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Help stalled recovery from knee injury

I fell and banged and twisted my knee about 3 weeks ago. It was very painful. There was an x-ray that showed no fracture. I used arnica and ice at first, then ledum, now rhus tox. I wore a splint to prevent pain for one week. After first week, recovery was good and I am able to bend it, but now for two weeks there is not much improvement. I tried to go off crutches a week ago only to experience more pain and aching. So back on crutches since then. I put on a poultice with comfrey root today. Please help me decide how to treat next.
 
  balval on 2011-03-26
This is just a forum. Assume posts are not from medical professionals.
You need to give symptoms. If the standard first aid remedies are not helping, then a proper case must be taken.

Describe the pains in detail, the things that make it better or worse, the times you are more aware of it.

Describe what potencies of the medicines you used, how you took them, what form you took them in, how frequently, and what you noticed from each one.
 
brisbanehomoeopath last decade
I have pain and soreness in my left knee on the inside of the joint. It hurts and is stiff when I go to move after sitting. The pain is felt when I am about 7/8 up into a standing position. It also hurts if I try to stretch my leg out. At the end of the stretch it hurts and when I lower it back down it hurts. The pain is in a 'C' like arc facing down along the inside curve of the knee from the top of the lower leg to the start of the upper leg. It hurts in the same place going up and down stairs, but mostly going down because it seems like I must put more weight on it. Another motion that hurts is if I unexpectedly make a quick movement that turns the knee in. Lying on my side in bed also hurts. I sleep with a pillow between my knees and that helps. If I lie flat with a pillow under my left knee I can also be comfortable. I am more aware of the pain and aching at night after moving around all day especially if I have put weight on it more than usual. I also cannot get into a squat without experiencing the same pain. It hurts less if these movements are made without putting any weight on the left leg. If I stand and lift my knee very slowly I can raise it almost to my chest without any pain at all. When I rotate my knees together, it hurts in the same place both clockwise and counter clockwise on the inner curve of the rotation.

I started with a mixed potency arnica 6,12, & 30X in a tablet form that I got at the grocery. I took it for about 3 days 3 -4 x per day. Then I had a friend give me this first aid book. All the following doses I took in Boiron 30 X pellets, 5 per dose. Then I took 1 dose of 30x arnica t the end of the last day that I was taking the tablets. The arnica helped with the pain and range of motion. For three days after that I took ledum 30X, 3 X per day. Ledum seemed to give the most relief from the deep feeling of pain. My knee turned a little yellow, but barely perceptable. The swelling went down quite a bit. Then I started on rhus tox 30X for about 5 days 3 x per day. I was following a first aid book's recommendations. The swelling was almost gone by this time. At that time I got a couple mouth sores and discontinued the rhus tox for a day with no remedy. Around that time I also felt confident to walk and impatient to walk, but that lasted only a day and I went back to crutches. I went back to the ledum for a day or two, but realized I was thoroughly confused and thought maybe the ledum was making me angry at first. Though I am not sure. Right now I am not taking any remedies.
 
balval last decade
Are you able to get the remedy Ferrum metallicum easily?
 
brisbanehomoeopath last decade
I need to check tomorrow when places are open
 
balval last decade
what potency?
 
balval last decade
30c is fine. Let me know when you have it and what form you get it in.
 
brisbanehomoeopath last decade
I have obtained ferrum metallicum 30C, Boiron pellets.
 
balval last decade
Ok. Dissolve 2 pellets in 1/2 cup (125ml) of water. Stir thoroughly and take a teaspoon into the mouth. Cover the water and repeat this (including the stirring) 3 times about 8 hours apart. Then let me know what has happened.

If the knee aggravates in any way do not take any more doses.

Make sure the stirring is vigorous, sort of like beating an egg.
 
brisbanehomoeopath last decade
I took 3 doses of ferrum metallicum about 8 hours apart from each other and prepared as you described. The first dose was in the evening. (It is now the following evening) The first morning I noticed that I could stretch my leg out and point my toe very naturally without pain in my knee. I also noticed my joints cracking a lot at the beginning of the day. That became less as the day went on. I feel better able to walk with slighter limp and to maneuver stairs; although I still feel I have to be very intent about it. There is still some stiffness in getting up and down but it subsides quicker. I am still using crutches most of the time because when I over do it the residual soreness on the inside of the knee gets worse. I still get twinges of pain that surprise me if I move especially lateral or twisting motions too quickly.

I did continue to do the comfrey poultices (three days in total now) because the first two days I did them before I acquired and took the ferrum met. showed steady improvement.

I am thinking that if my knee feels reasonably well tomorrow when I get up I may try the day without crutches to see how I do.
 
balval last decade
Reduce your frequency of doses to once a day, taking them the same way. Do this only 3 more times (once a day for 3 more days).

Stop the moment you feel no symptoms or you feel a worsening of your symptoms.

Good result though!
 
brisbanehomoeopath last decade
Thank you so much for your help. Once I started taking the ferrum metallicum once a day my knee got remarkably worse. I stopped taking as you recommended with the worsening of symptoms and waited to see what would happen.

After one day without the remedy, I am back to where I was about 4-5 days ago (feeling ready to walk without crutches, but not quite able). I am still using crutches because when I walk on it it gets sore again and stiffens up. Today, instead of putting no weight on it I am using the crutches as I walk to lighten the load.

My knee is just slightly stiff when I get up from sitting; it is slightly sore and feels a little heavy when I lift it. When I pull it toward my chest, I feel pain when I reach the last 15% of the movement. The same if I try to squat, but more so because then I need to put weight on it. To rotate it out from a sitting position, I feel pain at 50% of movement. I can rotate my knees clockwise and counter clock wise from a standing position if I do it very carefully; I get soreness rather than pain. If I walk I don't feel a lot of pain, but my leg is stiff and I limp.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
 
balval last decade
So there is improvement from using the Ferrum, but no further improvement past that initial one?

The next step would be to take Ferrum 200c. This will either increase the progress or will do nothing (showing that the Ferrum can go no further).
 
brisbanehomoeopath last decade
Well it actually started getting worse once I had taken the first three doses and started on the once a day doses. That's why I stopped. Once I stopped for a couple days, my knee got better again. Should I still go on with Ferrum metallicum 200C?
 
balval last decade
ah wait. now i see what could be the problem

You are not succussing the dose before repeating it. Without succussion (hitting a bottle firmly against the palm of the hand) the remedy becomes less effective and more aggravating.

Do you have a small bottle that you could use to make up a new mixture of the Ferrum?
 
brisbanehomoeopath last decade
I made the diluted dose with 2 pellets and half a cup of water in a small jelly jar. I stirred it vigorously before before taking a teaspoon each time. I could make a new mixture up in a bottle.
 
balval last decade
Stirring is not enough. The remedy must be succussed. That is the only way to be sure if the 30c has reached the end of its usefulness or not.

It is also necessary to put some alcohol in the water (at a ration of about 5:1 water: alcohol) to preserve the remedy. Any spirit will do.

In making the remedy this way might be best to make a new batch with new pellets.

Hit the bottle very hard against the palm of your hand, twice only. Then attempt one more dose.

Take as close to 1 drop as you can estimate, out of the bottle into a 1/4 (62ml)cup of clean water. Stir that vigorously and take a teaspoon from the cup.

Let me know what that does.
 
brisbanehomoeopath last decade
OK. I will do that today
 
balval last decade
I took three doses, one per day of the ferrum prepared as you described.

There is slight improvement. I have not been using crutches for three days even though my knee is sore when I walk. It also seems to stiffen up when I stop moving.

My knee is just slightly stiff when I get up from sitting, and very stiff when I start walking. It is sore when walking especially downhill and down stairs. It still causes pain in the last 15% of the movement when I try to squat. I can rotate my knees clockwise and counter clock wise from a standing position if I do it very carefully; I get soreness rather than pain. If I walk I don't feel a lot of pain just soreness, but my leg is stiff and I limp.

I have been trying to massage it once a day and put a comfrey root compress on it once a day. The comfrey seems to take the swelling down. I also do stretching and range of motion every day.
 
balval last decade

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