Knee Problems-Take 2

Okay, this week I had and MRI on my right knee because I was still have some swelling and a wierd popping sound that occurs when I extend my leg fully. I figured that since it has been two years since my ski accident where I injured my knee I better get it checked out. Let me preface the MRI results with the fact that although my knee swells and pops and occasionally hurts after I ski, it has been fully functional on it. I have bike raced, skied, climbed, gone on rescues on Mt. Hood and it has held up fine. So, the doc's office called Friday before we left for Utah and gave me my results. I have a partial ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) tear and a completely torn LCL (Lateral Collateral Ligament). At this point I don't know the extent of the damage to the ACL (evidently it got torn when it ripped a chunk of bone off of my tibia in my tele skiing accident) or where the LCL is torn. I don't even know when the LCL got torn, if I did it in my ski accident or if I have somehow torn it since them. Am I that dumb? I would like to think I would know if I tore up my knee again. Anyway, it explains the swelling and popping and the pain in the region where the LCL attaches to my tibia. I meet with the doc on Jan. 11 and he will discuss the options with me. At this point I know I am fully functional on it and so any surgery NEEDS to be scheduled between bike racing and skiing. I am thinking I can sandwich a surgery between the end of the bike racing season this August and ski season in Dec./Jan.. Hopefully make a full recovery so I can ski next year. Gotta have priorities right?

This is really not the news I had hoped for. I was really hoping that it was something that could be fixed with very minor surgery, not ligament repair. Oh well, that is life. I am still going to train and race, and most definitely ski in Utah. Hopefully the doc will have some good news like "I'm sorry, we mixed your MRI up with someone else really don't have such a crappy knee." With my luck, that won't happen. I will post and update after my appointment. I am hoping to get some of the MRI pics as well and will post those as well.