Going ice skating after a falling and hurting my knee?

[+ FreshFluff]

A week ago, while running to get something in the house, I somehow tripped and fell on a hardwood floor. My left knee was scraped and bruised pretty badly. It was x-rayed and is not fractured. I have no trouble walking, but parts of the kneecap still feel sensitive to the touch. Also, per an MRI from last year, both knees were in poor shape before this. The doctors were pretty surprised given my age and weight  

I’m kind of klutzy. But I have good balance and am a reasonably good ice skater. (In fact, all this happened after I returned the ice skating rink, having successfully navigated around a million skaters who were tumbling all over the ice.)

Is it ok to go skating again this week, or should I wait a few weeks? 

Edited December 26, 2022 by FreshFluff

[+ FrankR]

6 hours ago, FreshFluff said:

A week ago, while running to get something in the house, I somehow tripped and fell on a hardwood floor. My left knee was scraped and bruised pretty badly. It was x-rayed and is not fractured. I have no trouble walking, but parts of the kneecap still feel sensitive to the touch. Also, per an MRI from last year, both knees were in poor shape before this. The doctors were pretty surprised given my age and weight  

I’m kind of klutzy. But I have good balance and am a reasonably good ice skater. (In fact, all this happened after I returned the ice skating rink, having successfully navigated around a million skaters who were tumbling all over the ice.)

Is it ok to go skating again this week, or should I wait a few weeks? 

Not a medical professional, but if it is painful or you feel like you need to wear a brace/sleeve the I would avoid going skating.  

[samhexum]

14 minutes ago, FrankR said:

Not a medical professional

Nor am I, but why risk it?  Wait a few weeks.  Better safe than sorry.

 

[+ FrankR]

2 hours ago, samhexum said:

Nor am I, but why risk it?  Wait a few weeks.  Better safe than sorry.

 

Most rinks in NYC close by end of February. Most of us who enjoy skating feel a sense of urgency to use it before we lose it… 🤓

[+ FreshFluff]

11 hours ago, FrankR said:

Not a medical professional, but if it is painful or you feel like you need to wear a brace/sleeve the I would avoid going skating.  

Not wearing a brace. Just a hydrocolloid dressing on the scraped part. 
 

‘And I definitely feel that sense of urgency! Edit: Urgency to ice skate before the season ends, I mean. 

Edited December 27, 2022 by FreshFluff

[+ FreshFluff]

Here is my knee, 8 days after the fall. As you can see, this hurt. 

I think I'm going to wait, as the rink is full of careless adults and kids who ram into people. It would be easy to fall again. 

[Guest]

23 hours ago, FreshFluff said:

A week ago, while running to get something in the house, I somehow tripped and fell on a hardwood floor. My left knee was scraped and bruised pretty badly. It was x-rayed and is not fractured. I have no trouble walking, but parts of the kneecap still feel sensitive to the touch. Also, per an MRI from last year, both knees were in poor shape before this. The doctors were pretty surprised given my age and weight...

The best person to ask is the physician (or NP or PA-C) who examined you and got the X-ray, or the one who evaluated your knee previously with the MRI. If your knee is stable, and you don't feel unsteady on your knees, the scrape and bruise in and of themselves wouldn't be the cause of too much concern. I'd be more worried about the underlying pathology that showed up on the MRI, and your self-described clumsiness. Most physicians (and NP's and PA-C's) are required to be available by e-mail and/or by phone, so that's whom I'd contact. You seem to have a very magnetic personality... 😉

[+ FreshFluff]

Thanks, @Unicorn . The x-ray was done in the ER, and the house staff there simply said it should get better and pointed back to my internist. I'm scheduled for a physical with my internist next week 

I am indeed more worried about the preexisting knee issue and how the fall might exacerbate that. I will go back to my ortho, but it will likely take a while to be seen. 
 

Your MRI joke is cute. Or maybe Persian cats like me are just magnetic. 

Edited December 27, 2022 by FreshFluff

[+ sniper]

I'd say go to physical therapy before an ortho. If the PT doesn't work then see about surgery.

[Guest]

9 hours ago, FreshFluff said:

Thanks, @Unicorn . The x-ray was done in the ER, and the house staff there simply said it should get better and pointed back to my internist...

If you're particularly eager to go skating this week, your internist should be willing to answer your question by e-mail. Part of a primary care physician's duties is to answer e-mails. Without the MRI report, "poor shape" is too vague of a description to offer any salient advice. Arthritis in and of itself is not, generally speaking, going to be made worse by a fall. However, if you have a ligament which is partially torn up and hanging by a thread, for example, a fall could easily result in a complete tear. 

Edited December 27, 2022 by Unicorn

[+ JEC]

17 hours ago, FreshFluff said:

Here is my knee, 8 days after the fall. As you can see, this hurt. 

I think I'm going to wait, as the rink is full of careless adults and kids who ram into people. It would be easy to fall again. 

THAT is a wait!    Wait wait wait until all that swelling and redness is gone!

PS I went roller skating at The Wollman Rink in NYC last summer and fell, wrenching my shoulder.   Took several weeks including physical therapy to heal.   You have to take care of your body LOL

Edited December 28, 2022 by JEC

[+ FreshFluff]

44 minutes ago, JEC said:

THAT is a wait!    Wait wait wait until all that swelling and redness is gone!

PS I went roller skating at The Wollman Rink in NYC last summer and fell, wrenching my shoulder.   Took several weeks including physical therapy to heal.   You have to take care of your body LOL

Ugh, roller skating spills really hurt. How is your shoulder feeling now? 

I’m going to wait. My PT doesn’t get back until late January but maybe I’ll go to someone else until then. 

Edited December 28, 2022 by FreshFluff

[+ FreshFluff]

9 hours ago, Unicorn said:

If you're particularly eager to go skating this week, your internist should be willing to answer your question by e-mail. Part of a primary care physician's duties is to answer e-mails. Without the MRI report, "poor shape" is too vague of a description to offer any salient advice. Arthritis in and of itself is not, generally speaking, going to be made worse by a fall. However, if you have a ligament which is partially torn up and hanging by a thread, for example, a fall could easily result in a complete tear. 

Thanks for the response. 

My internist is extremely thorough and quick with his Epic inbox replies. He has an extremely busy academic practice, and he’s probably slammed until New Year’s, so I’ll just wait until next week. My internist may refer me back to ortho or sports med for further advice.  

To answer your questions: Per the almost 2-year-old MRI, it’s all cartilage loss with some arthritis. Ligaments are apparently intact but on both sides, except “mild hyperintensity in the distal ACL, possibly focal sprain or partial tearing, otherwise the ACL is intact.”  Who knows what the situation is now though.

Oh, and I’m not done with the MRIs. I was sent for a new pelvic one. Those are the worst.  There I am chilling in the machine, fantasizing about something, and the tech keeps keeps telling me to relax because my uneven respiratory cycle is ruining the images. 

Edited December 28, 2022 by FreshFluff

[Guest]

2 hours ago, FreshFluff said:

....Oh, and I’m not done with the MRIs...

Well, as long as you don't get magnetized, with knives and hammers coming after you. Nothing too scary from that report. Maybe you should change your handle to "Magneto" or "Magneta".... 😉

 

Edited December 28, 2022 by Unicorn

[+ FreshFluff]

1 hour ago, Unicorn said:

Well, as long as you don't get magnetized, with knives and hammers coming after you. Nothing too scary from that report. Maybe you should change your handle to "Magneto" or "Magneta".... 😉

 

When the TSA lines get too long, I get recruited to screen passengers.  

[+ FreshFluff]

13 hours ago, sniper said:

I'd say go to physical therapy before an ortho. If the PT doesn't work then see about surgery.

Agreed. My aim is to avoid a partial knee replacement for as long as possible. I see ortho/sports medicine for advice on lifestyle. 

[samhexum]

6 hours ago, FreshFluff said:

I’m not done with the MRIs. I was sent for a new pelvic one. Those are the worst.  There I am chilling in the machine, fantasizing about something, and the tech keeps keeps telling me to relax because my uneven respiratory cycle is ruining the images. 

I don't want to make you jealous, but I've had about 25 MRIs (I've lost count of the actual figure) and have been told several times that I'm a great subject because I never move.  Taking MRIs is my one great talent in life.

4 hours ago, Unicorn said:

Well, as long as you don't get magnetized, with knives and hammers coming after you.

I'm guessing you'd never want to use a geiger counter or compass around me.

[jeezifonly]

Skating (and skiing ) involve simultaneous pressure of bending the knee and shifting weight to in order to move forward, to follow a curved path, and to stop. Whatever you decide, factor that in. 

[+ JEC]

11 hours ago, FreshFluff said:

Ugh, roller skating spills really hurt. How is your shoulder feeling now? 

I’m going to wait. My PT doesn’t get back until late January but maybe I’ll go to someone else until then. 

Thanks for asking.    After 4 weeks of PT I'd say I'm 80%, the rest probably includes some weights and other work to rebuild strength.  No pain or limited range of motion.    I was afraid I might need surgery so am very happywith the final result.   Thanks again for asking.  Not sure it was a good idea getting back on roller skates after 40 years 🤬

[Rod Hagen]

I asked myself why my first reaction was to tell the OP "Go for it!"?  Of course he shouldn't.   But I know I've pushed through many injuries because momentum and money pull me forward.  Twice on day one of expensive SnowBoard trips I  broke some ribs, and just had to power through the rest of the week.  And on a Mountain bike trip in Crested Butte I chipped my elbow on the first ride of the first day, but no way I was going to sit on the couch all week.

I guess the difference is with the broken ribs and chipped elbow, I wasn't putting additional strain on the affected areas to the degree the OP would by ice skating on an injured knee.  I certainly wouldn't snowboard on an injured knee, or climb with pulled finger tendons.

Edited January 3, 2023 by Rod Hagen

[MikeBiDude]

36 minutes ago, Rod Hagen said:

Of course he shouldn't

Or “she” the OP 😉

[+ WilliamM]

Fresh Fluff has a very interested And important job

[+ purplekow]

Now for something completely different.   You knee looks bruised and contused.  You were skating just before the injure so that the knee was good enough to get you through that at that time.  It does not sound as though you did anything but superficial damage to the joint.  I would tell you that if you want to go and see how it feels that would reasonable.  Stay near the edge and go slow and then, if all is well, proceed slowly.  You might want to skip any jumps that you might do, but life is short and so is the ice skating season.  Try it out and use common sense about the speed at which you progress.  If it hurts, stop and don't push it. By the way, I thought cats always landed on their feet.   

[+ FreshFluff]

5 hours ago, purplekow said:

Now for something completely different.   You knee looks bruised and contused.  You were skating just before the injure so that the knee was good enough to get you through that at that time.  It does not sound as though you did anything but superficial damage to the joint.  I would tell you that if you want to go and see how it feels that would reasonable.  Stay near the edge and go slow and then, if all is well, proceed slowly.  You might want to skip any jumps that you might do, but life is short and so is the ice skating season.  Try it out and use common sense about the speed at which you progress.  If it hurts, stop and don't push it. By the way, I thought cats always landed on their feet.   

Thanks for this response, PK! Today I learned what “contused” means. It’s rug burned too. One ortho I saw said I need to try to avoid any activity that puts too much stress on my knee (like squats) to try to preserve the remaining cartilage. Oops!

I really want to go ice skating, as life is indeed short and skating does wonders for my mood. I notice, however, that the knee is twitching now, and it’s till sensitive to the touch.

And yes, I do usually land on my feet. 🐈

 

[Guest]

On 1/4/2023 at 1:17 PM, FreshFluff said:

...One ortho I saw said I need to try to avoid any activity that puts too much stress on my knee (like squats) to try to preserve the remaining cartilage...

So just go skating without doing squats. Non-stressful activities such as walking or just regular skating (without the jumps, squats, etc.) are actually helpful for arthritic knees.