unfortunatly i'm back

[walkabout]

hi everyone. well, unfortunatly i'm back. i had planned on a thru hike but things just didn't pan out that way. i started on the approach trail to springer on the 15th of feb. my plan was to thru hike straight on to maine. well instead i wound up getting a realitly check of my own mortality.lol. starting out the first week was great. i was able to get above the cloud line on sassafras mtn which was covered in ice. i was able to meet alot of interesting people including having to honor to hike a day with EZ1 an 82 year old on his 6th thru hike(really nice guy). just in the first week i was amazed at some of the things i saw and things i was able to experience.i was soooooo ready for more. but very sharply that came to an end. while coming down in to unicoi gap(1000ft decent within a mile) i noticed some knee pain. it wasnt that bad so i went on thinking it would go away. made it past dicks creek gap,got about 4 miles to the NC-GA line and just couldn't go any further. thinking i just needed some rest i backtracked and hitchhiked back to the hostle at neels gap thinking well maybe if i just stay off of it for a few days it'll get better. well after a few days it wasn't better and so i decided in order to save a little money i'd come back home for about a week or two just to get some rest in hopes that the pain in my knees would go away and i could start the trail again. well finally i get the nurve to go get it checked. i'm glad i did but i hated hearing what they had to tell me. come to find out the pain i have been having is from a torn ligament in both knees right under the knee cap. they still have to do an MRI but more than likely will have to do surgery on both. so i am very sad to say i wil not be returning to the trail this year. to those planning a thru hike this year, may you have a safe and enlightening journey.


i'll be back for more
"walkaboutcharlie", "bo","bohemian"

[Hammock Hanger]

It sucks to be sent off the trail due to injury. Sorry to hear of your knee problems. The trail is always be there (I hope). HH

[walkabout]

yeah last time i checked they weren't planning on moving it so i'm looking farward to starting back after geting repaired

[steve hiker]

How heavy was your pack?

Did you use trekking poles?

What kind of condition were you in starting out? Did any conditioning before?

[walkabout]

pack was 42lbs leaving neels gap

used leki air ergo super makalu poles

and in good shape. done alot of backpacking in the past 4 years and a good bit of conditioning starting about 3 months before leaving

[steve hiker]

Any idea what caused the injury this time? History of knee problems?

[walkabout]

no history with it before just a big suprise

[Redbeard]

That's a crapper, fix up, good luck!

[screwysquirrel]

I had the same thing happen to me on White Cap in 2002, went to the dirt raod by the lake and luckily got a ride to Greenville. Doc there said the same thing about a ligament under the knee cap. Got home and went to the VA here and they said that it might need surgery but I told them no thanks (cuz I don't trust them VA docs) I took it easy the rest of the year and then hiked the Shenandoahs in 2003 with no problem. Still haven't felt any pain from there. Just hope it doesn't come back this year.

[MedicineMan]

find a swimming pool..no lap swimming yet, just float for as many hours as you can, when in the water you are weightless (almost), I've seen many althletes take this approach with excellent results...after a couple of days of floating then start range of motion always remembering that while in the water your joints have no weight on them and are allowed special healing time,,,in a couple of weeks begin swimming-slowly slowly slowly using your legs a little to help propel you but most with your arms, then after 2 more weeks slowly slowly begin walking in the water, after 2 more weeks begin a slow jog in the water....at any time you feel pain go back a couple of steps in this program....
even before you get to a pool find a pharmacy and get:
selenium
zinc
vit c
vit e
and of course a multiple vit.....
all of these are necessary to heal as well as good protein intake.
I have seen people who were told they would not walk again take this approach and can now walk and even hike.
Think about it, maybe all it would cost you is a 1$ per YMCA visit or wherever you can find the water!

[Dirtyoldman]

you might want to get an opine from a sports medicine type doc, they have a better understanding of athletic injuries to knees and so on.

[Blue Jay]

Simva's advise is excellent. I have seen that treatment used for race horses. Their knees are not that much bigger than ours and they obviously carry a lot more weight. Don't give up hope, just advance slowly toward your goals.

[Sly]

Nearly everyone has some degree of knee pain. What works for me, especially early on until my leg (knee) strentgh builts up, is taking 2 Vitamin I's every night to reduce any swelling or inflamation and wearing those stretchy knee braces.

[Redbeard]

I took glucosamine last year, it's supposed to lubricate your joints or something, lot's of people with artheritis take it, but I don't think it will help tendons and muscles.

[stranger]

Sorry to hear about your unfortunate experience, it's a damn shame whenever someone has to leave the trail due to injury. Good luck with the knees and hope you make it back out.

[Senor Quack]

I, too was all set to do a thru-hike this year, but cancelled because of severe knee pain I got in one knee on a preparation hike. I had never experienced knee pain before in my life.

I'd thought I'd inujured it crossing a stream because shortly after landing on it wrong, I got pain on the outside of the joint with every step. It never went away until two weeks later.

Then, all of a sudden it came back recently even though I wasn't hiking and was taking loads of glucosamine. I was able to narrow down the problem, though: It was the thin insoles in my hiking boots. I had replaced the stock ones with thinner ones to provide more room for my toes. They had almost no rubber or foam cushioning in comparison. Because of the recent wet weather, I'd been wearing my hiking boots for my job and this was exactly when it came back.

I put the old insoles in the boots and all pain disappeared the very next day and not a hint of it remains at all.

So, I encourage you to try thicker insoles, despite your diagnosis of torn ligaments, and forgo surgury if you can. At the very least, get a second (or third) opinion. Also, be aware that the current ligament repairs, as far as I know, don't repair it completely. There is a new method being developed, however, that is more advanced and complete. Ask your doctor about this,

[Ratatosk]

withdrawn. ok Ted, didn't see that..

[TedB]

I'm guessing Senor Quack and Ratatosk did not notice this thread is from February 2003, a year ago. When you reply to really old threads be careful to check the date and warn people if you bring back an old one, else you can cause a lot of confusion. I'm sure the advice is still useful to some people, but the "get well soon" message seems a little funny.

[Senor Quack]

I'm guessing Senor Quack and Ratatosk did not notice this thread is from February 2003, a year ago. When you reply to really old threads be careful to check the date and warn people if you bring back an old one, else you can cause a lot of confusion. I'm sure the advice is still useful to some people, but the "get well soon" message seems a little funny.

Hehe forum necromancy!

[Jaybird]

hi everyone. well, unfortunatly i'm back. ...................... come to find out the pain i have been having is from a torn ligament in both knees right under the knee cap. they still have to do an MRI but more than likely will have to do surgery on both. so i am very sad to say i wil not be returning to the trail this year. to those planning a thru hike this year, may you have a safe and enlightening journey.............

Walkabout.....so, sorry to hear of your serious knee problems!

Glad you had it checked out....hope to see you back out there eventually...the trail will be there when you (& your knees) are ready!

are you planning to get back "out there" this year:2004 for another try?


seeya UP the trail!