Chronicles 03 5446941fbd394

The Kolman Patella Chronicles – The Cause and the Treatment

Oct. 24, 2014
What caused Fleet Maintenance’s editor to fall down and what will the treatment be?

What was the cause of the fall that shattered the left knee of Fleet Maintenance’s editor, David A. Kolman?

We received a lot of plausible explanations, as well as some very creative ones. None of the ones offered up in the first Chronicle or by others was correct.

Sadly, Kolman doesn’t have a good story to tell about the knee. Truth be told, he had borrowed a pair of sandals from a brother to walk some garbage cans to the street. After setting them curbside, a downpour started and Kolman began rushing up the driveway to get back into the house.

He suddenly slipped and landed smack on his left knee. “It happened so quickly, I didn’t even have time to brace myself,” related Kolman.

He is said to be talking with his brother about his responsibility in the accident, and reportedly has been in discussions with the legendary law firm of Dewey Cheatham & Howe.

The doctor returns

The previous Chronicle ended with Kolman waiting for the doctor to let him know if open reduction-internal fixation (ORIF) surgery would be required for his fractured left knee.

“I just can’t seem to catch a break,” Kolman is said to have remarked to his wife, who quickly quipped: “You caught several really good ones.”

“Very funny,” he snapped. “I just hope I don’t need another surgery. I’ve got industry events to attend.”

The door opened and in returned the doctor. “Well?” asked Kolman, girding his loins for bad news.

“We believe we can get that knee repaired through non-surgical treatment,” the doctor answered with confidence. The sighs of relief from both Kolman and his wife were audible to those in the nearby examination rooms.

Kolman was then fitted for a knee immobilizer brace – a contraption designed to hold the knee straight to keep the broken pieces in proper position while they heal. This type of brace wraps around the leg to support and stabilize the leg and immobilize and restrict the range of motion of the knee.

While getting fitted with the brace, Kolman remarked jokingly: “At least I’ll save a little money on medical expenses since I have a good pair of crutches from a previous left injury.” 

The doctor gave Kolman a prescription for pain medication and instructed him to stay off his left leg as much as possible and not to put any weight on it.

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