Well, here it comes. Last game of the FCDG (Forest City Derby Girls)' Thames Fatales is Saturday. We play the Vicious Dishes of Tri-City (TCRG) from Kitchener-Waterloo ON. Advance tickets are still available (limited) so get them now! Any FCDG rollergirl can help, or visit ticketscene.ca! 

I had to notify my team captain today that my hopefulness did not equal fast-healing super powers. I am not playing. My doctor and husband won't give me permission.

I could play injured on this knee, but I'm risking much worse injury. A grade II sprain of an MCL ligament in the knee, probably isn't something I should play on. A little swelling, soreness, overuse type injury and like Fall 2008 I'd be on it all day, let it swell, it'd hurt less and off I'd go. But when the Dr. pulled at my leg and the joint had laxity - I felt it sorta move where it shouldn't have moved, ya know? Well I've weighed that against not playing, and chosen not to play on Saturday. If my team gets mad at me or thinks I am a wuss for it, so be it. Just because I choose to pretend it doesn't hurt (I say - it's only stiff - I am fine as long as I am not moving lateral or pivoting on that foot hahaha), doesn't mean it can take roller derby hits and falls for an hour. Am I doing the right thing? 

Regardless, if I am off-roster, my season is already over, and was over before it got started. That makes a late start (April come back after over a year off skate) a no-start for 2009 with this, my second injury since April requiring a doctor's visit. This time, I get physio though! Hooray! Maybe I will finally figure out what I am doing so wrong to my lower limbs! 

Is this the end? 

Naaaaa... it's just the off season creeping up on us. Montreal is having a special expo bout Nov 21, and on the same day in Edmonton Oil City is hosting the 3rd annual Sk8mare before Christmas!   Hamilton is having an Art Crawl Derby Party on Nov 13, 

We may be quiet through the holidays when we take rest and family time, but we're training rookies, recruiting, and adding skills for the 2010 season throughout the winter, so don't despair! I'll still be rolling! See you Saturday at Western Fair!

Labels: bouts, event, FCDG, injuries

Well, derby luvvers, Nia Capps is agonizing.
I'll be posting to Raven's derby hurts yahoo group today. Last night at practice, something went awry and I think I have a sprained MCL in my right knee.

So here's what happened.
We were drilling last night with types of blocking like swarming, walls, waterfalling, etc. Basically, it is a 2 on 1 drill. 2 blockers attempt to force the jammer to cut but stay in front of her or swoop in to slow her down with a little tap, then get in front of her and sit on her to stop her, never allowing her enough room from that moment on to build up momentum to cut around, and if she does, being able to hit her out and start again.

So I am blocking with Dollface Massacre, our jammer du jour was Miss Commiekaze. Commie, like me, is the only skater on our team that no one calls by her real name. We are only our derby names. Nia and Commie. I like her, and we're teammates, if not every day friends yet. We've even partied. Commie is a great pivot, training to be a jammer, and is a pretty hard skater. So we are working on this blocking and about a minute or so in, we are going around the 4th corner of the track (our practice track is squished small and is about half of the usually width around the corners so it's very TIGHT) and I leaned toward the inside (as I was supposed to) and my partner Dollface did as she was supposed to and came with me and had helped me stay holding the line in front of Commie.

I mentioned Commie is a strong skater, and she often pushes herself and us to work harder. Instead of the usual, stop, get speed and try to get past us by cutting, she went to go between us. With my right leg extended a little out, weight shifted to the left side to lean to the line, what happened next was weird. It felt like my foot stopped - maybe it was tripped up in Commie's feet, maybe the wheels caught on the floor and stuck, maybe it was just a weight shift as Commie pushed past me, but somehow Commie leaned into me and I actually felt my right knee "slip" to the inside almost like the bones came apart and popped back together as my femur moved to the inside as my tibia and fibia did not.

It hurt and I went down, some how folding into a heap with Commie and turning my body to avoid my knee I landed with my hip on her skate. (Hello little butt bruise) I had yelled something like, "AH! My Knee!" when I went down.

Strangely, I was able to get up with help, then roll off without assistance thinking maybe it was a fluke thing that would just need a break, and when I turned to stop, my weight shifted and the knee gave way to the inside again, and I went back down to the floor.

I iced it. I went home and iced it some more. It just hurt. I tried a bath to warm up the cold and tightening muscles around it, and iced it some more, it just hurt. I took some Tylenol and went to bed - on the couch with the knee up on a pillow.

This morning, I woke up from the pain and I have found that I can't straighten it all the way out (lock it), it feels achy not doing anything and plain hurts or gives way with hard weight or lateral pressure - or if I pivot on it or leave my foot down and twist my weight at all. But I seem to be able to get pretty close to ROM movement non-lateral as long as I move slowly, but it's really painful and it's very painful on the medial portion of my knee, even to the touch.

My research tells me from self-diagnosis that I have a Grade I or maybe Grade II MCL sprain (since I have felt it slipping today even - as though I have instablity in the knee). I have an appointment with the Fowler Sports Medicine clinic here in London, Ontario this afternoon and I'll let you know.

Looks like even if it is Grade I, I am looking at a 2-3 week recovery which will put me out of my first FULL game where I wasn't only an alternate and our last game of the 2009 season. *cry* I hope it's manageable and we can find a safe, but moveable bracing option that will allow me to play.

Arg, knee injuries are always scary - and I fear that I will not be able to help my team and that my career in derby may be over if I can't stay healthy. If it is, what will I do? Hmmmm boxing? Cycling? Personal Trainer Fitness? Theater? Dance? Sew? Ok i won't go there. Let's call it off til I see the doctor. I'll keep you posted!

Labels: injuries