I have had chronic knee problems because I'm too flexible and tend to fall in ways that inflict maximum knee damage. The first time I dislocated my knee was when I was in first grade. I was playing tag in the playground and tripped over a tree trunk. I fell on the inside of my knee, my lower leg was completely perpendicular to my upper leg. I remember being horrified when the nurse joked as she wrapped up my knee, "Better make sure your knee won't pop off." I was a very literal child so I spent a week waiting for my kneecap to blow. Since I was young, I was better after a week of bedrest and an ace bandage.
The next dislocation was quite a doozy. In 7th grade, I was playing soccer in gym and was getting ready to kick a goal shot when some guy kicked the back of the leg I was standing on. Not only did I dislocate my knee, I broke my elbow in the fall. That combo of injuries made getting around on crutches difficult. I went through months of physical therapy. Which lead me to seeing Cher when they were shooting scenes for "Mermaids" at my local hospital.
The final dislocation was sophomore year in gym while I was playing tennis. This time, I didn't simply stretch my ligaments, I crushed the miniscus so there was this horribel grinding sound. How did the doctor cure it? Before I had a chance to think or get scared, he stuck a needle under my kneecap and injected something that inflated the miniscus.
The reason why I'm walking down knee memory lane is that from all the pivoting and kicking in Tae Kwon Do classes, my knee is feeling achy and grindy. On the up side, barring a bad fall, I have strengthened my quads so much my knee cap is basically stapled down.
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