Blew a leg

[aztecdriver]

So tonight was a lot of firsts for me. I was having a great match - Had just run our speed course very well, and after my weekend match, it was nice to have the focus where I needed it. I started out on the field course, engaged my first 4 targets and went to take off for a long run down range. And I felt the pop in my left calf. I went to take another step and I was completely hobbled.

As I was going down - slowly, i basically was dragging my left leg as I was slowly went to my right knee. Gun was completely secured, in fact I'd safed it as soon as I felt the leg go instinctively and it was dead down range so I was happy about that - then I looked up at the shooting position I wanted 15 ft away. Dang - the drive was still there to complete the course - but I couldn't. I unloaded - even forgot the gun was on safe and had to take it off. Then comes the fun part. I got up and put a little weight on it and I could sort of walk. I was pretty sure it was a muscle pull or tear as it was just about flexing my foot. The guys helped me to a chair - and then the long day of setting up in the heat, the adrenaline of running a course, and out I went. I'm told I passed out - but I remember dreaming then I woke up with all these faces around me.

Paramedics were called but by the time they were there I was able to walk out of the range and store. They checked me out, gave me an icepack, and recommended I get something to eat and talk with the doctor in the morning. So off to dinner with the guys and back home.

I'd never lost consciousness before, I'd never had emergency services needed for me, I'd never had an injury to this extent even as a kid (no broken bones), and it was the first time I've not finished a course of fire. A lot of firsts I don't intend to repeat. Tomorrow I find out what I need to get back on the range - I'll let you all know what happens - and I apologize to the rest of my fellow shooters for concerning you - but I was definitely glad y'all were there.

[Field]

huh that sucks. hope you can figure out how to prevent a bad sprain like that from happening again.

Edited July 21, 2010 by Field

[AzShooter]

Sorry to hear about your problem. It sucks to have something like that happen. Glad the Paramedics were called. You don't want to take any chances.

Good luck and a fast recovery.

[Skydiver]

Doh! That sucks.

Get well soon!

[boz1911]

Damn Ken, I hate to hear that. Hope you heal quickly.

[Singlestack]

Get well soon Ken.

[flattop]

Heal fast, Ken.

[spanky]

Get well soon!

[Jake Di Vita]

Feeling a pop is never a good thing. Let us know what the diagnosis is for sure.

[Graham Smith]

I'd never lost consciousness before...

I got clobbered good one time while playing flag football - I was skinny but fast and the other team didn't like that so they laid a trap for me and sandwiched me between two big guys. I got up and as soon as my eyeballs stopped rattling around in my skull, got back on the line. Then the tunnel vision started and the ground tilted and my face got up close and personal with the grass. I woke up to the coach waving an ammonia capsule under my nose. When I asked what happened (I didn't recall anything of what had happened for several minutes), the coach said, "Your body is a lot smarter than you are. It always knows when to lie down and take it easy for a few minutes."

Lesson learned.

[Tom S.]

Here is the voice of "Been there, Done that".

In the late 80's I had a similar experience. I gutted it out, went to work, and tried to forget about it. Although the pain eventually went away, the problem did not. It didn't matter what I was doing, running or walking fast, all of a sudden, I would find myself on the ground again and in agony. You know how many of us men are about doctors, and I fought off going as long as I could. When I finally did go, I was sent immediately to a orthopedic surgeon who determined I had torn my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). They went in arthroscopically to asses the damage, and found not only was it torn, it was destroyed. At the time, replacement would have required a minimum of 3 months and probably 6 months off work, something I could not afford. Instead I went into rehab to learn how to live without having the ACL. Yes, it can be done, but it requires use of a brace, and running is a thing of the past.

Now days, the surgery and it's results have become much better, with shorter recovery times. You should go to an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports injuries for an assessment. You may only have a cartilage issue, which can be repaired with out-patient surgery and minimal recovery. I had the cartilage repaired on my 'good' leg and mowed my lawn 3 days later. Good luck!!

[DrawandDuck]

Hate to hear that Ken....maybe it was not a ACL but a calf muscle and NOT a complete tear if so...had that happen back at A6 in 2005 and only time will heal that injury...

Hope for the best,

Randal

[Sarge]

I hope it is not as bad as it sounds. I am hoping it is dehydration. Maybe instead of a tear it was a severe spasm? That would explain blacking out after all the work it sounds like you did.

Please keep us posted. Good luck. And I hope you are up and shooting again soon.

[Flyin40]

Hope it turns out well. Let us know

Flyin

[aztecdriver]

Well, been to the doc and in for an ultra sound - the blackout is something they are not worried about as there wasn't pre-exist or more following - it was most likely stress+pain+heat.

And the leg they are calling a severe strain/pull right now, which is consistent with the pain level I perceived. I thought for sure if I sheared something I'd be crying instead of being po'd about losing the match

Off my feet, using crutches, pop ibuprofen and see in a week what is going on - if it's not getting better - it's MRI time.

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I know a lot of y'all - some I've to meet yet - and was looking forward to doing that at Nationals. So far I'm encouraged - but I'll keep you informed.

[Jake Di Vita]

Ice Ice Ice Ice Ice Ice.

I would also urge you to seek a 2nd and possibly 3rd opinion. A severe strain is a solid 6 week deal.

[aztecdriver]

Thanks Jake - I think I will.

[aztecdriver]

Here's an update: Went to the Ortho doc to get the second opinion. Since my previous doc appointment - I had more swelling and some bruising that I didn't have before. To be expected.

The Ortho went over everything and agreed that I have a tear - the beginning of one, around the the area the two heads of the muscle go into the ligament. He said I was lucky. Rest, slight stretching and exercising (surgical tubing type things). Said I should just be about ready in a month. Now that I know what I need to heal the thing: it's marksman time.

[Sarge]

Here's an update: Went to the Ortho doc to get the second opinion. Since my previous doc appointment - I had more swelling and some bruising that I didn't have before. To be expected.

The Ortho went over everything and agreed that I have a tear - the beginning of one, around the the area the two heads of the muscle go into the ligament. He said I was lucky. Rest, slight stretching and exercising (surgical tubing type things). Said I should just be about ready in a month. Now that I know what I need to heal the thing: it's marksman time.

Compared to what it could have been, that's good news!

Edited July 26, 2010 by Sarge

[Jake Di Vita]

Keep icing it. 3 times a day gets you a C. It passes, but barely.

I'd rather see you exercising it using movements that are more natural and not band stuff. Load it carefully, but force it to heal through everyday life activity. Remember that rehab is not completed until you are as strong or stronger than you were before the injury (surgical tubing doesn't cut it for this).

Heal fast buddy.

[BlackBuzzard]

Exam room diagnosis on knees are often wrong. There only so much the orthopedic Doc can see and feel.

Pro athletes are immediately scoped for 100% solid visual diagnosis.

MRI's are often wrong too (know this first hand), but insurance often mandates this before arthroscopic surgery.

You go into surgery thinking your ACL is torn (based on exam room and MRI), and it ends up being a torn medial meniscus, and the ACL is 100%.

BB

[aztecdriver]

Hey Jake - actually, i'm icing the crap out of it. 3 would definitely be a low minimum. The tubing is just a way of putting a little resistance while I do some stretching, and I agree with you - I gotta strengthen this beyond what it was before - I can't do that again...

@BB - it's all calf. Knees are a little more complex, i agree. but this one's straight forward.

[RUSHARP2]

sorry to hear about your bad luck. I tore my calf last year before the Alabama section match, and about 6 weeks before my wedding. Got some good pics of the bruising a couple of days after the event. sounds like we did similar things, I started in a box and went to run to the first spot and it felt like a dog grabbed the back of my leg.

My regular doc was worthless, she said it was nothing and gave me advil. The ortho is the one the called the tear, and sent me to rehab for a while. I got a nice boot to wear for 6 weeks as well.

Take it easy and think about a little rehab.

Matt

[aztecdriver]

Hey y'all, thought I'd give you an update.

Since the last time I posted, I shot a couple of indoor matches. I went to my follow-up with the ortho, and I told him I had some majors coming up I wanted to participate in. He suggested I get an aircast boot to wear so I couldn't flex my foot. So I wore that when I was going to be doing activity, but his solution was all rest, no PT, no anything. And that didn't seem right, not to mention, I had a some tension in the upper calf so when I bent my leg you could feel the calf against the hamstring - and that wasn't right.

I was at my daughter's soccer game with the boot on and one of her teammates' dad is a pro football player, and a corner back to boot. He started asking me questions about of which I had NO clue, degree of tear, which muscle, are they doing needling or ultrasound for it. None of that was in my brain. I said "who do you go to around here for this?" That's where I went. 1st off, drained 10cc's of fluid from between the muscle - man that felt better. Actually X-ray'd and Ultrasounded the tear and checked the achilles.

Prescribed PT with an awesome place right across the street from my house. My PT? Another parent of a girl on my daughters team.

I wore the boot for some matches and at Area 8 and Western PA sectional - yes in the mud. I sucked, dead last in B limited but I shot with some really good people, and it was worth it.

Came back, PT had me in an ankle brace because the boot was doing bad things to my hips and the brace would keep from doing very explosive starts. I shot GA state - again, I sucked. We had the rehab B limited team on our squad. You never know how much the thinking about issues like that can mess with your shooting (or that I let it).

Continued to work it the last couple of weeks and most of the strength was back with 0 pain. I was working for a few minutes on Friday with my daughter on some soccer stuff- simple non-sprinting things like moves and juggling. I moved once to trap the ball and i felt a pop with a minor ache like pain. My daughter said it sounded like velcro tearing and my heart sank. One week before leaving for Nats for the first time and I just screwed it up - again. I walked around a bit and surprisingly there was no issue - not even pain, it was like nothing happened. Ran into the football dad on Saturday and he said it sounded like scar tissue letting go. It made sense, but I had a PT appointment on Monday morning so I just let it be. This morning was that appointment. Told her what happened and she started to look it over and said "Well, from what you told me, it sounds like scar tissue and the knot you had there I had been working out is almost gone. So it looks like you helped out with it." Relieved, we did some more evaluation and she told me that it's about done and she could let me go soon, a couple more sessions.

After this ordeal, I can't impress upon people enough that what we do here is a sport. We might not be running 50 yards, but some of the stresses we can put upon ourselves in a COF is akin to what Tennis players can experience. From my research and discussion with doctors, muscle strains and tears are what happens when a non-stretched muscle is then stretched and contracted at the same time. I've seen very few of us stretching out before matches or stages. Granted some are more athletic than others, but we need to keep in mind the dynamics we undergo and take appropriate steps. Stretch, warm up, etc. You're going to see me doing some jogging and a bunch of stretching at matches. I might be the only fool running up and down the range road and look like i'm trying to be supershooter - but I'm not going through this again. See y'all a nationals - and hopefully, my downtime doesn't hurt me too bad!