Ever torn a ligament, broken a bone, or done something equally bad?

I've broken my foot and had really bad tendonitis, but neither of those involved a sporting activity, unless walking up and down stairs counts as a sport. I suppose it probably should for clumsy people like me.

-- Anonymous, February 13, 2000

Answers

it was a sports injury as far as i am concerned. a broken neck on a car trip back to our home. sports ? yeah - - going back and forth from denver to eugene, or. to see our daughter and her family was the supreme sport for us old folks. recovered more or less, will always have one weak sholder and arm. but i am mobile and could have become a paraplegic.

-- Anonymous, February 13, 2000

I've torn my anterior cruciate in my left knee, though I didn't, as everyone assumes, do it skiing. (My sister tore HERS skiing. I did it slipping on ice in a parking lot and being stupidly determined not to fall on my butt.) It doesn't sound as though either of our injuries are as severe as Jeremy's though. Poor guy, my heartiest sympathies. It is not pleasant, and he's in for a long haul.

However, my cousin, who ALSO tore an ACL and had the operation, is really pleased with the results. (Yes, weak knees run in our family. My mother did in one knee in her twenties playing tennis, and the second just recently, lifting my father who had broken a thighbone cycling and was in a full-leg cast.) My sister and I just rely on expensive, high-tech braces; she's had good results with hers (built up the surrounding muscles to the point where she rarely needs the brace). I'm still getting accustomed to the thing, which I only got late last year. It does have a mighty nifty Borg-like effect.

-- Anonymous, February 13, 2000

Yeah, that's what Jeremy tore. We won't know how bad it is until he gets to another doctor, I guess.

My dad severed that ligament and two others in his knee in the mid- eighties, and he just had knee replacement surgery the week before Christmas. But Jeremy's knee is nowhere near that bad.

-- Anonymous, February 13, 2000

sophomore year playing softball, i jammed my right shoulder diving head first into first base on a dropped third strike call. three and a half weeks later in my first game back, i was pinch running and slid into home plate, taking the catcher out. she fell on my newly healed shoulder and separated it. that was the end of my softball career, for the most. i couldn't throw anymore.

and last year, i gave myself a concussion playing ice hockey. i couldn't stop and wiped out in a most dramatic manner, landing on the ice shin first. it sucked a lot.

-- Anonymous, February 13, 2000

I've destroyed both ACLs and cracked one of my kneecaps, all the result of volleyball injuries. I played volleyball my freshman and sophomore years of college. In the course of those two seasons, I did enough damage to cause me to have a total of an even dozen surgeries between my two knees. The worst part of having two bum knees and spending a lot of time on my butt as a consequence is that i's been anything but positive for my figure. Most exercise is *not* happening -- tae bo for me would be more painful than a gunshot wound. Distance walking, running, low impact aerobics, racquetball, squash, yoga even, nope, nope and nothing doing.

My advice to all -- protect your knees at all costs. You don't realise how much you need them till they're gone.

-- Anonymous, February 13, 2000

ooohhh yes - I was training a young horse over teensy little jumps (like, thirty centimetres? about a foot?) and he got a bit silly about it - so rather than risking hitting him in the mouth and ruining his training when he skied a jump, I bailed out (threw myself off) - big mistake, because he promptly turned around and headed for home, hitting my head, back and leg as he went over me. Ouch. Two broken ribs, a third cracked one, a very bruised leg, and a punctured lung later - good thing I was wearing a helmet, because there was a definite hoofmark on it. If he hadn't run me over, I would have had a cut elbow and that was it - funnily enough, that's the only remaining legacy, as I've got an ugly raised scar on my elbow. Perhaps I should have a "It was much worse that just this little scar!" tattoo or something.

-- Anonymous, February 13, 2000

Oh yeah! A few shoulder dislocations, cracked ribs, a cracked tailbone and ruptured peroneal tendon (R) when I was riding semi- seriously. I partially tore my achilles tendon (L) last year training for a half marathon and although that is much better now, I have wicked plantar fasciitis in that heel now that hurts so badly, *all the time*, that I wear my running shoes as much as possible, fashion be damned! I'm a klutz, with poor balance and a body that was built for comfort rather then athletic endeavours, but I never learn! (And now my X-treme surfing is giving irritating my carpal tunnel syndrome too. )

-- Anonymous, February 13, 2000

Last summer i broke by shin and ankle. Non-weight bearing for 15 weeks. Still not sure how my wife survived it. Our marriage must be strong. :) Only recommendation is follow the instructions to the letter. With a serious injury, trying things to soon can be a major mistake. I now have 8 permanent screws and a plate in my lower leg and ankle, but all is good as new. Bones heal fast, but muscles will take along to time due to atrophy. It is nothing to worry about, but you should be aware it takes a long time to recover fully. If you are in St. Louis, Dr. Lee is tops in sports medicine. I know it personally, and i seldom offer advice on doctors. Good luck, my thoughts are with you.

-- Anonymous, February 14, 2000

Nope.

I grew up traumatized by seeing Jeremy hurt himself, so I avoid sports (and related injuries) for the most part.

I injure myself plenty, but mostly through my klutz factor and my low safety precautions in crafts.

-- Anonymous, February 14, 2000

Sports injuries? Nah, I loathe sports, especially the competitive ones. But you should see the blisters on my hands after I've played the drums for a few hours... and they hurt like hell for days!

-- Anonymous, February 14, 2000

I broke my leg in two places while skiing when I was a freshman in high school. Took a jump I shouldn't have taken and wiped out in spectacular fashion. The memory of that day has mostly faded away.

I've been thrown from horses a few times but have managed to come away from that with only bumps and bruises.

I hope all goes well with Jeremy.

-- Anonymous, February 14, 2000

Well, fencing hasn't been too kind to me. Last year I had cracked ribs after a girl's blade broke on my chest and then jammed into my ribs. Last year in October I tore ligaments in my ankle falling during a fleche (running attack) during a tournament.

This year also I broke another girl's blade on my forearm. What makes it funny was that it was another girl on the same team as the girl who broke a blade on me the year before. They think I am some kind of scary indestructible person.

I've had bone bruises on one hand and just this weekend I got hit in the neck and smashed in the ribs enough to almost knock me out. The first time I was hit because I was fleching at the girl and she ducked (basically dropped down vertically...highly illegal move). I ran her shoulder right into my ribs. The second time it was the metal guard of her blade and that was much stronger. I remember hitting her, feeling the wind knocked out of me and then next thing I know I am lying on the piste.

But it still is a great sport. I think I am just a klutz. Nothing broken this time, just bruises.

Kate

-- Anonymous, February 14, 2000

I've had two:

The first when I was 15 when we were horsing around at swim practise and someone pushed me into the pool- I landed really really badly and did something to my lower back muscles. I couldn't walk for 3 days..and didn't swim for 4 weeks. It basically ended up my swimming career though. I quit the first practise back. Which really sucks cause I had qualified for the Provincials that year.

And the second..

The SO and I took up curling this year and the first game, 2nd end- I fell and broke my wrist. And I insisted on getting up and throwing another two ends. Bah. That took me out for 6 weeks.

I hate getting injured.

-- Anonymous, February 14, 2000

You know how they always have those rules up by the pool, and one of the rules is, no running on the deck?

They're not kidding.

I slipped and fell running out of a pool back in high school, and dislocated my shoulder. This was at Mono Hot Springs, which in the Sierras, about a 3 hour drive from the nearest hospital in Fresno. Lots of fun.

I spent 6 weeks in a shoulder sling, and, on the first day out of the sling, got back onto the skateboard I hadn't been able to ride in six weeks, set off down the hill, and augured into the pavement at an impressive rate of speed. Broken wrist, sprained hip and a concussion. Over the next year and a half, I dislocated my shoulder another 6 times: playing pingpong, volleyball, doing pullups, and several others the memory of which I've suppressed, at which point my doctor said that's about enough of that. I had a tenodesis done on my shoulder and it hasn't dislocated since. The surgeon said not to worry, it wouldn't be any easier to dislocate after the operation than it was the first time. Terrific, I said. The first time, I fell down. What are the odds of that happening again?

Anyway, I now have the archetypal trick shoulder--hurts when the weather's going to change, umm-hmm. Give me a rocking chair an a glass of lemonade and park me on the front porch so I can wave at people as they drive by.

Once I get back from karate class, that is. Since the operation, I've gotten my Water Safety Instructor certification, a brown belt in karate, and have taken up sword fighting, so I'm not too terribly lame.

-- Anonymous, February 14, 2000

I fenced in my 20s and now my knees are messed up - that condition where the cartilige in your knee caps is all scraped up. They sound like rice krispies popping when I bend them, and they hurt.

A couple of years ago I did something to my shoulder that made it hurt all the time, and finally needed physical therapy to repair. But it wasn't clear if this was caused by weight lifting or sleeping in a bed with a cruddy mattress while visiting my mom. The doctor told me that one episode of muscle strain makes it swell and then it gets irritated and stays swollen and is irritated by use.

-- Anonymous, February 14, 2000

The only sports injury I ever had was tenonitis from when I was still dancing. If I kept my foot at an angle and walked with that one foot on tiptoe, I could get around pretty quickly, but if I even threatened to straighten it out I was on the ground in agony. It hurt.

I think my lack of injury stems from my innate clumsiness- over the years I've learned how to fall, and I do, frequently. So no torn ligaments or stress injuries, since I usually end up on my ass with a sheepish grin on my face.

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2000

Four years ago I hit a patch of ice when I was cycling, and broke my femur in three places. I was on crutches for two months, had a second surgery about nine months after the injury to take the hardware back out, and I'm still rehabbing a bit from it. (The surgeon said that the quadriceps in my broken leg will always have a bit of a tendency to wimp out because there's so much scar tissue -- I was sliced open to the bone for a length of about 12 inches.) I'm pretty well recovered, though -- at this point, I'm basically trying to get from 99% to 99.9% to do better in racing.

You can read the full story at http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~wenger/broken_leg.html and see pictures of the hardware and x-rays at http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~wenger/hardware.html.

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2000

Wait! I did break my collarbone on a bicycle, which I guess could be a sports injury (I just put those into transportation injuries, though).

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2000

Knees? Oh yeah. About three years ago, ruptured (yes, completely) the ACL and MCL in my knee as well as the quad tendon. Completely immobilized (read wheelchair with a leg sticking straight out, crutches only "in an emergency") for three months. Amazing how quickly silly things become an emergency! To add insult to injury, it was my right leg, so I couldn't even drive if I wanted to.

I will admit that the experience gave me a lot more respect for the hassles that the handicapped face every day. There were more places than I realized that I simply could. not. go. No way, no how. Especially in a historic district, where niceties like ramps and wider doorways aren't required.

Coping mechanisms? Well, by the third week, just about every takeout place in town recognized my voice. (I was working at home and couldn't even manage to open the refrigerator without difficulty, let alone microwave food and then take it into the other room!) The best, most useful item by far, however, was the lowly backpack. Bottle of water, box of cereal, powerbar, whatever, and I could actua

-- Anonymous, February 17, 2000

Yeah broken, diclocated and torn some tendons in a few fingers from rugby. also tore some of my soleus (underneath the calf muscle) in a training one time. it was ther most painful thing ive ever done!!

-- Anonymous, May 16, 2001

yup, another ACL here and from skiing yet. Previously, just roadrash & whatnot. Right now I'm still recovering from the ACL reconstruction--luckily for me, I appear to be on the good end of the recovery graph! I've been hearing horror stories ever since I actually had my reconstruction and it made me wish I hadn't done it....but now, I think it's going to be OK!

-- Anonymous, May 17, 2001

Trying to show my kids how Tina Turner did "Proud Mary" after church, I did the bend way over, flip body back up bit & herniated disc between L4 & L5. Couldn't straighten up, they had to get underneath me & slowly force my body to an upright position. Husband off fishing in Canada - Couldn't walk without grabbing each leg & forcing it forward. Total spasm of back - COULDN'T REACH TO WIPE!!!! A month of pain, rest of life exercise & care & disability of never being able to do Tina Turner again. Peg

-- Anonymous, May 17, 2001