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How to be an assertive patient - tips to avoid being fobbed off
I've run on a poorly knee for a over a year and then finally rested for 3 months and then saw a consultant, who's going to do an exploratory arthroscopy next month. He has a couple of theories of what it might be, but said, "You know your running days might be over".
A friend of mine reckons he might be fobbing me off and that I should not take 'no' for an answer, but to keep pushing because his theories sound more like a cop out.
How have other runners tackled the 'just stop running' advice from consultants? Its the easiest path for a consultant to take. But if you believe that the doctor isn't trying hard enough to find a solution - what can you say? I have no medical expertise, but my sports rehab therapist reckons I can still run ...
I have always followed a doctor's advice without question before, but how can I be persistent if after the op he simply says, "yes, I was right - stop running"?
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Comments
Probably best to wait until he has had a look, and knows, rather than has a theory, what is going on.
If he then says you should stop running, I would try to get his opinion on what will happen if you continue- ie, will your symptoms continue (in which case it's up to you whether they are tolerable, as long as you aren't doing any damage), or does he think you might be doing irreprable harm.
If he can't answer, or if you don't like what he has to say, you can always get a second opinion. Of course, he might be right, but at least if you hear this from more than 1 specialist, you might be more able to accept it.
Is your consultant a specific knee specialist? Is he interested/ experienced in the management of sport- related problems? - Not everyonr necessarily is.
To be honest I don't know who he is - I was advised to ask for a specific doctor, and the GP put his name on the referral, but then I ended up with an appointment with someone else ... so I don't know what his specialism is, nor how to find out
I did say on the phone that I'd asked to see someone else, but I was just told that it happens that you sometimes see someone else instead "They're all good" was her exact words
Yuk!
If you've tried and failed at good, decent non invasive intervention from somebody who understands physical medicine and your MRI is pretty inconclusive I'd still not have an exploratory 'score - the research is really poor.
Surgeons are great at surgical medicine, they're pretty poor at physical medicine - but because it can't kill you they're very happy to take a punt on your well being....
Go with your pals view....
I've had most of the meniscus removed from a very arthritic knee. The knee is visibly bigger than the other and looks swollen even though it is not. It always hurts whether I run or not so therefore I continue to run. I have seen several consultants from the same team. Some of them say don't run and others say the knee will control how much I can run. I tend to agree with the second group. When the pain is too much I don't run. Otherwise I just ignore all sense end run anyway.
There's not much point going to see the consultant if you have already decided that you are going to be fobbed off.
See a physio instead.
Just Google him with the word 'consultant'. Many hospitals have a 'staff' page for each unit, which gives details of their qualifications and specialisms. Example here. If your consultant also practises privately then have a look at his page on the site of a private hospital, as these usually give more specific details, e.g. interest in sports injuries.
Google says he is a 'lower limb specialist' and a 'keen sportsman' - fingers crossed then.
Re: physio - my friend said I should see a physio, but how do you know who the good ones are - a recommendation from another runner could just be one individual's experience and is not indicative of their expertise in general?
to find a good physio it is useful to ask for recommendations, Also, it can be good to find out their background, eg have the spent time working for a football team etc? The best physios I know have worked for football and rugby teams! Physios can specialise in different things, first physio I saw was more of a whiplash expert than sports and thought that runners were crazy and couldn't understand how I could think of 4 miles as just being a 'little' run
good luck brit!
My rehab therapist works for Hull FC - and keeps up to date with latest research / tecniques and treatments ... but do physios know more. How does a physio trump a rehab therapist?
sorry, no idea what a rehab therapist is!
Noticed the op ran on the damaged knee for a year before resting. I'd say that sent the problem well into the chronic zone.
Resting for three months to start with would have been a reasonable start point.
Seems somewhat audacious to start giving medics grief over their apparent lack of interest when the matter appears to have been given so little consideration in the first place.
🙂
Its had a lot of consideration - micro fracture, ACL reconstruction + physio rehab, then started running, with physio's go ahead. Once the problems began after this, I followed the advice of the rehab therapist (sports massage / soft tissue / not quite a physio) to the letter. He believed it was ok to carry on running, and I trusted his judgement, and did the exercises he gave me to do. Eventually he threw his hands up and said I should have an arthroscopy, but not getting referred to the consultant he suggested has thrown me .
I wondered if he was right not to stop me running - maybe if he works with rugby players he takes more of a gung ho - 'man up and keeping going' attitude, I don't know. He stopped me running when I had an ankle injury, but not the knee problem.
I've just had a letter to say my op has been cancelled - for the second time. This is the second time its happened, it was supposed to be in August originally, but apparently the surgeon got study leave so it was postponed until Oct 5th. This letter gave no reason, and no new date either
shall I just give up?