Deertick?

[OldMan]

You\'re our resident doctor here, so I have a question for you.

5 days ago I did a hike that didn\'t seem any harder that what I normally do. Al I can say that was different was I picked up the pace to work on cardio. Other than that it was like any other hike. I felt fine after the hike all the way to going to bed. No pain, or discomfort at all. In the morning I woke up with a sore left knee with what felt like a little swelling. No so much that I could see it, but I could feel the tightness in the knew when I bent it.

Being stubborn, and not one to baby myself. I went for another hike that day with the thought of working out the soreness. It actually worked, and by the end of the hike the pain was gone, but the tightness/swelling was still there. It felt pretty good for the rest of the day, but when I woke up the next morning the pain was back, and maybe a little worse. So, I took it easy for the next two days, and it hasn\'t got worse, or better. I can\'t stand to sit around all day, and I have an elk hunt coming up in Oct. At my age I lose my fitness fast.

What should I do?

 

[Deertick]

Hard to tell without seeing it ... but I can talk in generalizations ... and, generally, you describe a lack of lubrication. As an older knee gets warmed-up, it\'ll make some \"lube\" but that \"lube-making process\" is, well, not what it used to be! So, instead of WD-40, or K-Y, you have a thick, ineffective \"gel\" of a lube. You exercised a bit more, which warmed it up and liquified it a bit, temporarily, but it gelled back up.

If this were a patient of mine and I heard the story and knew he was coming in this afternoon, I\'d be wondering to myself if I\'d be doing an injection in that knee to \"lube it up\" ... it might just be a temporary fix, but it would get the guy hunting!

Now, I should offer a disclaimer ... I don\'t know what is going on with your knee, but I do know that it sounds like you\'ve done the reasonable thing (you assumed it would get better with a little rest) and it didn\'t get better ... I\'d have a physician look at it and see if an injection would be an idea.

In the long run, these are often better with anti-inflammatory treatment (rather than analgesic treatment).

One way or another, it sounds like your style of hunting involves slow walking ... so good! This\'ll slow you down even more!

 

[OldMan]

Yes, and no on the slow walking. It\'s only when i\'m actually still hunting in the timber that i\'m moving slow. Getting to the area could involve miles, and that\'s done pretty fast. Then I come back out the same fast speed. I may move to 2-3 different areas in a day. So, when I train it\'s more for moving around more than the actual hunt. Then of course the hard part will be getting the meat out.

I\'m one of those guys who never goes to a doctor unless i\'m carried in. I can give you some horror stories of why i\'m that way now. A blind eye that needs to be covered with a patch 24/7 when I didn\'t need to be blind at all is one of them.

So, now that we might know what it is, and that i\'m not going to a doctor. Would you rest it, or ignore it, and work it?

 

[Deertick]

I can give you horror stories, too ... both for going and for NOT going in.

But, if you insist on not seeing a physician ... and, again, speaking generally since I can\'t really talk about your knee without seeing it ... anti-inflammatory medicine generally helps the \"lube\" ... if it is safe for the patient to take ... and walking generally helps via warming and improving circulation, but it\'s a fine line ... too much walking, or too vigorous, and you can get swelling. Too little, and it stiffens up. I\'d keep the activity toward the low end of exertion for a week or so more, then gradually increase it as long as there wasn\'t more swelling.

Consider a physical therapist ... they don\'t operate or prescribe drugs, but they could help a situation like that. They could also tell you if you have a cartilage or ligament problem that might get worse -- so they could help you avoid an operation.

Now, there are other things it could be ... gout, for instance, or pseudo-gout. An infection, a progressive type of arthritis, or even a more serious condition in another part of the body ... so, if it\'s not getting better, and certainly if it is getting worse, talk to someone you trust to help find a physician you can trust. Honestly, such creatures do exist!

 

[Lark Bunting]

I am not a doctor, nor am I playing one on TV but I have had some issues with my knees and may have some suggestions.

First, where on the knee does it hurt?

 

[cnelk]

Everyone is different and what works for you, may not work for me.

I try to be in as good as shape as I can, but I still pop a couple Aleve each morning when hunting.
If things get real iffy, I take Aleve and Tylenol Arthritis together, that seems to do the trick as I have had a few injuries over the years.

I appreciate Deertick\'s input here, but also understand he cannot diagnose any issue without seeing the victim...errrrr.... patient...

 

[OldMan]

Thanks John. I\'m going to go ahead , and try light walking to see if it helps. I can\'t remember how many times i\'ve worked out an injury when a doctor said I needed an operation.

I normally know on the spot when i\'ve gotten hurt. This one fooled me by showing no sign until the next morning.

 

[mtnmutt]

I am the same way about going to a doctor. Then I had an injury I could not fix on my own.

I am not going to tell you what you should do because everyone is different and every injury is unique to that person.

This is a recent experience that I had. Take it for what it is worth.

Last year in January, I tore 2 tendons in my shoulder. I did not know that I had torn those tendons. I could not fully use my arm and had severe pain. Because work was busy, I waited 2 months to see a doctor thinking rest and ice would fix it. It did not.

I also do not like taking meds. 6 weeks into Physical Therapy, I only had a 75% recovery. I caved in and took the cortisone shot. That gave me the boost to make it to a 95% recovery before opening day last year. I probably would have recovered faster if I had taken the cortisone shot that they offered to me 6 weeks earlier. Yes, I was stubborn. The experience made me a believer in Physical Therapy which is now helping for an SI joint issue.

For my body, it appears best to get the inflammation down as soon as possible. Reusing the injured body part without reducing the inflammation is an upward battle for me. Despite continuing my shoulder exercises, my shoulder still does not like holding my bow up for long periods. Therefore, holding for a shot on an elk will be interesting.

For my left knee, I take Motrin. My left knee gives out occasionally, but just for a second and the pain rarely gets bad. I keep the muscles strong which reduces the issues.

I wish you well.

 

[OldMan]

Well, I had it checked out. The doctor says its a meniscal tear. Caused by ageing, arthritis, or I might have done it at night getting up to take a wizz, and twisted it.

The sad part is before the injury I was thinking how good my knees were feeling. I\'ve had problems I the past with them. I used to compete in Powerlifting competitions, and every joint in my body has been abused from heavy weights. I never missed a hike from last Oct to now. No matter what the weather I went out and hiked. I thought for sure I was going to ready for this years hunt. This has taken the wind out of my sails. Last year I was in great shape before the hunt, and broke my back in a fall. Now this for this year.

I\'m afraid my hunting days are over. My mind and heart are willing, but my body is failing me.

 

[ORelksniper]

Still Hunter, I\'m sorry to hear that. I think I know how much hunting means to you...I feel the same way. This is the first year I\'ve had to face the inevitable and I don\'t like it much. Getting old SUCKS. Hang in there, buddy, my prayers are with you.

Maybe we should start a \"Pissed off old hunter\" forum. :x

 

[Deertick]

No reason to cancel life due to a meniscal tear ... there are ways of helping that sort of thing, both surgically and non-surgically. Don\'t give up.

Strength training, BTW, usually makes knees stronger, not weaker. You probably postponed your knee troubles, not brought them on!

Plenty of folks have small tears, and they quit bothering them after a while ... bigger tears are repairable.

 

[OldMan]

It\'s way more than this. It\'s just one small example of all the problems. I\'ve hunted elk from the age of 12 to 70. The last two years have been an eye opener that i\'ve reached the end. Hunting alone when your young is a challenge. It\'s almost suicide at 72.

Weight training brought to the extreme doesn\'t strengthen the joints, but tears them down. The knees were not designed to squat with 700 lbs. I saw too many injuries in competitions to think any other way. It was a dumb thing to do, but I was young and dumb.

I also have Osteoporosis, and broken bones are a part of my life. One fall while carrying out meat could strand me in the mountains. It almost did last year when I broke my back while scouting.

I\'m no quitter, but there comes a time when you have to say.......that\'s enough!

 

[WW]

Stillhunter wrote, \"I\'m afraid my hunting days are over. My mind and heart are willing, but my body is failing me\".

Come on Pete, We\'re about the same age. I have a Uni-Spacer in one knee and I\'m bone on bone on the other one. But I\'m still going to do a little hunting. Maybe not quite as hard and far as I used to, but I\'m still going.

 

[OldMan]

I won\'t bore you with all my physical problems. I\'ve been struggling for the last 10 years. My close friends can\'t believe i\'ve been hunting as long as I have. They know my problems. I don\'t talk about them on forums.

I\'ve killed enough elk. I have other interest to keep me busy.

 

[OldMan]

I have a deer point. That could get me a buck tag next year in my unit for late rifle season. I\'ll still use my sidelock muzzy for it. The deer will be off the mountain that time of year, and I can hunt at lower altitude. I might do that next year if I don\'t have any extra problems by then.

Hunting elk alone at high altitude is definitely a done deal for me.

 

[mainebrdr]

If Swede reads this I might be in real trouble, but going from still hunting to stand hunting wouldn\'t be a big change in speed and climbing 20 ft. would be doable if the stand wasn\'t 2 miles in. Someone could be informed where your stands are and there would be a certain amount of safety in that. Ground blinds are also an option. I know that unit 481 isn\'t exactly flat but maybe a new area could be found that would be easier trekking!

 

[OldMan]

I know you\'re trying to help, but I could never hunt from a stand. If I can\'t use my method, then I don\'t hunt.

However, not all is lost yet. I still have 7 weeks to the hunt. Who knows what can happen in that time. I don\'t have a bull tag. That was going to be my experiment this year. To get an OTC tag, and hunt a unit i\'ve never hunted before, or even scouted. That would be unit 55, because I can drive to it every morning. It\'s an extremely crowded unit during 2nd rifle season, and tons of ATV roads going through the whole unit. Everybody will be using a scoped rifle, and i\'ll be using my sidelock, open sights, and a range of 40-50yds. I\'m trying to simulate what a bow hunter might be facing coming from out of state with no scouting. Not sure I can do the hunt any good with a bum knee too.

I can wait until the day before the hunt to buy the tag. I\'ll know by then if I should even try the hunt.

 

[Zpd307]

pete, I hope you hunt this season. I cant wait to hear your experiences from your experiment. with pics, of course...