Hit in the Thigh With a Rock
I was climbing Rainier two weeks ago and took a hit from grapefruit-sized rock. Plunked me in the muscle just above the kneecap. I gutted it out and summited, but it was 18 hours before I was home to ice and elevate it.
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I was climbing Rainier two weeks ago and took a hit from grapefruit-sized rock. Plunked me in the muscle just above the kneecap. I gutted it out and summited, but it was 18 hours before I was home to ice and elevate it. Gradually, the swelling (which was only moderate) has gone down and I have my mobility back. But here I am, two weeks later, still with a small knot above my knee and lingering pain. Should I see a doctor? Physical therapist?
TyneRock | Rock and Ice Forum
Somebody get this guy a sponsorship deal! Hell, a book deal! OMG, call Hollywood!
Two weeks is not long when you have just taken a haymaker from a midget Mike Tyson and summited! A rock that size traveling somewhere between really fast and holy-shit fast is tremendously powerful. That it did not break your leg is a minor miracle. Had it smashed your patella to smithereens you could have crawled your way to a major screenplay and maybe even a nude scene with Penelope Cruz.
Oddly, it does not sound like it caused a hematoma, but rather has crushed/fused some of the muscle fibers to the point of annihilation. They say if you could compress coal you would make a diamond. But when you compress muscle tissue with a sudden force, and undoubtedly some hematoma formation, you just make a fibrous lump. The lump will probably remain, and may well cause you some patella tracking issues in the future. Your best bet is some remedial massage to try and free up what you can.