Okay so on 31st October 2017 I was involved in a car accident. Basically I was sitting stationary in traffic and a guy hit me from behind! So annoying (I suspect he was on his phone but hard to prove, he hit me about 30mph). As my car was stationary I took the full force of that impact. The result was I suffered whiplash but more importantly my right knee hit the dashboard hard. This caused severe pain in the days and weeks after to the point I couldn't walk properly, fully straighten my leg or bend it. Luckily I hadn't fractured anything but in the month after my knee ballooned to twice it's size. I went to the doctors and was told I have PES Anserinus Bursitis and Suprapatellar Bursitis. I am so annoyed and frustrated, I haven't been able to play properly so decided to lay off playing to let my leg heal as the only way for the fluid to go down is with rest, ice and time. It is very hard as when you have 2 young children (19 months and 3 year old) who are very active and with Xmas on the way, taking it easy was something I just couldn't do. Plus you need your leg to walk and do everyday things, resting it totally is just impossible. Stairs are a nightmare. Not to mention my job is to be a coach, something I struggle to do, standing on my feet or working causes my knee to worsen. So right now I am stuck in limbo and hoping this knee will heal. It's my lunging leg and my movement on court has been severely affected. (I actually played two league matches before I knew what it was, probably not a good idea with hindsight but we won both matches so that's something). It is so hard not being able to play as badminton is part of my life and I hate not being able to play the sport I love. Kindest regards, -Ajay- Quote of the Day I wanna hang a map of the world in my house. Then I'm gonna put pins into all the locations that I've traveled to. But first, I'm gonna have to travel to the top two corners of the map so it won't fall down.
That's so unlucky Ajay. Sometime we look back at these incidents and wonder if we could have done something different to avoid the outcome but this one was completely out of your control. I coach too and not being able to do it was not something I'd considered until I badly sprained my ankle in May. I had to take the Summer off from badminton (and coaching) due to my injury which was very frustrating as like you it is a large part of my life. My ankle didn't seem to be healing, and felt so stiff every day for weeks on end. I resorted to wrapping a hot water bottle around my injury about 5 or 6 times a day for 20 to 30 minutes at a time. I also dog sat for a week, took the dog out twice a day which gave my ankle a gentle workout and seemed to help. I'd test my ankle out on most mornings on my way to my local newsagents by trying a little jog for 10 metres. I was in pain pretty much every time I did this but then bang, one day I felt an improvement and then it seemed to get better everyday, I gradually introduced a bit more stress to it through various exercises and stretches and returned to the court playing a walking style of badminton. A few months on and I'm back to full fitness and have just felt the odd twinge here and there up until about a month ago. It seems as though complete rest in not an option for you. Perhaps you could use videos to show your players lunges and footwork patterns and feed shuttles in a way that doesn't involve too much movement on your part. I would think ice treatment would help with the inflammation. Perhaps go all in and get an ice pack / bag of peas on the knee several times a day for 20 minutes at a time. It's a miserable time for you, I experienced it myself but fast forward a few months and hopefully you'll be back on court again, pain free.
I am icing it for 20 mins several times a day. When I can, I elevate my knee above my heart so to aid the swelling to go down. I am Indian so have tried many effective indian remedies with little or no effect (turmeric, tiger balm, tajj, green tea, garlic). I suppose its just my knee is saying, give us time to heal and don't be impatient and want fast results. Currently I am having physiotherapy once a week. I do yoga and knee stretches as best as I can to help. Many of my friends are doctors so have recommended me and I am following their guidance. I suppose this time is not very great for me, especially to be in pain every step I take. Kindest regards, -Ajay- Quote of the Day I wanna hang a map of the world in my house. Then I'm gonna put pins into all the locations that I've traveled to. But first, I'm gonna have to travel to the top two corners of the map so it won't fall down.
You're doing all you can to help yourself. All credit to you. The supplement Astaxanthin has been mentioned on here as an excellent anti-inflammatory. Have you spoken to you doctor friends about this? If so, what's their viewpoint on it?
Yes I saw that today on the other post, I will certainly ask them their opinion. Kindest regards, -Ajay- Quote of the Day I wanna hang a map of the world in my house. Then I'm gonna put pins into all the locations that I've travelled to. But first, I'm gonna have to travel to the top two corners of the map so it won't fall down.
Lots of icing and ibuprofen and rest and stretching. And gradually activate. Eg biking, walking. No deep squats though. Fortunately nothing broken, just bursa inflammation. Also make sure to apply diclofenac topical eg. Pennsaid. It will help.
I thought I would give an update and where shall I start... No wonder I was in in pain, I have a complete tear of the ACL which they misdiagnosed, not once, but twice!!! First thinking it was PES Anserinus Bursitis and Suprapatellar Bursitis which it wasn't, then persistent trips to the doctors and me being insistent it's something else, they sent me for an MRI scan only 8 months later!! (Good old NHS, I love how crippled it is right now (Sarcasm btw)). Then the idiot radiographer who did the report for my MRI scan said my ACL was torn but it has healed itself! What am I, a medical miracle? ACL's don't heal themselves once torn. So once again I persisted and saw 2 more consultants. This time last appt in August 2018, 10 months after my accident. Guess what, I no longer have an ACL in my right knee. This explains all the pain I was having, the constant instability, the inability to play or coach and also the pain lasting this long. I am now on a waiting list for surgery on the NHS. The earliest they said was Nov 2018 but as I am still here, I have yet to have surgery. I have been completely let down by the NHS, privately the operation is £7500 I am told, I just wish I have that kind of money handy to sort this. I just don't at the momeny. However I am in two minds: 1) My knee has been getting better because I have not just sat on my backside whilst the doctors finally get their act together, I have constructed a vigorous rehabilitation programme from my own research on the subject as well as asking experts. I do Yoga and strength training exercises to get my knee better and stronger. I had lost so much muscle mass in my right quads and hamstrings, my left thigh was about 30 percent bulkier, it was scary. However I am building that back up and as a result my knee is getting stronger and with less pain. I have also seen a professional expert who treats sports players (football and rugby) who has told me that some people can still perform to a high level without an ACL. So I am leaning on this route as I have never had any large invasive surgery and I do not intend to start now. Plus there are no guarantees that if I have the surgery, I will be back to my pre accident level. Also I would need to take 9 months to 1.5 years out to rehab after surgery and that means no badminton. That's not happening. 2) Opt to have the surgery. To get my knee stronger just before surgery and hope ACL surgery goes well. I don't trust my health to other people after the debacle that's happened to me above. Plus I know friends that have had ACL surgery and none of them have been the same since. This doesn't give me confidence in the surgery. Also the process whereby they take a piece of my own hamstring to then make into a new makeshift ACL does not give me confidence, as this will weaken my hamstrings. It sounds like they are fixing one thing but creating a problem elsewhere. So I have decided to remain on the waiting list and if and when a surgery date is set, I will make my decision on what to do. However in the meantime I have been much much better. I have been playing league and county matches again, playing probably 70 percent of my level but seem to be improving each time and feel stronger than before. The pain in the knee is also much less and I believe some of that is normal 'age' related pain...lol. Yes I know I could have arthritis in the future because the torn ACL could form scar tissue in weird places in my knee and I could have floating bits but doing my research and speaking to experts, I can still get arthritis even if I have the surgery, there are just no guarantees. All I know is nothing is going to stop me from playing the sport I love so much. One consultant said you will have to change your lifestyle which means quit badminton. I laughed in his face and said, find plan B because that's not happening. What they don't know is I am one of the toughest people out there and my name means Invincible, I just won't be beaten by this. I have a good feeling about 2019 Onward we go! Kindest regards, -Ajay- Quote of the Day When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.
@InvincibleAjay Wow, terrible to hear that. I see a lot of people with this injury at work. The most impressive example was a BJJ Brazilian related to the Gracie’s. He continued BJJ (he is full time) and didn’t have an ACL. The muscles in his legs were so strong, that they could compensate. However, that situation is rather uncommon. Many will have surgery in the end. Basically, the instability affects ordinary activities and that’s the threshold. Regarding misdiagnosis, it happens.
Sorry to hear about your situation. Three things to do meanwhile : 1. Good knee brace to prevent further twisting injuries. 2. Stationary biking to strengthen the quads and muscles supporting the joint. 3. Good cushiony shoes and insoles to protect your knee joints Sent from my SM-G965W using Tapatalk
Thanks Cheung, that's my aim to make my leg muscles strong as possible. Yes Visor I am doing all 3, however I find I am better without a knee brace as my knee stability is much better. However on certain days I do wear it if I feel my knee is recovering from a hard rehab session. The main problem I have is the imbalance between the two legs, my left leg is much stronger and I am currently working on getting my right leg stronger again. It is my lunging leg so needs to be solid. I had a grade 1 tear of my left calf though on Friday during a league match, lol. We won the match and are unbeaten so the tear was justified! However I will be fine as I have the xmas break to recover and it is already feeling better. Kindest regards, -Ajay- Quote of the Day A great attitude becomes a great day which becomes a great week which becomes a great month which becomes a great year which becomes a great life.
Okay a mini update, I am doing really well. My knee is much better, I had a surgery date for Feb 17th but I postponed it as I wasn't ready to go under the knife, my physio and rehab is going so well I thought I will give it another 6 months and then reassess. I have a feeling my muscles are strong enough to cope without an ACL long term. I do lots of squats, yoga, stationary bike cycling, rehab in water. It all helps and I have regained a lot of muscle back in my right leg. The only downside is my current day job is sitting in an office, so it makes my knees stiff, I try and walk around all the time but going from a full-time badminton coach to a desk job working in front of a computer for 8-10 hours each day has its negatives. I also realised that changing my mindset was a big key, I was able to get mentally stronger and sometimes wasn't pushing myself as I thought I couldn't but to be honest I had amplified the problem in my head. Now I play fairly well, still don't have the full movement and lunging capability but I know that will take time. I have also lost some push off strength but it's gradually coming back. Onward we go Kindest regards, -Ajay- Quote of the Day Those who say it can not be done, should not interrupt those doing it.
