a few knee injury questions?

If the tear is mild to moderate, there is a chance that then ligaments can heal with time and proper treatment unless the ligaments are your ACL or PCL in which case a complete tear or over stretching means the only way to heal is complete-reconstruction of the ligament. I really hope the last is not your case.

Assuming that your injury is not in the severe case:

1) You need to give the knee complete rest. That means not putting excess weight on it and using a clutch or cane when you are walking.

2) If there is still any swelling and severe pain, you need to ice down the knee and warm it back up with moist heat 4 to 5 times a day for about 3 days.

3) Elevate your leg to the level of your waist when you are sitting down or a couple of inches when lying down.

4) If you can (with the doctor's consent), you might want to take an anti-inflammatory such as Advil, Aleve, Motrin.

Now about your question:

1) I did not tear a ligament, but had soft tissue damage after being leg-swept. I rested for nearly 2 weeks focused on controlling the swelling and pain. The thing with knees is that you have to baby them if injured. Your knees are either healthy and not giving you pain, or they are unhealthy and in pain because there is no such thing as a good knee pain - it's not like your muscles where after a good workout you get that good soreness feeling.

I eased back into training VERY gradually. I focused mainly on upper body techniques, stretching, and keeping my morale up with anything to keep my mind off the injury.

2) The clothe knee braces and the hinged ones serve different purposes. The clothe braces is to compress the knee to give it extra rigidnessess and control swelling, BUT you do not want to wear it all the time because it also reduces blood circulation which does not help you with healing. The hinged brace is for the very severe case where the ACL or PCL have been damaged or severed in which case you need the metal frame and hing to guide the legs in the proper range of motion. You'll often see it being worned by female La Crosse players who have a very high frequency of torn ACL and PCL.

3) My understanding from people who have reconstructive surgery is that they had to undergo several months of physical therapy and they had to ease back into training. In the more severe case and depending on the age of the person, they may not be able to return to training. Torn ACL and PCL are career enders for professional athletes.

4) Yoga may be better than Tai Chi because Tai Chi is not as gentle on the knees as it appears. In fact, I've experienced some knee problems in my early days of training because I was doing some of the moves incorrectly, although I must admit that my knees does seem to be stronger and in better health now that I've learn to move and stand correctly.

You didn't ask, but I think you need to know that not all doctors are created equal. For people like us who train in martial art, it is better if you seek a doctor who specializes in sports medicine which is really a separate discipline that deals with the typical injuries we are more likely to suffer AND more importantly those who train in this medical field are more likely to know how to help you get back into your sport - if there is any chance of doing so.

Lastly, never have surgery based on just one diagnosis from a doctor. ALWAYS seekout second (and maybe third) opinions before you decide on surgery. There is always risks in surgery and they rarely can be underdone once you have them.

Best of luck to you.

1. I couldn't. The injured knee constantly buckled and gave out thus increasing the chance of damaging it even more.

2. No. The hinged one gives more support and as stated in 1 you do not want to damage your knee any further. Maybe now your knee can still be fixed and will heal good but if you continue to do damage, it may not heal right if there is too much damage. It is usually not only the ligament. Often there is also damage to the cartilage and sometimes even more.

3. Yes, I went back to training a few days after surgery. First sitting on the floor stretching only and physical therapy for about a month. After that Taiji first sitting, then standing. Learning Taiji walk with the knees bent was excruciating for a long time. I can run now and I can do my martial arts now but it is not the same. The leg is weaker and that will not change. Spinning kicks and jumps are hard and not very graceful. I do not have nearly the power I used to.

4 Taiji is good and I was lucky to end up with a very patient teacher who was eager to help. Not all teachers are.

If I had to do it over I wouldn't change anything that I did. Getting surgery as soon as possible before you cause more damage is sound advice. Don't rush recovery. It took me a good year to get to partway 'normal' for me. Because of my martial arts I had to retrain a large range of motion a person who just walks does not have to have. That takes time. Don't give up. Knee surgery is pretty painful but it too will pass.

Most important find a good surgeon who specializes in sports injuries and also a physical therapist who is also knowledgeable in sports injuries. Finding good medical people is very important and can greatly determine the outcome.

I hope/assume you've seen a physical therapist for the injury. If so, the physical therapist can answer your questions. If you haven't seen one yet, you definitely should. Look for one either specializing in sports or in orthopedics.

Hope that helps.

I've sent you an answer by e-mail. I am wondering if you have received it?