November 2011, I had just run to work and was at my ground level
locker. As I squatted to put my stuff in there something in my right
knee went. I can't really remember the details of how it felt but it
went. I hobbled a bit and for a few weeks it was agony. I could barley
walk from standing until it loosened up and then it was ok. Extended
walking made it ache and sometimes it was so bad I could barley sleep.
Hospital physio's told me it was unlikely to be cartilage and most
likely muscular, stretching and strengthening was recommended. Cue a
million leg dips, hours doing hamstring stretches and hours in pain on
a foam roller.
There has been improvement but it has been slow and, a year on, my
knee still isn't right. I should point out at this point that a
private physio also told me it was unlikely to be cartilage as there
was no clicking, instability or other symptoms associated.
In September I went back to the hospital and saw a new physio, she
suggested that I push it. So basically do some heavy stuff on the knee
to see how it responded, could I push through it, whatever it was.
That meant stretching through where it started to hurt, pulling my
heel towards my backside through where the knee was tight and very
painful. I did that one night and was then woken through the night
every time I moved such was the pain. The other advice was to run on
it and go hard/further.
One Sunday morning I went out and ran 9 miles in just over an hour. No
pain whatsoever on the run, in fact I started to think that I had
cracked it. That lasted until about 10 minutes after getting home. I
made some breakfast and a coffee and sat down. When I went to get up I
could barely move. My right knee felt like it had concrete poured into
it.
The hospital physio in early October decided to refer me to the
orthopaedic physio. I saw him a couple of weeks later in October. H
checked me out and asked me the same questions as the others and
deduced that I had probably damaged my cartilage towards the inside
rear of my knee joint.
So that was three physio's up to then (two NHS and one private)
telling me no cartilage damage and then one telling me that was
probable. 11 months elapsed.
So now I am waiting on an operation to have the damaged cartilage
trimmed. I have had that done before and it's not too bad an op. the
last time I had it I walked out of hospital the same day. Was back
driving in 3 days and on a bike after a month. The waiting list for
this type of op is only 4-6 weeks so I am hopeful of getting it done
before the end of the year.
I just wish the NHS had trusted me earlier so that this might have
been done already.
