Ask For a Second Opinion

I was in sixth grade at Oak Hill Middle School when my problem began. This was almost seven years ago and I am still suffering with the consequences. It all started in Mr. Robson’s gym class. I was warming up for a game of badminton doing an exercise we called karaoke. When BAM my right knee blew out.

Now at that point in time I had never broken any bones or had any severe injuries before so I just figured I could ice it and it would eventually heal. Unfortunately for me, I was in between basketball and softball season so I just stayed at home for a few days until I could walk on it with little to no pain, after a couple weeks I had totally forgotten about the injury. When softball season started I had gone head first into it with no precaution of my previous injury and ended up blowing out my knee again when I was running to first base. By this point my knee had gotten both my parents and my own attention and I choose to sit that season out. Still just thinking I tweaked my knee, I did not take the time to go to the doctors. I let it heal on its own again with some ice, heat, and rest. After a few months I could walk with no pain again but I did not totally forget about the injury, I put more than half my body weight on my left knee to baby my right, I did not run anymore, did not go on trampolines or jump off high ledges. When summer came around I had gotten less and less careful with my injury and one day while I was playing hide and go seek tag with the neighborhood kids, I twisted my upper body to fast while I was trying to hide and run and it felt like I had totally turned my knee backwards. That is not what happened in reality but I was in an excruciating amount of pain compared to anything I had experienced before. I could not stand up off the ground, it even hurt when I was picked up and carried back to the house. At this point, my dad decided to bring me to the hospital. 

After sitting at the hospital for 3 hours waiting for assistance my patience was up and I wanted to just go home. I did not have my license at this time so I was forced to stay. By the time the doctor came in to examine my knee, everyone had lost all their patience. It took that doctor ten minutes to diagnose me with a sprained knee and he sent me away with crutches and a recommendation of icing and heating it. We left with no satisfaction believing my knee was going to heal but at this point, we could not do anything about it. So I followed the doctor’s orders and stayed on bed rest for the rest of that summer. I choose to sit out basketball season my seventh grade year in fear of another injury. Tried softball one more time and it was hard for me to perform at 100% so I ended up quitting. Before I got the help that I needed during freshman year I ended up hurting my knee two more times. When I finally was seen by a specialist, I learned that I had stretched most of my tendons and ligaments on the inside of my right knee. My muscles would not hold my kneecap in place so it would shift to the right side and it would hurt. Because I compensated almost all my weight onto my left knee for all those years, the pain became bilateral and I was beginning to stretch my muscles in my left knee just by putting too much weight on it. Also because I had waited so long to get the help I needed, my muscles were almost not able to be fixed without surgery. I was a freshman though and I did not want to get this surgery, I was convinced that I could fix my knees on my own by going to physical therapy and doing my exercises. 

Once I started physical therapy, I got a knee brace and started up with sports again, football cheering, elite cheering, basketball, softball, and dance. Playing or doing all this not once hurt my knee a great deal to the point where I was out for the season, but I did tweak it a few times here and there, I also had to modify some exercises. I was okay with this though because I loved doing these activities so it was worth the risk in my eyes. Throughout my high school years I picked and chose the sports I thought I could exceed at with my issue and as much as I hated myself for quitting basketball, I had to. If I ever wanted a future career with anything that involve physical labor I had to leave my basketball career behind me. 

Today, once football season ends I will be done with high school sports. My future career needs my knees and I can accept that. The mistake that I made was not pushing for the right doctor, the first time I hurt my knee. I learned that if I think I need a second opinion, it won’t hurt to get one. I need to have the knowledge to make the right decision before I can make it. I understand that now and hopefully I won’t make a mistake this big again. 

Photo by oileanach on Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA