[C Dog]

...you #### up your knee at the *beginning* of hiking season? Hurt my knee playing frisbee last week, and it's swollen sumptin' fierce! No hiking for a while for me...

[Randy]

Dude, that sucks. Hope you have a speedy recovery. I blasted my knee back in January and it's still not ready for serious hiking and all I have is a little bursitis and muscle imbalance. Due to lack of use, my legs are the same size they were in 6th grade!

[#19]

I feel your pain. Arthroscopic knee surgery March 2001 and Nov 2001 after never having any prior problems. Lost most of a year although I limped around a bit. I'd get it checked within a week if it doesn't get better soon. hang in there!

[salish]

Ouch, Pappy, hope it's working for you now. Hey C Dog, I've had some pretty good luck with the docs and treatment at UW Sports Medicine for my knee, and can pass that info along if anyone wants to private me. I hate it when a stupid injury screws up the hiking season. This will be the first summer that I don't play on our office softball team. I still try to play like I'm eighteen and I almost always injure something. Last July I had a massive hamstring pull that sidelined me for most of the summer. Really sucks when the weather is nice and the mountains are beckoning you. Let me know if you want my doctors name....and good luck. Cliff

[#19]

I was able to extend my run to 7 miles Sunday so I'm doing good. But it was a SLOW 7 miles. Put my 2 cents in for Sports Med Clinic in Ballard. Again, I wouldn't mess around with it. Either of these Sports Med clinics are top notch.

[Backpacker Joe]

I run everyday too. I hate it when I twist my RIGHT ankle! It always happens and it lays me up for weeks/months! Im going to have surgery on it next fall. TB

[janders]

"Take care of your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone." Knees and ankles aren't to be trifled with. I would say take that knee in and get it looked at. I screwed my ankles up in college, didn't rehab properly, and now 10 years later my knees are screwed up. Good luck, C! BTW, were you playing Ultimate?

[Ulrich]

I assume ( hope ) that all folks with knee-ankle injuies have seriously considered the use of hiking poles after recovery !?

[#19]

Used poles whenever possible before injury and definately after. PBJ, have you considered not running everyday and doing some cross training like bike, weights, etc, on non-run days? Seems to have helped me reduce the pounding.

[salish]

Ulrich F: Buying hiking poles a couple of seasons ago has saved my butt many times. I'd also like to mention a simple little knee strap called the "Cho-Pat" knee strap, which was prescribed to me by UW Sports Med. This is for folks with damaged patella tendons, as far as I know. I don't think it works for people with internal knee injuries. It's a simple little rounded fabric strap that fits around the knee and applies gentle and even pressure to the patella tendon. It has worked wonders for me and I've even gotten the nerve up a few times to hike without my poles, and my knee did not go south on me. Just another option..... Another thing that has helped my knee (and legs in general) is biking. I am lucky enough to be close enough to work to commute by bike (5 miles one way) and it's amazing how well that can build your knee up.

[C Dog]

Thanks for the support, folks... went over to Virginia Mason Sports Medicine today and got looked at... from the various push/pull/torture tests they did they don't think I tore anything... going back in a couple of weeks -- the swelling was way down today... janders -- nope, no ultimate, just tossing it around during a lunch break [Denny Park] ... landed hard and my foot slid forward when I hit a patch of dirt in the grass field...

[Sore Feet]

Hehe. Reading all this makes me thankful I'm only 20... (though I do find myself playing frisbee more often... )

[polarbear]

Have a friend in his 50's that had arthroscopic surgery on both knees and recovered pretty well--still doing alot of hiking. Not sure who his surgeon was.

[C Dog]

Don't get too smug there, Sore, I'm only 26...

[Backpacker Joe]

He he he, you guys loose BIG TIME! I have a friend who's over 50. Not a big deal right..... This guy has had BOTH hips replaced, AND can/still TELE SKI's around/over any man! Dont get trapped in our/your own preconcieved disabilities syndrome! The human body is WAY more capable/flexible than most people think. I lost five ribs to bone cancer when I was 21 years old! It hurt like HELL! Still does. Though I live a very normal life. It's what moved me twards turbo light packing! TB