Last week I was standing on a chair to get something from the top of a cupboard and as I stepped down, the chair skidded out from under me on the laminate floor and I landed heavily on my leg with the bottom part going one way and the top part going the other. Something popped inside my knee and after the excruciating pain eased off and I stopped screaming and tried to stand, I realised that my knee had lost it’s stability and when I tried to put any weight on it, it just collapsed. My husband got me into the car and off to A&E where they x-rayed it, told me nothing was broken, said I had most likely damaged ligaments, gave me a set of crutches and made me an appointment at the acute knee injury clinic where the next available appointment was in 12 days!
In the meantime, I have been resting it, icing it and hobbling around on the crutches. My appointment at the knee injury clinic is on Monday so hopefully they can give me some more information about what I have done. It is starting to feel a little better but I still have no confidence in putting any weight on it.
This has caused a bit of a predicament as we are supposed to be going away in the caravan for 10 days over Easter (to the Cotswolds) and I still really want to go, but I am wondering what we can do during the days if I still can’t walk. Yesterday, we did a trial run at a National Trust place not too far away from home, and borrowed one of their mobility scooters so we could get around the garden and parkland. This was very successful as my husband enjoyed a good walk as usual and I was able to get around easily, so I know we will be able to go to other National Trust places when we are away and do the same thing. However that will only fill a few days. Does anyone have any ideas of places other than National Trust where we could do something similar. We are booked for 5 nights near Oxford and then 5 nights in Broadway so anything around those areas would be great. Also, has anyone used Shop Mobility? I can see they have a place in Oxford which would be good if we want a day sightseeing in Oxford but I am not sure how that works.
I am really hoping that by the time we go away in two weeks, I am walking again, but I just want some contingency ideas.
No personal experience of Shop Mobility, but they do seem to bury the essential details deep and out of reach on their web site! A number of other choices for hire of mobility aids, the Red Cross being one, who seem to be a lot more up front about what they offer and cost: https://www.redcross.org.uk/get-help/hire-a-wheelchair
Hope it's better soon, but can't offer any advice on where to go. Not sure if you are planning to go to Blenheim Palace, or how much of it you could go round.
I’m really glad you’re walking again: that’s a really good sign & hopefully you haven’t done too much damage.
Otherwise, sounds a bit like my “ski knee”: I was knocked over by another skier, woke up on my back with my knee bent 90° sideways. It was very sore, swelled up, my sports injuries GP next day sent me off to A&E saying “don’t let them put your leg in a cast”. I had a “Disrupted” ligament but thankfully the inner one & not the cruciate one (up the middle). And a detached cartilage. No broken bones.
Despite protestations, I was put into an ankle to thigh cast for 6 weeks & lost a lot of muscle tone, awkward going out on site for work, stairs took a while. If I’d been more confident in demanding what my GP had said, I should have been given what the professional football players got at the very same hospital - a hinged brace. You keep the muscle tone, the brace stops the leg literally flapping from side to side, you can go up & down stairs. You might be given one.
I ended up having to have the cartilage removed because I couldn’t go down stairs pain free after 6 months. Again, I hope yours is intact: the bone on bone contact that’s left when the protective cartilage is removed is what stopped my hill walking hobby - too sore coming downhill.
An elastic tube might feel like it’s helping but it won’t stop your leg feeling insecure. And don’t try swimming this summer. And get exercises from someone who knows what they’re talking about, to build up the muscles that hold your knee together. I was doing weights at the gym at the time of my accident, otherwise the next joint up would have gone - my hip.
Wishing you a speedy recovery & a great holiday. Most places now have wheelchairs to borrow; you might be able to hire one in your local area for the trip.
If it would help, the Red Cross lend out various bits of disability equipment, including wheelchairs. We took a folding one to Spain (by air) once. and it was very useful.
------------- Freedom is a light caravan and an open road.
I've been invovled in rugby for many years so knee problems are part of the world I live in!
My daughter dislocated her knee cap a few years ago, it went back immediately, but damaged ligaments. She was in a calf to thigh brace for a couple of weeks, but after that hobbled well!
A friend had an ACL and meniscus op three weeks ago and she was walking yesterday with limited knee flex, no crutches, no brace.
If there is no damage which requires surgery a couple more weeks of rest and rehab should be enough. Ask the specialist about 'PEACE and LOVE' acronyms for post injury recovery.
Thanks everyone for the advice and good wishes. I was at the hospital today and I am now in a hinged knee brace that goes from just above my ankle to my thigh. It’s a bit awkward but I am already able to walk without the crutches so that is really encouraging. As long as I don’t decide I want to take up some sort of sport, the doctor thinks it will heal well enough for daily life without surgery which I am relieved about. I’m back at the hospital again in a month to see how it is doing.
I’ve been doing some research on places around where we are going in the Cotswolds, and there seems to be a lot of attractions who will loan a mobility scooter either free of charge or for a nominal fee, so I think we will be able to find plenty to do.
Glad to hear you’re making progress. 3 years ago I was knocked sideways, injuring my left knee and elbow. I had to walk with help to the village bench so husband could take me to A+E and get X-ray and crutches and told no fracture. Next day get call to return to Orthopaedic clinic as I did have a fracture of the tibial plateau, and had ankle to thigh cylinder. Hopeless on crutches so I learnt to hobble for the next month. After this I was given a hinged brace that can be adjusted to alter the degree of flexing. Fortunately it healed ok and was told that I shouldn’t need a replacement in the future.
So this year I slipped on ice and fractured my left patella. So back to the cylinder cast and slightly different exercises and then the hinged brace again. The first fracture brace was thrown away, what a waste when I could have sent it to Ukraine. I’ve kept this one. On each occasion I was due to go away for a few days, and our anniversary holiday to Cyprus cancelled.
I do hope you manage to get around and enjoy the time away.
Hi, hope you all OK. I've been waiting for knee replacement for four and half years so can't walk a 100 yards without a rest. Last year we booked a site in Dronfield in the Peak District. I went online and found charity that rent mobility boot scooters out for £35 a week. Very close to where we where staying. Helped me and my satnag to have a great two weeks holiday.
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
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'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
Thanks again for all the good wishes. We had a good holiday and found plenty to do in the Cotswolds with mobility scooter hire. I have written a trip report in that section of the forum for anyone who might be in a similar situation and wants a holiday but has mobility issues.
Unfortunately, this weekend has not been so positive. I was back at the hospital on Friday and they have told me I need to wear the brace for at least another 5 weeks which I have now resigned myself to. The doctor said I just need to be patient as when you get older (how insulting ) things take longer to heal!
We are currently away in the caravan for the bank holiday weekend and when we returned to the site on Saturday afternoon, people in a neighbouring caravan did not have their very large dog on a lead and as I walked past their caravan, it bounded out at me and jumped up with its front paws on my shoulders (I’m only just over 5 feet, so not very tall). I am very allergic to dogs so tried to fend it off but as I stumbled backwards in shock, I lost my balance and fell over, tweaking my knee again. Luckily I don’t think I have done too much further damage and it seems to have settled back down again, but I feel really shaken by the whole incident. It has taken 2 days and a load of antihistamines to get over the allergic reaction. I can’t believe that people with a clearly very excitable and territorial dog would not have it tethered. They were very apologetic but just kept saying he is a friendly dog and wouldn’t harm anyone! Oh well, hopefully they have learned something from the incident and keep their dog on a lead from now on. Fingers crossed my knee has not suffered any further damage and by the time we go away again at the end of May, I’ll be able to walk a bit further.
Oh dear, I hate to read about stupid inconsiderate people. They should have at least bought you a bottle of wine so that you had a good excuse to stagger around.
It annoys me when I see dogs not being tethered at campsites.
Hope you'll recover soon enough.
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
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Topic: Knee!
via mobile 05/4/2025 at 11:37am
) things take longer to heal!
