Months of wondering....what's wrong?

by Frustrated Torn PCL patient
(Canada)

In August, I got my right foot caught in a tow rope on a boat. Unfortunately, the rope yanked my leg and left me in quite some pain. My right knee and ankle immediately swelled up to the size of a small soccer ball and I was in extreme pain.

I went to the hospital - just to sit there for 3 hours - to have an x-ray on my knee that showed nothing! I went to my family doctor who ordered a MRI. Once again, the wait time for the MRI was five months.

Unhappy with this time frame, I went to a sports medicine doctor who was able to get a MRI for me earlier and I started physio two months after the accident. The sports med doctor was positive that I had torn my MCL, ACL and meniscus and I started therapy for it. My range of motion has improved dramatically in the 8 weeks of physio and I can cycle better than I can walk. But I am having extreme troubles straightening my leg and the physiotherapist can't understand why? It feels like something is wedged in my knee preventing it from straightening.

Well I just had my MRI - four months after my accident - and I had the results released to my physiotherapist (my sports med doctor is out the country for three weeks!). The results state that I have torn my PCL and have cartilage damage. I was just wondering if I have been doing the wrong exercises and how I can help manage this problem. My knee is still quite swollen and the anti-inflammatories are not seeming to help.

The information I have come across on PCL injuries is quite contradicting - most of the information states that I should be able to return to sports in 3-5 weeks with little or no pain. LOL...I have been trying my best just to function kind of normally but I am still having troubles walking at 4 months. I don't have a brace.

If you have any suggestions I am open to any suggested treatments and/or exercises at this point. Should I ask my doctor to see a orthopedic surgeon to ask for their opinion? I am a tri-athlete, as well as a synchronized swimmer and I feel so frustrated at this point! And on top of everything else, my right ankle is extremely sore but everyone is so focused on my knee!

Thanks for your time!

Sincerely ....
Frustrated torn PCL patient