Weak in the Knees

Knee replacement surgery runs in my family. As do torn ACLs, general knee surgery and obesity. I know what you're thinking--get over the obesity and you could do away with the knee problems. That is a good theory but considering that the men in my family don't generally get the obesity until their thirties and my brothers all tore their ACLs in their teens and twenties, I think that obesity is an aggravant, not a cause.

Now, being female, I did get the childhood obese end of the stick as it were. But, I never did tear anything. I was diagnosed with the dreaded Osgood Schlatter's disease as a youth. And although I get random pain and swelling alternating in my knees, I'd yet to incur any semi-serious to serious injuries--until last night that is.

What was I doing last night you may ask? Hiking through camp? Biking? Preparing for a triathalon? No, of course not. I was at orchestra rehearsal. You see, the tuba part had somehow mysteriously been lost in the mail and as I am now somehow the orchestra librarian, the best solution I could come up with at the start of rehearsal was to borrow the conductor's score, head to the library and copy all 100 pages for the poor tuba player who has like 10 notes the whole piece.

So, I found the college library, walked around to the front and began to ascend the wide staircase to the door at an angle. These steps are narrow enough for someone on an important mission to be able to take two at a time, I thought. So, I planted my right foot on the bottom step and pushed off, intendint to hit the third step with my left foot. Instead, I felt a bit of a pop on the outside of my knee joint, reconsidered taking the steps by twos and hit the second with my left foot. When I again planted my right foot on the third step, I felt significant pain.

Well, I couldn't let a little pain stop me. I proceeded into the library, made the copies, rushed back to rehearsal, finished rehearsal, carried everything to my car at a dead hobble, got in and started crying.

I called my husband and cried some more. Then I went home, took some advil and cried some more while I googled knee injuries.

Another thing that runs in my family is internet self-diagnosing. I have determined that I did something to my LCL (Lateral Collateral Ligament). Considering the non-violent nature of the injury and the fact that today it seems much improved, I believe I may have just over-streched the ligament. After my self-diagnosis, I determined that I just needed some rest (yeah right), some ibuprofin and ice. I have been hobbling around with a crutch or walking stick (until one of my children wanders away with it to play horsey or smack his brother). If it doesn't improve markedly in the next three days, I promise I'll call the doctor and let him know what the problem is.