I am so sorry to hear this. Get better soon.I hate it when I get up off the couch at 9 pm last night and tore ligaments in my knee. Orthopedic appointment at 9:30 and they were taking x-rays and the machine broke. Imagine that. It's my left knee and it's twice the size it should be. I tore the MCL and LCL - Copied and pasted the explanation. LOL.
The stability of the knee joint is maintained by four ligaments, thick bands of tissue that stabilize the joint. The medial collateral ligament (MCL) and lateral collateral ligament (LCL) are on the sides of the knee and prevent the joint from sliding sideways. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) form an "X" on the inside of the knee and prevent the knee from sliding back and forth. These limitations on knee movement allow the knee to concentrate the forces of the muscles on flexion and extension.
I kayak, fish, take only the stairs, garden, do the elliptical and I hurt myself getting up off the couch! He put a metal knee brace on me and thinks I may have more damage, but the swelling was so bad he couldn't a really good exam because I was sobbing every time he touched me. And he said the following may also have happened:
Inside the knee, there are two shock-absorbing pieces of cartilage called menisci (singular meniscus) that sit on the top surface of the tibia. The menisci allow the femoral condyle to move on the tibial surface without friction, preventing the bones from rubbing on each other. Without this cartilage covering, the friction of bone on bone would cause inflammation, or arthritis.
We are going kayak, camping and fishing at Grande Isle (Louisiana) - leaving Saturday and returning Wednesday. The doctor has the same Hobie pro-angler 14 foot kayak as my Husband and I do -- I told him about the trip and he said.. you can do anything you want as long as you can take the pain and keep the brace on so my knee stays straight. I'm debating, but I've been planning this trip for 3 months. Guess I'll wait and see how I feel Friday.