Knee Follow-Up

I had my appointment with the orthopedist today. Although I already received the news that my problem was a contusion on the left femur, I wasn't totally convinced because a contusion is usually the result of some trauma. I know for a fact that I didn't get body checked or take a slap shot to the knee the night I suffered the injury. Hopefully, this doc would have a better answer for me - or at least explain the current answer more fully.

The orthopedist did a much better job of explaining what is going on down there.

After viewing and explaining the films from the x-ray and the MRI, he came to the same conclusion as my primary care physician: I have a contusion of the left femur, along with swelling and fluid. However, he believes that this was a result of my knee not tracking properly. Simply stated, my patella is not following its normal path, and it is grinding on the femur bone. With the grinding comes the pain and inflammation.

Long story short: I was given a cortisone shot in the knee - which hurt like hell, by the way - and a prescription for pain killers. On top of that, I am due to get a high-tech knee brace, with a patella tracker and horseshoe. If I can get the patella back on track, I should heal more quickly.

The doc said that I shouldn't do much of anything for 4-6 weeks - his exact words were, "If it hurts, don't do it" - and my follow-up with him is scheduled for the end of the month. Ice hockey is out of the question for the foreseeable future, but he didn't rule it out after my recovery.

If I decide to play again, it won't be until the Winter of 2008, and that's a very big "If." I'm not getting any younger, ya know. So until then, it looks like I'll be cheering on my friends form the stands.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go cry for a few hours.