odonahue triad

[sheila harding]

hurt my left knee skiing 8 weeks ago consultant gave me a splint and booked a mri saw consultant today he said complete rupture of cruciate and several tares of other ligaments some thing known as odonahue triad does not want to operate as 46 years old recomends phisio have i any chance of a full recovery i cannot bend knee at the moment so unable to drive still in a lot of pain but he does not want me to ware the splint any longer but still swollen waiting for physio appointment can anyone help??

[janeho]

O'donohues triad refers to tears of the anterior crucitate ligament, medial collateral ligament and the medial meniscus.
To help with the swelling you could use ice in elevation. A bag of frozen peas wrapped in a damp tea cloth so you don't burn yourself. Lie down with the leg elevated so that gravity helps to push the swelling away. There is no benefit in leaving the ice on for more than 10 - 15 minutes at a time, but you can do it several times a day.
Start to get your knee gently bending and straightening. Sit on the floor gently pull your foot along the floor bringing your heel towards your bottom. The tried and tested method is to slide your heel up and down on an upturned tea tray. There is no need to push it at this stage - just move within the range that you are comfortable in.
Also do some static quads exercises to try to keep some strength in your thigh muscle- Sit with your legs out in front of you, simply tense the thigh muscle as if you are pushing your knee to the floor.
It may also be worth phoning the physio dept to see how long you will be waiting and to say that you are prepared to take a last minute cancellation (assuming of course that you are!)
Hope this helps