Off trail - pending MRI results .. looking for options and thoughts.

[darkage]

I started march 20th .. Inverted my knee during one of those rain filled embrace the suck days .... Basicly foot stayed in place, body went foreward and knee buckled backwards .... never felt anything like that ... then we got hail coming down and rushed on adrenaline to get down and back up towards hogpen gap ... needless to say, that night .. two in our group had our food bags raped ... i wasn't one of them ... but they were hung properly ... after that tho we started using the pct method with the suspended line and tent stakes or sticks ... anyway, this is about my knee ... My Xray came back normal ... MRI is tomorrow .. I'm gonna guess it's either a good meniscus strain or partial tear ... IN being optimistic he said i can continue with heavy anti inflamatory's and brace with good support ... so with all that blabbed on ... I live very very close to delaware water gap .. so i'm thinking if all is clear a flip flop from PA/NJ at the gap to maine, then from PA back to GA ... When would be a good time to head north from PA? May too early if i get the ok to continue? Or early june if i need more rest? I'd HATE to get a ride/train or bus back to georgia just to continue .. i'd like to keep hiking ASAP and flip sounds the best option .. if i head south, i might not hit baxter in time, and would rather not ride from georgia to maine just to hike back to pa .. see what i'm sayin? ... PA to MAINE, then PA to GA then home from gainesville ... If i did leave early what should i look for, black flies .. i know PA with ticks is an issue i'm used to it ... what about vermud? Am i leaving early enough or too soon?

[rocketsocks]

Hey Darkage,glad to hear the test came back normal.Take er easy and heal-up,and congrats on being able to continue at some point.cheers

[Slo-go'en]

Ouch, that sounds painful. That GA mud can be slick in the rain. I had my feet slide out from under me once down there and ended up prone on the trail so quick I didn't know what happened. I was lucky not to quite plant my face in the mud or I might have broken my nose or bit off my tongue.

Anyway, back to your delema, if your ready to walk again by early or mid May, I would suggest starting at Harpers Ferry. That would put you on reasonably easy trail to get back into shape and keep you ahead of what's left of the thru-hiker bubble. Go back and do the southern half next spring.

[darkage]

Nothing closes for winter south of PA right ? ... I could just finish up sobo from PA and let winter chase me no?

And the Xray was normal .. MRI is tomorrow at 3:50pm ... i'll find out the results by saturday afternoon.

[kidchill]

Just some thoughts here...First, an Xray isn't the best test to diagnose your knee problem. I'm not trying to be a downer, but I wouldn't start crazy planning until you get the MRI read. Also, are you seeing an orthopedist or a family doc? I would strongly recommend an orthopedist that specializes in lower extremity joints. If by chance the MRI is clear and you are going to continue hiking, make sure you stay hydrated while taking NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs...these are your aspirin, tylenol, ibuprofen, naproxen (aleve), and toradol (prescription)...I've read a lot of journals about Vitamin I and I'm seriously hoping hikers are staying hydrated. If you take NSAIDs while being dehydrated you seriously increase the risk of damaging your kidneys! I don't know if you've hiked in PA or not (this is where I live), but it's rocky as hell! Just a thought, this may not be the best place to try and bust out miles if your knee is wonky. You may risk re-injury or even injury to your other leg if you're compensating. Also, are you using trekking poles? I know everyone debates whether they're good or bad...personally, I just started using them and I'm not totally sold on them; however, using them may just be a buffer against further injury.

[johnnybgood]

kidhill beat me to the punch. An MRI is the best view of the inner knee and I would just wait till those results come back.
However, even with a clean bill of health I'd start an excise regimine of walking and stretching and see how the knee responds to it.
Increase the walking and do hills,..you don't what to subject a knee that is healing itself to any increased strain.

[darkage]

MRI is tomorrow, I'm under care by woodlands medical center, people come from all over the country and some international cases ... my wife also works there ... If they say i can continue, i can continue ... have i hiked in PA? ... LOL, yes ... i've completed all of PA atleast twice and have been hiking these rocks since i was 15 ... i'm now 33 ... I'm still doing walking around the area on our hills and such ... doctor said no hiking till the MRI results ... not doesn't mean i can't be optimistic and plan out to continue ... If it comes back i can't continue, i got plans for that too ... i'm not just gonna sit on my thumb and wait ... people die unhappy living with that mindset.

[skinewmexico]

Knee buckled backwards. Classic mechanism for a torn ACL.

[darkage]

Knee buckled backwards. Classic mechanism for a torn ACL.

I know, let's hope NOT!

[ScottP]

MRI is tomorrow, I'm under care by woodlands medical center, people come from all over the country and some international cases ... my wife also works there ... If they say i can continue, i can continue ... have i hiked in PA? ... LOL, yes ... i've completed all of PA atleast twice and have been hiking these rocks since i was 15 ... i'm now 33 ... I'm still doing walking around the area on our hills and such ... doctor said no hiking till the MRI results ... not doesn't mean i can't be optimistic and plan out to continue ... If it comes back i can't continue, i got plans for that too ... i'm not just gonna sit on my thumb and wait ... people die unhappy living with that mindset.

Sounds like healing up then SOBO/flip flopping is a good idea.

Or maybe healing up then doing a bike tour if you need something lower impact and on a shorter timeline.

Best wishes


Scott

[darkage]

And yes, i use hiking poles ... I swear by them personally ... i also use a homeopathic anti inflammatory called Traumeel ... all natural, works better than motrin and without the serious side effects of kidney damage and won't dehydrate you ... Trust me, i'm in pretty good care ... Tomorrow will end all debate of the damage i've done to it and if i can continue or not ... i'm just simply going with the fact i can continue this year and it's a matter of how much time i'll need to heal and rehab it back to the point i'm feeling it's safe to hike with ... I won't rush back even tho it sounds like that's what i'm doing ... I'm just going over all options. =)

[Pedaling Fool]

And yes, i use hiking poles ... I swear by them personally ... i also use a homeopathic anti inflammatory called Traumeel ... all natural, works better than motrin and without the serious side effects of kidney damage and won't dehydrate you ... Trust me, i'm in pretty good care ... Tomorrow will end all debate of the damage i've done to it and if i can continue or not ... i'm just simply going with the fact i can continue this year and it's a matter of how much time i'll need to heal and rehab it back to the point i'm feeling it's safe to hike with ... I won't rush back even tho it sounds like that's what i'm doing ... I'm just going over all options. =)

Traumeel is a good placebo http://sciencebasedpharmacy.wordpres...nd-homeopathy/

And natural does not mean SAFE. http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/20..._doesnt_ne.php

If you damaged your connective tissue, then your hike is probably over, but that's your decision. Personally I wouldn't continue with torn ACL (if that's the case).

I'd take it as a learning experience and build up my body for the next trip. That's why I lift weights and do stretching exercises. Not so much for the muscles, rather the skeletal system and connective tissues. I know that these things can still happen, but the more conditioned these things are the less likely the injury will be show-stopping and the body will heal faster.

It's a sad fact of life that to maintain a healthy body one cannot just do one activity, such as hiking, because it only leads to certain muscles (and associated connective tissue and joints) becoming very strong and other parts not so much -- which creates an imbalance and overuse injuries. **

**I know there are superhumans out there that contradict this, in the same way there are superhumans that can smoke a pack a day into their 90's with no ill-effects, but I'm talking about us mortals.

[darkage]

I do alot of mountain biking, and stretching ... been athletic all my life from baseball/football/tennis .... i'm not new to the game ... i should heal faster than most, and if it's a torn acl ... i'm not hiking ... i'm hoping for strain or partial tear ... depends on the severity of the damage done ... i go today for the MRI so we can quit guessing after today what i can or can't do ...

[Creek Dancer]

How did it go? Well, I hope.

[skinewmexico]

Joe Nieuwendyke played for 7 years in the NHL with a torn ACL. Played the rest of the season when he tore the other one. Not that I'd recommend that.

[Jeff]

You asked about Vermud. We make more every rainstorm...so don't try and time it.

[darkage]

Friday, April 13, 2012

MRI results and future plans ....

Greetings everyone, As most of you know that keep track on my progress and health know i hyper extended my knee "inverted" during the first week of my trip during a rainy day ... The sheer adrenaline from the hail storm and rain and just being on the mountain was enough to block the shock of the injury ... I felt a strong lightning bolt shoot down my leg as it buckled in a manner that is not natural to the human motion of the legs ... We continued on, it was pretty painful but i wouldn't think a motion like that shouldn't be ... so i sucked it up for 2 days on vicodin that i normally carry for my back and motrin ... coming down blue mountain it just pounded my knee into submission ... no longer could i suck it up, it hurt like a small knife being poked into my leg just under the knee cap ... So i took a break as my hiking group went on ... less than an hour after and my muscles cooled down i couldn't walk right and it hurt like hell, in fact ... the damn thing throbbed like hell for 3 days ... But in the parking lot there i made the choice to go home instead of wait it out in helen georgia for a full checkup ... Back when i was in highschool i was growing too fast and had hairline tear in my ligiments ... so i knew already i was in a bad place ... So i wanted them tested before i would decide what to do, and glad i did too because recovery is still gonna be another 3 weeks and i've been off trail for 2 ... So i went home and got the XRAY and results i've posted previously were negative ... and good news! No degenerative issues like thought ... I'm a happy dude! ... So onto the MRI - Long story short. NEGATIVE BABY!!!
But it did show i still after 2 weeks had fluid under the knee and inflamed tendon ... no signs of tears. So the doctor is giving me a heavy anti imflamatory and possible cream and i will need to hike in a knee brace .. which is not a problem, should of started with one! But the results alone were worth coming off trail and knowing i just need to build them up stronger before pulling 3mph like i was. So on one foot i'm kinda annoyed i pulled off for a negative result considering how much pain i had, but good to know my doctor when i was younger was a moron ... Should play alittle better with the mind games of my knee's health as i know they are fine and just need to be worked up ...

Post more leading up to the return to the trail - most likely a flip flop since i can start in PA where i live and not need to get another ticket to georgia or maine ...

Told ya'll, I'm not done yet!








This was copied and pasted from my blog ... didn't wanna type it all back out ... I WILL CONTINUE .. either may or very early june.

[rocketsocks]

Hey that's good news,look forward to your return.Taker easy,no big mile days.Cheers!and Congrats! DarkAge,on another note,I had taken those meds for a similar condition,and they sure mask the pain,so know this,and respond accordingly at the least bit of something feels different here,slow and steady wins this race,go slow bro!

[quilteresq]

Great news! Hike on!

[Kerosene]

Great news. You just never know with knees. I would also suggest that you see a physical therapist to teach you a set of strengthening exercises you can do prior to returning to the Trail as well as at the end of a hiking day. Your muscles have atrophied somewhat just from the injury, and a knee brace does nothing to strengthen those muscles.