knee problems

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[petra]

About 2 months ago I managed to twist my knee pretty badly during a very normal action, which was stepping through the front door. My knee was giving my some trouble prior to the door incident but nothing major enough to go see a doctor (although in hindsight I probably should have paid a visit to my GP a lot earlier). Next day I went to see the GP who sent me to a specialist with the news that my knee looked good in general (no swelling or other nasty things) but I might just have a torn meniscus. The specialist took an X-ray, which looked good and twisted my knee, which resulted in excrutiating pain and confirmed the statement of my GP, probably a torn meniscus but my ligaments were in great shape and he scheduled me for surgery (ergoscopy) to, in his words, clean up the inside of my knee. I asked him about training and he said as long as my knee did not swell or get to painful, go ahead and train, the better shape I am prior to operation the sooner I recover. After limping for a couple of weeks things started getting better and now, a month to go before the operation I am back on the mat in pretty good shape as long as a leave shikko and suwari waza out.
I know aikido an knee problems sometimes seem to go hand in hand but I would realy appreciate if people would share their experience with knee surgery and training afterwards. I am getting a little anxious that this just might be the end of aikido for me for quite some time.

[MaylandL]

Originally posted by petra
...I asked him about training and he said as long as my knee did not swell or get to painful, go ahead and train, the better shape I am prior to operation the sooner I recover. ...

I know aikido an knee problems sometimes seem to go hand in hand but I would realy appreciate if people would share their experience with knee surgery and training afterwards. I am getting a little anxious that this just might be the end of aikido for me for quite some time.

Hello Petra

I'm not sure if this will help. I had a serious knee injury a number of years ago. Basically, a hyperextension injury that tore the ligaments around my knee. Won't bore you or the rest of the forum with the details but I was given some options including surgery. I opted for the extensive physiotherapy and some nasty antiinflamatory drugs. That worked and I'm continuing to train in aikido including the shikko and suwari waza.

My knee sometimes bothers me in the winter (as the doctor did warn me about), but its manageable via linament, heat packs, a knee support bandage/brace and taking it a little easy in training.

Other than that it hasnt hampered my training.

Hope this helps. Happy training. :)

[petra]

Well, as I already said I should have visited my GP sooner... My knee problems go back quite a few years and except for the drugs I have been doing exactly what you described when my knee was acting up in the past and have managed with that. I fear I am beyond that stage but thanks for your reply

[drDalek]

About 3 years ago I twisted my left knee pretty badly. I was chasing my brother through the house (as a large man of 20 is sometimes apt to do :freaky: ) and I stepped down solidly while twisting my body.

I went down and tried to get up again but something felt a little wierd. I checked my knee and found the kneecap to be situated along the outside of my leg. In the panic I popped it back into place and called my parents to drive me to the doctor.

I started Aikido about 3 weeks ago and have so far attended about 13 classes. Living in the southern hemisphere it is now deep winter down here and so far all I have experienced is some fatigue to BOTH knees after extensive seiza and shikko. I also hear an audible crunch from the left knee when getting up from seiza.

I am somewhat worried about the knee but I am sure that if I take the techniques and especially the footwork (with the tenkan style pivoting on the ball of the foot) slowly and do them correctly I can keep practicing for a long time to come.

My biggest problem so far is that I am somewhat heavy on my knees when taking ukemi but hopefully with practice I will be able to do it softer and smoother and not put so much pressure on my knee.

[SeiserL]

I have partial tears in my knees. Not just Aikido, mostly from age and mileage. I did not do surgery. I did the knee stabilization program from physical therapy. I would suggest a complete diagnosis by a competent sport specialist to include an MRI and X-rays.

When training, warm up, watch you form and fatigue level. Don't push too hard when your knees begin to feel pain. Ice.

Good luck.

Until again,

Lynn

[Steve Patterson]

I have a tracking problem with my right knee and both knees are sucumbing to time and gravity. I have been through physical therapy for the right knee but I am not sure how much that it did help. I practice both Aikido and Iaido, so knee work is pretty much a given.
I have found a healthy regimen of vitamen "I"
and a really good product called "Biofreeze"
will get me through the more trying days.
If you have not tried Biofreeze I do recommend it. So far I can only find it at the local drug store. It does not take a perscription and they just order it (usually only takes a day) costs about $12 a tube.
It is pretty powerful stuff from my understanding, you could actually use to warm up with rather than stretching, not that I am recommending that!

[Avery Jenkins]

Originally posted by petra
About 2 months ago I managed to twist my knee pretty badly during a very normal action, which was stepping through the front door. My knee was giving my some trouble prior to the door incident but nothing major enough to go see a doctor

I hope somebody has done an MRI first, before jumping into scheduling surgery.

I would go see a chiropractor, have him order an MRI, get a second opinion and all the facts before you go the surgical route.

Avery

[petra]

X-ray yes, MRI no, I am being treated by an orthopedic surgeon who has an excellent reputation and whom I know personally from a previous accident involving a smashed elbow some 5 years ago, not aikido related by the way, more walking the dog kind of thing. Ergoscopy is a surgical procedure involving a few small cuts to the skin and first looking into the knee with a very small camera. If the camera shows damage to the meniscus and cartilage of the knee, it can be removed using very small surgical instruments. A torn meniscus does not heal by itself and if there are pieces of cartilage or meniscus 'floating' around in my knee they will not disappear by themselves. Although taking good care of my knees has kept me going on for years with this problem, this time is different, believe me I've just been awake half the night because my knee hurts. Isn't there anyone who has been through this procedure on this forum? or something similar? Where I'm from it is quite a normal procedure.