Left Knee pain

[Shanks A Million]

I finally did it, I got the Tiger injury. I always knew my swing put too much stress on my left knee, and my left knee has been a source of trouble since 8th grade. I thrust my hips forward too much in my golf swing. This results in tremendous power, but now, also tremendous pain. I haven't been able to hit balls for about a week, and to be honest, I'm a little scared. I'm worried that if it doesn't heal, I might need surgery.

Has anyone else experienced this? I know two guys I know at the course have had surgery to fix their ACLs (one snapped it, the other tore it). Both of them came back stronger than ever, so I'm hoping I can do the same thing. I just would like to save the one I already have. Any advice or suggestions are really helpful.

[JetFan1983]

Yea, go see a Doctor ASAP. Don't mess around with your knee.

[Leftygolfer]

It could be your minisgus (how in the h*ll do you spell that) ligament. It tears all the time. I tore mine about 3 years ago moving. I let it go for a bit then got the surgury. What would happen is it was fine most of the time then I would step wrong and my knee would fill up with fluid. The doctor described it as a piece of paper. with it torn, laying flat it is fine, but then if a piece sticks up my knee protects itself by swelling. The surgury was great. I was on my feet in 3 days and out of therapy in about a month. The ACL/MCL is alot tougher. My friend had that then had to get have his PCL done. He is still recovering but he said the ACL was nothing compared with that.

If it were me I would got see an orthopedic doc and an MRI and see what they say. If they can clean up your knee orthoscopically (like I did) it is really not bad at all.

[JetFan1983]

It could be your minisgus (how in the h*ll do you spell that) ligament. It tears all the time. I tore mine about 3 years ago moving. I let it go for a bit then got the surgury. What would happen is it was fine most of the time then I would step wrong and my knee would fill up with fluid. The doctor described it as a piece of paper. with it torn, laying flat it is fine, but then if a piece sticks up my knee protects itself by swelling. The surgury was great. I was on my feet in 3 days and out of therapy in about a month. The ACL/MCL is alot tougher. My friend had that then had to get have his PCL done. He is still recovering but he said the ACL was nothing compared with that.

The "meniscus" is not a ligament. It's cartilage. You are correct though, the surgery is not a big deal at all and most people heal up in 2-4 weeks. If you did tear it, it's important to get it fixed as soon as possible because as it gets worse, the knee locks. A lot of the time, a person can tear their meniscus and not even really realize it until it gets bad. That's why we have to sometimes bite the bullet and just make some time to see a specialist to make sure everything is all good.

The standard procedure for a knee injury though is RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. You probably already know this though as I'm assuming you've googled what to do when a knee injury occurs. It's a little bit sketchy as to whether it's okay to ice it 3-4 days after the injury has already occurred; many say it's fine and others say it's too late and that heat treatment is better. It's these kinds of gray areas that make it even more necessary to see a Doc so you know how to treat it properly. In the end, if the pain persists, just see that doctor. It's amazing how fast one can heal when a doctor confirms the injury isn't that serious. You don't have to keep sitting around thinking the worst all day long. The doctor will also tell you how to make it better in the most efficient way possible, and that's simply something that can't be diagnosed over the internet. Good luck.

[woodzie264]

rather than go into it over the thread, PM me and we'll try to figure out what's up - as JetFan stated, it all comes down to your exam, so an appt with your orthopedist will still be needed. Since you're young, you'll be fine, but both a torn meniscus and a torn ACL need addressing in a young active person...the difference is length of recovery (a meniscectomy is a couple of weeks, the ACL Reconstruction is on average 6-9 months...sometimes a full year depending on your doc

[lugonza_2001]

Yea, go see a Doctor ASAP. Don't mess around with your knee.

I strongly agree.

A very good luck to you whatever it is.

[teacherfitter]

I finally did it, I got the Tiger injury. I always knew my swing put too much stress on my left knee, and my left knee has been a source of trouble since 8th grade. I thrust my hips forward too much in my golf swing. This results in tremendous power, but now, also tremendous pain. I haven't been able to hit balls for about a week, and to be honest, I'm a little scared. I'm worried that if it doesn't heal, I might need surgery.

I had both the anterior and posterior ligaments torn and extensive damage to cartilage in my left knee (1957). I am not suggesting you should play but if you did it should be done with some flair to the left foot to avoid any twisting of the knee. This is what I have had to do for years and sometimes I have to flair the foot more than others, depending on how tight the knee is at the time. It does not hurt for me to stand on the left leg, the thing I have to avoid is the twisting motion.

[Shanks A Million]

Well, for now, doctor is not an option.