Hurt my knee, any recommendations for a good doctor?

[IWRBB]

I have no clue what I did, I don't think I tore it up too bad. I can move it through the full range of motion, except for the last bit to straighten it all the way out. Thta's when it gets tight and starts to hurt.

So, anyone know of a good doc for this? I don;t just want to pick one from a list with no knowledge if they are any good or not.

[PaulFiveOh]

dr. kremchek @ Beacon is the man

[IWRBB]

Yea, I have heard of him. They do a lot of the pro atheletes right? Looks like I'll be taking off work for a while. Good thing I have like 800 hours of sick/personal time built up.

[DeckerEnt]

Check your insurance plan and make sure what ever doc you choose is on the list. You should be good that way.
Keith

[IWRBB]

I just looked, all the docs at Beacon are on there including Kremchek. It's close to my house too, so that's cool. I guess I'll be calling them in the AM. Thanks man...

[rush88GT]

Dr. Pruis with Ohio Valley Orthopaedics. He has a office in West Chester. He did my knee surgery about 10 years ago. Never had a problem since.
http://www.ohiovalleyortho.com/pruis.php

[PaulFiveOh]

Yea, I have heard of him. They do a lot of the pro atheletes right? Looks like I'll be taking off work for a while. Good thing I have like 800 hours of sick/personal time built up.

Yea Beacon does the Reds and Bengals and the ECHL teams around here. Kremchek did my surgery 2 years ago when I rotated my femur completely off of my knee cap (and then proceeded to walk down a fucking mountain which fucked it up worse).

I'm actully going to see him tomorrow as today, I dislocated my patella on the knee in question.

[Pyro50]

dr. kremchek @ Beacon is the man


Kremchek misdiagnosed James' shoulder. He did surgery on him, then when James told him something was not right, he told him he was just not doing his therapy right. Basically he had the attitude that because he does do work on professional atheletes that he is never wrong. We got a second opinion and found out that while Kremchek was in his shoulder doing surgery, he missed a MAJOR proglem. I know Doctor's are only human. My problem is that he would not even listen that something was not right. He had a holier than thou attitude. James had to have a second surgery (by another Doctor). After asking around, I have found out that a lot of people have had issues with him. Because of Kremchek, his recovery was over 2 years instead of about 8 months.

I would recommend Dr. Reinhart in Kenwood. He is located right across from Jewish Hospital Kenwood.

[88ssp]

how did you hurt it? What were you doing? How was the foot positioned? Fall on it? Twist it? Jump on it?

In Ohio, you can go see a physical therapist before you go see a doc. We (PT's) practice under "Direct Access". You can usually get into see a PT quicker than a doc. You should check with your insurance company to see if they allow going to a PT without a MD's referral (most do).

Just a quicker way to get an idea what is going on. The PT will either treat you, treat you and refer you to an MD or just refer you out, altogether.

Worth a chance.

PM me with some details and/or if you have any questions.

[94tchikinv8]

how did you hurt it? What were you doing? How was the foot positioned? Fall on it? Twist it? Jump on it?

In Ohio, you can go see a physical therapist before you go see a doc. We (PT's) practice under "Direct Access". You can usually get into see a PT quicker than a doc. You should check with your insurance company to see if they allow going to a PT without a MD's referral (most do).

Just a quicker way to get an idea what is going on. The PT will either treat you, treat you and refer you to an MD or just refer you out, altogether.

Worth a chance.

PM me with some details and/or if you have any questions.

Usually, the insurance company will have you go to PT first anyways to see if that will fix the problem instead something more drastic like surgery.

Kremcheck cut on my shoulder last February. It's still not 100%, not even close. It's quite a bit better than it was before though. It was diagnosed as a small labral tear that they said was stable and they didn't feel it was large enough to warrant a repair. They cleaned up the frayed edges and stuff while they were in there. They also said the AC joint was arthritic with a bone spur, and there was a ton of bursitis in the sub-acromial bursa; both of which they removed. Almost a year later, I still feel like there's something not right with it. The chiropractor I work for diagnosed the AC joint as hypermobile last month, and Kremcheck agreed when I went in for my check up. They gave me a cortisone shot right in the AC joint to help with possible inflammation. Obviously, this didn't help the hypermobility, and the cortisone seems to have worn off now. I'm not sure if I have any other options than to deal with it. There is some pain, but it's more of an annoyance or inconvenience than anything. The more I do with it, the more it aches.

[IWRBB]

how did you hurt it? What were you doing? How was the foot positioned? Fall on it? Twist it? Jump on it?

In Ohio, you can go see a physical therapist before you go see a doc. We (PT's) practice under "Direct Access". You can usually get into see a PT quicker than a doc. You should check with your insurance company to see if they allow going to a PT without a MD's referral (most do).

Just a quicker way to get an idea what is going on. The PT will either treat you, treat you and refer you to an MD or just refer you out, altogether.

Worth a chance.

PM me with some details and/or if you have any questions.

Kinda long, not real interesting story

My left knee has always been a little bit wonky. It would get tight every now at the bottom of my kneecap, like when driving a manual, but pushing in the clutch a couple times would pop it (like cracking your knuckles) and it'd be fine. That's been going on for years and years, no biggie. The other thing is when I've been crouched down for a few minutes, then stand up and twist to my right, that knee would pop, but I would feel it in the front of the knee, below the kneecap. It would always be OK, just hurt for a little while. That'd normally be when I'm working on a car.

So the other day, I was getting up and kinda lifted and twisted my left leg. When I went to take a step, no way. I couldn't straighten it out. I can go 90%, but that last bit is too tight, and I can feel it get tight in the front, lower inside part of the knee. So I crawl back to my bed and try to work it straight. It got better, I could walk around, then I did it again. I was crouched down, and stood up and twisted like a dumbass. It was back to the same way. So, I hobble downstaris to take out the laundry, and I'm thinking about what happened. I did the opposite, I crouched down and very carefully put a bit of left spin on it. Strange enough, it was immediately fine, a bit sore, but fine. I drove the Cobra that day for hours, it's clutch is HEAVY. I probably shifted it 1000 times that day. No problems. The next day, it's kinda sore, but day by day it got better. Yesterday, I even moved a matress up a flight of stairs. It felt a bit "weird" but it never hurt. Well, this morning, I did something to it again, and it's back. Same tightness in the same spot, can't straighten my leg out the last 10%. Can't get it to pop back straight again.

This sucks. Now I don't know where the hell to go... I know I want an MRI or something just to see what the hell is going on in there.

[88ssp]

The twisting with a load on the knee, along with the blocked movement sounds to me like a meniscus tear. If it is and surgery is elected, it is a quick surgery with 3 tiny holes in the tissue around the joint. Recovery is pretty quick, some people don't even have PT.

Good luck, let us know what is going on with it. If it is locking up and hurts when you twist, you should definitely get to an ortho doc. Depending on your insurance "rules", he may get an MRI right away or he may have to send you to PT first. All the reason to check with your insurance company on the proper sequence and if you can see a PT first if that is the step before the MRI.

[IWRBB]

Well, it's actually not bad when I twist it, not that I'm doing much of that. It's only when I try to straighten it all the way out that it hurts. If I'm lying down on my back and let the outer part of left foot be "down" I can pretty much straighten it all the way. If the foot is straight up, with the heel dwon and the toes up, I can't go as far. If the foot is turned so the outer part is up, that's the worst, and I can't move it as far.

Thanks for all the advice, I'm calling the ins co this morning at 8:00 when they open to see what I have to do, then I'll start calling around and see if I can get an MRI anywhere today. Looks like this Wellington place down at Union Center is pretty nice, close too.

[IWRBB]

Well, I got an appointment at Beacon today, it's not with Kremcheck though.

We'll see how it goes.

[abush1971]

Good luck at the Doctor. I broke a bone in my shoulder 2 weeks ago and saw Dr Funk at Christ. He said if the therapy cose well I should only have a 10% chance of being cut.

[pegasus]

Dr Funk at Christ..

blahhhhhhhh:lol::lol::lol::lol:

[IWRBB]

They took xrays and all the major stuff seems OK. After pushing, pulling, poking, prodding and twisting, the doctor thinks it is the miniscous, like you said. But maybe the cartilage on the top of the shin bone. I'm so damn skinny, he could probably feel every part of my knee easily.

They are going to scan it with the MRI tomorrow AM. I was checking out the xrays while I was waiting. It was on the computer, you could zoom in, pan around, bring up a magnification box, pretty cool stuff. I told him it's just like CAD. The MRI images should be even better.

The woman doing the xrays was really nice. She made sure the goods were covered with lead LOL...

He gave me some anti inflammatory stuff, naproxen 500 mg. Said to ice it, I hate ice bags...

[88ssp]

Yeah, sounds like meniscus catching between the bones of the joint. The cartilage is at the end of the bones and could have been damaged, also. I could see that.

[IWRBB]

That's what he said, the minscous can kinda flop over and act like "a doorstop" which is why it'd only extend so far, then just bind up and hurt.

[88ssp]

I'm surprised he's ordering an MRI, then. Seems pretty cut and dry--no pun intended.

[IWRBB]

He said I could just take some meds and see if it gets better, but offered an MRI too. I said stick it in the best machine you have. The ins companies have taken over 100K of my money over the years and I've never used it once. So, time to pay up. I'm working on the design of an MRI unit right now at work too, I'd like to see one in action. Plus, the girl working the MRI desk is cute as hell.

[IWRBB]

The MRI showed a "bucket handle tear" of the miniscous. It's about half way around, starting the the rear. They are going to remove the torn piece Saturday. I looked at the repair options, but I think mine is too far inwards to heal up, which is what he told me too. It's thin and there's not much blood flow at that point.

They say some people can fucntion normally long term by letting the tear heal up, but it's pretty rare. Given the issues I've had with the same twisting motion in the past, I doubt I could just let it be and not have issues with it locking up. Although I am able to striaghten it out now without it hurting, slowly, I can feel it hanging up a bit as it extends.

They way I twisted my left foot counterclockwise when it happend, it makes sense from the pictures I've looked at. That's looking down at the lower left knee joint. The white is the miniscous, the lower part of your femur bone sits on it and rotates on it. I tore it form the rear, jsut past half way around. Not quite as bad as the pic.

http://www.leadingmd.com/patientEd/assets/buckethandle_tear.gif

[95redstang]

Well, I got an appointment at Beacon today, it's not with Kremcheck though.

We'll see how it goes.

There is another guy at that office that is kickass. Dr. Burger or Berger.. He did some stuff with my achilles(?)..Kremcheck is the shit if you need Tommy John surgery....

[88ssp]

Good luck. About 65-75% of people can get away without too much PT after the surgery. You will be fine. Let us know how it goes.

[DSSKing68]

Dr. Angelo Colisimo is also excellent. He is the Bengals team MD. You always see him on the field when there is an injury. He did my shoulder, and will probably do my other sometime in the future.

[Steves LX]

I feel your pain man. Back in 1994 when I was in the Army I was in Haiti. We were out on patrol one night and got ambushed outside of a small town Les Cayes. I climbed up a 7 ft wall and jumped over the other side and when I landed I dislocated my kneecap and tore my meniscus. I have to say at the time it was probably the most pain I have suffered. It felt like someone just swung a baseball bat into my knee. As a result of all that nonsense I now live with chronic knee problems to include chondromalacia. Which is deterioration of the cartilage under my patella or knee cap.

[IWRBB]

So I met with Dr. Kremchek today, he actually will be doing the surgery. He said once they get in there, if it's possible, he may repair it. If it gets repaired, I'll be in a brace holding my leg straight for about 3 weeks. Better in the long term, sucks in the near term. Surgery is first thing Monday morning since this has been bothering me for over 2 weeks.

It'll suck if it's in a brace for 3 weeks, but one of my friends told me I have the perfect therapy device in the garage, the clutch in the Mustang. That mofo will strengthen any leg and knee, it's not easy to push in at all. We'll see, I told the doctor I want to bang some gears again! I need to get an aftermarket clutch in there, it'll be about 1/3 the effort of the stocker with a QR quadrant. I never really notice it though, it's not like it ever hurt my leg or knee, actually it was probably good for it. The stock clutch is slipping at this HP level though, so I need to replace it soon anyways. I've considered going to a built auto with a manual VB. A clutch, flywheel, 26 sp input shaft, TOB, new cable, and new fork is pushing $1500. I could probably get over $1000 for the T56 too, it has low miles and all the synchros are good. I swear I'll have to get one of my friends to take the Cobra for a drive if I'm laid up that long. I don't like to let it sit for 5 weeks straight, but it is clean and for some odd reason I put the cover on it before all of this happened. I just need to hook up a charger and she'll be happy until all this salt is gone.

[IWRBB]

Well, huge bandage on my knee, ice pack on the top and bottom, leg up in the air. They cut it out, so no brace. They gave me a video of what the doc saw though the arthroscope, that's some crazy stuff. Clearly seeing the end of your femur bone is weird. Seeing parts of your body cut out and removed is not cool though. I can host the vid on my website if anyone wants to download it and see it. Just let me know and I'll put it on there and post a link.

They somehow managed to do something that made me bite my lower lip on the inside when I was under anethesia. I feel like someone punched me in the mouth. It hurts way more than my knee does, go figure, huh? The knee doesn't even hurt, and I've taken no pain medication.

They shaved my leg before surgery, that's really freaky, I've never seen my leg without hair on it. I told the nurses to not take advantage of me when I was under, I know it's hard for them to resist my hot body and all. She probably was the one that punched me in the mouth LOL...

I get to go back tomorrow and get this bandage taken off. They'll put something on there that is waterproof so I can take a shower.

[BigBadStang]

Hope your recovery goes well, and hopefully it won't give you any more problems. :bigthumb