Tips for young players...

#1

My return to skateboarding has been a strange few months. Back in early September I tweaked my knee at Dullo, I didn’t think too badly. But it was enough to keep my off the deck for a couple of weeks (during which I did at least come and meet a few of the MASHers). Once better I had a couple more sessions before, yep, tweaking my knee again! It was another insignificant off but clearly the knee was very unstable. A few more weeks off, and this weekend I was fired up to come along for genuine skating MASH session (knee still a bit swollen but nothing too dramatic).

Yesterday we had a work “function” at the Paddington Lawn Bowling green. A few nice bevvies in the sun… until while wandering down the green I kind of propped off my right leg a little strangely and - you guessed it - my knee buckled a bit and suddenly swelled up like a balloon again. This time the pain was a fair bit worse.

Today I managed to get into a sports med centre and see a doc. Turns out that the previous injuries to my right knee (ruptured anterior that was never repaired 20 years ago, and a torn medial about 10 years ago) had left it way worse than I thought. Somehow I’d managed to get through several marathons and an Ironman triathlon over the past few years. I now looks like my “little” tweaks over the past couple of months mean I’ll be going under the knife next week. All that’s left to discover is whether it’ll be a straight arthroscopy or a full reconstruction - an MRI tomorrow and a final consultation with the surgeon on Monday will decide it. At the moment it’s looking like the full whack - which also means 6-9months of rehab/physio.

I guess on the positive side the full reconstruction will leave me with a knee way better than I have now – and the doc said once it’s strong there’s no reason not to skate.

So I’ll still be around and I’ll try and come to watch a few MASH sessions along the way (and I’ll definitely come to the SOS Jam and the slalom champs). Might have to work on the photography skills too. And the kids are exciting about using my boards without fighting me for them!

The big lesson? Be careful out on the lawn bowling green guys!

Cheers
Chuck

#2

Sincerest condonlences,
thats got to be in the top five worst pieces of news a skater can recieve.
On the bright side a coupla brand spanking knee’s will give your skating a knew lease on life.

#3

‘We can rebuild him - we have the technology’…

All the best with healing up - and look forward to seeing you up and about on four wheels real soon!

#4

Sorry to hear about your knee, I too did my cruciate and medial ligaments but they recovered and I kept skating and playing sport.
Only started skating again a couple of months ago and the knees feel a bit ricety lol. I never had a recontruction though but did brake my arm riding bowl,now I never skate bowls and that without wristguards.
It’s good that you played on most people would be cruches and winging.

Well hope your knee recovers I don’t envy you I hate hospitals.

Alan

Bye the way I love the board

#5

Bad and good news Chuck, the knee will be much better afterwards…heaps of cycling as you already know and she’ll be right mate.

#6

Damn chuck!
Best wishes for a speedy recovery mate!

#7

good luck with the surgery. Im seeing the knee Doctor in early November for damaged meniscus in my right knee. Hate that pop sensation where the knee goes and I just fall sidewards.

I saw Physios and got rehab and exercises and its come good 85% but my knee movement is still restricted. So off for an arthriscope come Novemeber.

Do you every wonder if knee surgeons have shares in Dogtown\Indies\etc???

make sure you catch the SOS Jam!!!

#8

Good news - saw the surgeon again this morning and I’m going in for the full reconstruction on Nov 17 (it originally looked like I might have to wait longer). I’m especially pleased it’s this soon as the doc says you shouldn’t do long flights for 6-8 weeks after the op - and I’m headed to Detroit for the SuperBowl at the beginning of Feb and there was no way I wanted to miss that. Bonus news is he reckons I should be ready to skate in six months!

#9

Great news Chuck!

#10

Chuck you hang in there man, the mash crew will be around for long time yet. I had a dream about this guy terring tiles in the deep end at bondi he ripped up the shallow and pulled this hard front side smith, he was big guy 6-2 brown hair when I woke up I said to my girl I think I just saw bass wombat ripping at bondi ,realy thats nice darling :smiley:

#11

You really need to change that pre-bedtime beverage Mark! Perhaps a Horlicks will make you sleep better?

Funny what happens when you start using sign-on names with others (especially your wife). I was in Boston a while back and had arranged to meet a couple of guys from a bass forum… when speaking to my wife back here I excitedly told her that I was meeting Zombie Of Death and The Executioner for a beer that night! You can imagine her response…

Turned out they were both blokes in the 40s/50s, straight as a dye - one was an accountant and the other a public servant. :laughing: