circus injury, need some advice

[reubendotdotdot]

Hi all, my name is reuben, i am a new member, just registered.

A little about me. I am a 27 year old Male, have done gymnastics since i was 12 or so and have been a circus and street performer for the last 5-6 years. I have, and do, put a lot of wear and tear on my body, my chosen vocation forces it.

i have a question regarding a recent injury, i would love any advice or help on the matter, and thank anyone so much for replying.

I am writting here because i am an english speaker currently working in Valencia spain... and quite often its very hard to make heads or tails of what the doctors are saying. I am a professional Circus performer, specializing in "Chinese pole". I recently during a show developed a really bad pain starting in the back of my right leg behind the knee, and working its way down to my calf and lower. It was during a show after a specific move which hits my leg very hard on the pole, i am use to a pain in this leg, its a reacuring thing, but this time it was a lot more, i had been working 2 shows a day with no days off for over a week, so recovery time for injuries. i fiished the show and limped off stage and had to lie down with my leg up, it was hurting alot.

i went to the hospital, after i refused for a while, purely because i couldn't walk anymore, and just behind my knee it was getting very very puffy. After a consultation and the next day seeing a doctor and getting what they call a "cardiograph" but it looks like a ultrasound to me, i was told i probably burts a "baker cycst" behind my knee, and fluid had collected in my calf, but they would do an MRI to confirm. Since then i have been put on a diet of painkillers (trying not o take them) anti-inflamatories and i inject myself everyday with something called CLEXANE supposedly for circulation, and keeping my leg high and on crutches. injury was on 20th of december.

now i am sorry for this but these are the results that i was given from MRI, in broken english maybe, my doctor tries to write in english for me but even if it is perfect english, i just don't exactly understand...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"interfascial liquid level in a deep hole in the popliteal muscle, fat edematizacion the regional fibrillary fracture in the proximal insertion twin external and fibers proximal bilateral soleus.
degeneration of the horn intrasustancia previous Deol external meniscus and posterior horn of the medial meniscus without breaking"
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I talked to my doctor, and go see her again soon, from what i can make of it, i don't actually understand whats wrong, but i can start to move my foot and ankle in circles and slowly put preasure, maybe swimming and riding an exercise bike for rehabilitiation.

right now, all the swelling has gone down, actually my injured calf is now getting smaller than my good one, there is not to much pain if i touch or press lightly anywhere on my calf or behind my knee, but my foot is in a constant point. If i try to flex my foot to a walking position i feel a little pain in my calf, but much more, a restrictive and tightness all through my muscle back there, mainly focused it feels inside quite clost to the bone and a little to the right... being a circus person and an ex-gymnast, i really want to pull my foot and streach it out, but i don't know if that is good or not. i can get my foot close to a right angle without touching it, but thats about as far as i feel comfortable.


wow that was a mouthfull. Sooooooooooo, my real question is, how long would an injury like this, with correct rehabilitation, take to heal? i really don't even know if its serious or not, doesn't feel too serious but i just don't really know. My doctor said not to do much at all, other wise risk the chance of a thrombosis. I am asking because in 24 days i am meant to start my next contract in New Zealand, and am trying to toss up whether to cancel it? I have been told more or less three weeks till its good, but is this to 100%? i really need 100% or close to it to work. You can see in my website http://www.reubendotdotdot.com/

in the video's, the type of things i do. I do put a lot of wear and tear on my body. I want this to heal properly, because my body is my work and without it, i lose all prospects of employment. I would be flying back to Australia on mid next month, but i will stay here if it looks like it will take a while to rehabilitate because my work here is obligated to cover my medical costs.

Main questions are:
1. whats actually wrong in simple terms
2. how long to heal to 100%
3. opinion if i should cancel work
4. is this going to be a ongoing thing or a once off
5. any rehabilitation advice


Thank you for listening to me, i do hope there is someone out there who can shed a little more light on this, and exactly how worried and careful i should be.

kind regards
reuben

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