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Thread: Knee issue...unrelated to training..but still some after effects

  1. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe View Post
    Since what you're doing now is working, just keep doing that. I don't understand your confusion.

    I was worried that I was adding too much weight to my 5'11" frame. I am seeing a body recomp in progress, but I wasn't anticipating a net increase in weight after a starting point of 276lbs. Eating more definitely helps with the lifts, I just want to be sure I'm not overdoing it.

  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe View Post
    Your knee will not feel normal for quite a while -- in fact, it won't feel normal until you forget what it felt like before. A lot of shit has happened to it, and it's no longer original equipment. But you'll be fine, eventually.
    That is a powerful and inspiring perspective--these forums are a unique resource for people recovering from injuries, trauma and other physical conditions.

  3. #23
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    Rip,

    I had my upper body EMG study this morning. I hit the Christmas combo jackpot. First the good news, no sign of cubital tunnel syndrome. The ulner nerve in both arms are fine. Overall I'm feeling pretty sullen right now and not sure what to expect going forward:

    Confirmation of bilateral carpal tunnel; no nerve damage yet
    Confirmation of cervical radiculopathy pwith the focus right now being on C6. Need to get an MRI now.

    My lifts are starting to suffer, some of this has seeped into my head as I have daily numbness either upon waking or at various times throughout the day while working on the computer. Been eating 3600-3800 calories daily.

    Deadlift: 315lbs I failed the fifth rep on my last two training sessions with double overhand.

    Squat: I'm up to 295lbs pounds but I've noticed some compression forces and pain in my left traps last 3 training sessions. Mostly noticeable on the descent which I feel like is impacting my form forcing a more vertical back than what is acceptable.

    Press @ 110lbs and bench press @ 137.5lbs both "feel" fine but seem out of whack with my other lifts; especially my bench which is embarrassingly low.

  4. #24
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    Had a really good training session this afternoon despite the numbness being in my hands for much of this morning. In comparison, everything felt grindy in my previous session.

    Squat: Did 300lbs rather easily today and with good form. Felt really good, much better than 295 or 290 did.

    Bench: 140lbs was uneventful.

    Deadlift: Finally pulled 315lb for 5 reps. For the first time ever I used a mixed grip and was able to lift the bar with ease. The bar felt 50lbs lighter versus my last deadlift session 5 days ago with double over hand.

    This session was a much needed mental pick-me-up.

  5. #25
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    I'm going to be going on forced break for hopefully only a little while.

    I'm scheduled for carpal tunnel surgery in a couple of weeks. I'll have a two week break to give me some time to recover and then I'll be going in for a second time so they can fix the other hand. These will be the 9th and 10th procedures on my hands since 2008.

    I'm more bummed about the neck situation which has cast a looming shadow over my day-to-day ativities. I haven't been able to train since my last session on 12/31. I've had pain radiating down from the base of the left side of my neck into my shoulder area mimicking a shoulder joint issue very convincingly. Pain has been in the pec minor, clavicle, and scapula area on my left side. Just yesterday for the first time I noticed similar pains coming from my right clavicle area and a moment of weird sensations from my left leg. I see a non-surgical spinal doc first who will have to order the MRI before I have the complete picture. I'm honestly somewhat scared / nervous about this; I've had orthopedic issues in the past, this is different territory for me.

    I finish this NLP with the following lifts:

    Squat 310lbs
    Deadlift 320lbs
    Bench 142.5lbs
    Press 112.5lbs

  6. #26
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    There is a clinic in Dallas where they have a scope procedure for carpal tunnel issues. Outpatient, heals quickly. The Brown Clinic. Look them up.

  7. #27
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    I had the first carpal tunnel release procedure 8-days ago. Discomfort has been minimal and recovery has gone really well overall. I can make a reasonably strong fist and the only discomfort I have is when I put the wrist in flexion or extension which I'm supposed to avoid for the time being anyway. My other wrist will be fixed at the end of next week, assuming I can pass a mandatory covid test coming up in a couple of days.

    Not so good news. I wrote this in my prior post: "I haven't been able to train since my last session on 12/31. I've had pain radiating down from the base of the left side of my neck into my shoulder area mimicking a shoulder joint issue very convincingly".

    The neck / shoulder situation has gotten worse. I did see the spinal doc 9-day ago and he wasn't sure if the "pain" I was feeling was neck or shoulder related. At examination I had full strength and no real symptoms apart from pain in shoulder area. He did order an MRI for the cervical spine which I'll have done this Tuesday.

    Earlier this week I started waking up with acute shoulder pain which I had not experienced previously. I was pissed at myself and was convinced that it really was my shoulder joint or rotator cuff; I've had no neck pain at all during this time. Today, while working at my desk I felt a sudden onset of pain and weakness that I had never experienced before, not even when I had torn labrums in my shoulders. I went to the orthopedic center's urgent care center since it was so painful, and the onset came without warning. Walking felt terrible, any body movement at all felt terrible, breathing felt terrible. The car ride there was unbelievably bad. I could barely move my arm in any direction nor resist any external force from the Physician Assistant during the physical examination. X-Ray's were unremarkable. The pain was radiating down into my tricep. The PA was pretty convinced that the pain coupled with the presentation of acute loss of strength was indicative of a neck issue and not at all a shoulder issue. This was the first time I had experienced loss of strength and struggled just to lift my arm over my head. She gave me a course of prednisone and oxycodone to try to get the nerve inflammation down. Instructions were to take all (6) of today's tabs as soon I got home in one sitting; if things were to go downhill I was to check myself into the ER for stat imaging.

    2 hours after taking the prednisone....It's like nothing is wrong with me and the whole afternoon ordeal was just a bad dream. On the one hand I'm relieved that my shoulder health is likely intact; recovery from labrum shoulder was 12-months for each side. On the other hand I have a pretty good idea about what they will need to do for my neck and that is scaring the shit out of me. I just finished listening to the podcast of Ray Gillenwater and Will Morris discuss Ray's lead-up to cervical fusion and his recovery.

  8. #28
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    Both hands are healing fine from the carpal tunnel release. Procedures were done 3 weeks ago, and 1 week ago respectively. One set of stitches were removed a week ago, the other set should be removed next week. Grip strength is starting to come back. No more numbness in either hand.

    Saw the neck surgeon today after the urgent care incident. The canal narrowing at C5-C6 is "severe". Said it's beyond the point for artificial disc replacement and instead would do a fusion instead. It's largely asymptomatic now, but said I would have to get it fixed "eventually" but wasn't necessarily pushing me to get it fixed now.

    I raised the subject about lifting weights he gave me a speech about doing it for low weight / high reps / lifting for tone and not trying to max out. Yes he said all those things.

  9. #29
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    I need to ask for input but first share a scary sequence of events that occurred:

    My MRI report showed an incidental finding of a thyroid nodule with possible calcification. Thyroid nodules are usually nothing to worry about. The radiologist indicated "possible calcifications". That last part starts to amp up the risk quotient. I was advised to get an ultrasound which I did so immediately. The ultrasound was not good. It indicated this was a highly suspicious nodule due to several factors on how these things are graded (size, shape, opacity, smoothness, etc). The odds of it being benign were low and there were several days where I was anticipating a cancer diagnosis. The next step was to get a fine needle aspirated biopsy. The surgical oncologist I saw was far more positive about the situation. He did the biopsy under ultrasound which was completed in 15-20 minutes. My mood darkened after the procedure when he indicated that the nodule looked different/worse than he anticipated based on the images from the first ultrasound. Two-days later I received the greatest of phone calls indicating that the nodule was confirmed to be benign! I had been in a very dark place that made me question my mortality but was pulled out of it. I'll have to keep tabs of this sucker with additional tests over the next couple of years.


    Here's the MRI report. The orthopedic surgeon is concerned with C5-C6 and wants to do a decompression / fusion (ACDF). When I asked about ADR he said it was too far gone for that. Will be going back to plan out next steps and details with him on March 3rd now that the thyroid situation is in the rear view mirror. When I saw him on Feb 10th he said I would need to get this done "eventually". When I reached out to indicate that I wanted to give physical therapy a try, he had his staff call me to say that PT would only be a band-aid at this point and that the longer we waited to decompress the more i risked permanent nerve injury. When I called out the fact that my symptoms had receded the response was hat the methyl-prednisone had reduced the inflammation, but the cord compression remained and needed to be dealt with

    I'm admittedly nervous because the general guidance is that you are never the same after a fusion. Multiple sources indicate that once you have fusion you transfer the stress to the levels above and below the fusion. I don't necessarily doubt the need to act, but I am nervous about getting cut and creating future physical limitations as I think about long term outcomes and being able to train again.


    There is nonspecific straightening of the cervical spine. The vertebral body
    heights are maintained. The bone marrow signal is normal. The spinal cord is
    normal in caliber and signal. Visualized contents of the posterior fossa appear
    unremarkable. There is a 2 cm right thyroid nodule with possible
    calcifications.

    C2-3: There is no disc herniation. No central canal or foraminal narrowing.
    C3-4: Uncovertebral joint and facet hypertrophy resulting in severe right
    foraminal narrowing without significant central canal narrowing.
    C4-5: Small central disc herniation mildly deforming the ventral cord without
    significant central canal or foraminal narrowing.
    C5-6: Mild retrolisthesis of C5 on C6. Disc osteophyte complex with
    superimposed left central disc herniation deforming the ventral cord resulting
    in mild central canal narrowing and moderate to severe right and moderate left
    foraminal narrowing.
    C6-7: Disc bulge without significant central canal or foraminal narrowing.
    C7-T1: There is no disc herniation. No central canal or foraminal narrowing.
    --

    IMPRESSION:
    Cervical degenerative change as described.
    Right thyroid nodule with possible calcifications. Correlation with thyroid
    ultrasound is recommended.

  10. #30
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    I had the same diagnosis in 1999, at C6-7. Collapsed disc, osteophyte impingement on the nerve root, very bad pain, loss of function. I had the fusion with no hardware, and I have had absolutely no trouble with it for 22 years. This is not like lumbar surgery. Pick a good surgeon and get it over with.

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