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Neurology (Expert Forum)
Muscle weakness
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Muscle weakness
by Kim33sk, Mar 26, 2004 12:00AM
I have had problems getting up from a crouch position. I am 34 yrs old/f and weigh about 200 lbs. Injured left knee in 98 fell on ice, within a 1/2 hr of the injury my knee was about 2-3 times its normal size. The doctor took exrays of my knee and there was no injury apparent. A few days later I had bruising all the way down to my ankle(a real deep purple). I was on crutches for a few weeks. It took about a year for the fluid to disappear around the knee. My mom has limb-girdle Muscular Dystrophy.
I have found in the past few months that when I crouch down to get something that when I have to get up I need to use my hands and kind of pull myself up. There is a bit of pain in the left knee but none in the right knee. I have not had arthroscopic surgery to view the extent of the injury to the knee in 98. What should I do? Are there certain questions I should ask my doctor the next time I see him?
I have found in the past few months that when I crouch down to get something that when I have to get up I need to use my hands and kind of pull myself up. There is a bit of pain in the left knee but none in the right knee. I have not had arthroscopic surgery to view the extent of the injury to the knee in 98. What should I do? Are there certain questions I should ask my doctor the next time I see him?
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-Neuro-M.D.-CS, Mar 28, 2004 12:00AM
Unless the knee pain is severe, it should not prevent you from standing up from a crouched position. Limb girdle muscular dystrophies can be passed on through genetics. What I would recommend doing is contacting your primary care doctor who can evaluate you, and obtain blood for muscle enzymes. If these are positive, then he/she can refer you to a neurologist, preferablly one who specializes in neuromuscular disorders. Good luck.
If you are looking for a neurological connection, I'll give you one. Regardless of your height, 200lbs seems on the high end. Obesity is a high risk factor for Type II diabetes, and Type II diabetes increases your chance of having a stroke. 700,000 people have a stroke every year in the U.S., 75% survive, and 9 out of 10 are left with permanent neurological deficits thereafter. After a stroke, some people can't talk, some can't walk, amongst other unfortunate sequeale.
Bottom line: the best cure is prevention and therefore it's important to reduce all the risk factors you can.