great brace as early as you can get it. And DO your PT as often as you can. Be careful and be good and you'll be back on track WAY sooner.

                    Hang in there. Feel free to whine, at least to me, I can SOOOOO relate. I had really high hopes of getting out at 2nd and maybe even a baby schooling show at 3rd in late Oct with my guy, with an aim to Arab SHNs this year. Um... no. As I said, maybe a dozen rides altogether since the accident. OTOH, I also had two of the best lessons/clinics I've had in my LIFETIME--because I had very, very low expectations... so you still can progress and learn, it just might not be exactly what you planned.
                    InnisFailte Pinto Sporthorses & Coloured Cobs
                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                    Bits are like cats, what's one more? (Petstorejunkie)

                    Comment

                    • Original Poster

                      #11
                      update:

                      Update: Well, my regular dr. doesn't seem to be too concerned. She did give me a prescription for pain medication so I could get some sleep. Basically said to keep it elevated for a few more weeks. She said an MRI is done only if it's a tear that's going to surgery. She didn't seem to think I needed to see a pt, and that I should come back in a couple weeks for an update?
                      WTF? I think I got more information from the ER dr last week!!!

                      So I guess I'm on my own here... I found a site that gives 4 exercises to help strengthen quads, but it not until the pain and swelling are down. So. I am going to try to stumble down to the horses this weekend & see how bad off I am at navigating the mud, and then I am going to start walking laps in a pool (at a local Bally's) next week. I looked up the DonJoy braces online and on ebay, and I'll see if I can find one for a left knee, so I can start doing my horse chores again next week. I can tell that trying to get on a horse is not possible right now, so I am not going to push it... will wait til I have the knee brace and 3 or 4 more weeks of healing. Thank you everyone for your assistance and stories... they've helped keep me sane!
                      J
                      ‎"Luck favors the prepared, darling." ~~ Edna Mode

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I have to run and snowblow but I will PT you tonight. I might be able to help w/ a brace depending on size. (don't get your hopes too high, I'm FAT.)

                        Can you call your Dr back and ask for a referral to a SPORTS Dr.? They understand that we a) can't be down long and b) need to be back 100%. It's not like Joe Average who just needs to get back to no pain and normal life... we need to be doing stuff NOW without reinjuring and then back to full flexibility/strength/mobility sooner rather than later. While not a ton of Sports Orthopeds get *riding* in general, they get IT.

                        I too was denied MRI, and got some pretty dire warnings. I know there *is* some meniscus damage in mine, but since surgery isn't an option right now anyway, I ignore that part of it. A Sports Dr. may or may not want an MRI.

                        I started PT after about 2 weeks, and couldn't do much at first. Yes, RICE for that first two weeks... BUT... don't wear the immobilizer all the time or you'll loose a ton of mobility in the joint. I had to bring a mare in for ultrasound about 3 weeks post injury. HAD to wear the immobilzer as it was at the track, had the visions of horse doing something quite innocent, me stepping wrong, knee collapsing... the rest would just NOT BE GOOD. So I drove over, put on immobilizer, unloaded mare, did our thing... took off immobilizer to get back into the truck... and could not. Get into the truck. (I drive a standard, couldn't shift with the stupid brace to begin with.) I could not bend the leg. The muscles in the whole leg had tightened up on me, and the knee was excruciating. This was not the first, nor last time the immobilizer got me... just the worst. Took maybe 10 or 15 minutes of AGONY before I could bend the knee to get into the truck.

                        I used a neoprene back wrap--the kind without stays--for chores mostly. Wrapped around a couple times. Allowed just a little bit of bend, so more movement than the immobilizer, but great compression and support.

                        I hope Calvin Crowe checks in. A few others too. They had tremendous help for me when I wrecked mine.

                        Anyway. So much for getting out of here to snow blow... but I will PT you tonight.
                        InnisFailte Pinto Sporthorses & Coloured Cobs
                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                        Bits are like cats, what's one more? (Petstorejunkie)

                        Comment

                        • Original Poster

                          #13
                          Originally posted by pintopiaffe View Post
                          . Yes, RICE for that first two weeks... BUT... don't wear the immobilizer all the time or you'll loose a ton of mobility in the joint
                          Ahhh... I am seeing that already! only 10 days, and the knee seems to want to stay bent all the time... i.e. I CANNOT straighten it out. the area distal to the Patella is still swollen and painful, it feels like a mashed grapefruit! Also the Vastus Lateralus & a section of the IT band closest to the knee are painful, as is the Gastroc... however, I think those are the places where the Immobilizer pushes into the flesh, which MAY be why they hurt.

                          Originally posted by pintopiaffe View Post
                          .
                          I used a neoprene back wrap--the kind without stays--for chores mostly. Wrapped around a couple times. Allowed just a little bit of bend, so more movement than the immobilizer, but great compression and support.
                          I have a professionals choice neoprine knee wrap that I've been using to keep cool-packs in place - it does nothing for the medial/lateral stability, but it does compress pretty good without totally immobilizing. It just seems like everything on my leg is either too fat or too swollen, I can't seem to leave it on comfortably for long periods of time. I guess that's alot like bandaging a horses tendons, huh.

                          Interestingly, as I am beginning to get mobile again w/o the crutch, I find myself walking slightly pigeon-toed now, with my butt out behind me, instead of my normal toe out gait with central core upright. I am hoping walking laps in the pool will help correct this. Anyways, probably more information than you wanted to know, huh!

                          Geez, I just realized, if this injury was my horse, instead of me, it'd probably get more care! Ironic, isn't it...
                          J
                          ‎"Luck favors the prepared, darling." ~~ Edna Mode

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            So how are those knees after all this time?

                            I just tore my ACL, have a grade 2(a) MCL tear, and a small meniscal tear that is close enough to blood supply that it will likely heal without surgery. ACL needs total reconstruction. I am 4 weeks into MCL recovery in a BREG Roadrunner brace. Start PT next week, but have been walking without crutches for a while now. ACL surgery scheduled for July.

                            Wondering how y'all are doing with your knees after 2 years. What is riding like for you?

                            I must say, an MCL tear is the most painful injury I've ever experienced, and I've been deep in the dirt a few times. Worst of all is moving around in your sleep and waking up to that screaming pain in your leg.

                            Anyhoodles, I'm just about losing my mind not being able to ride for the next few months, so I am wondering how my fellow gimps made out.

                            Comment

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