Knee hurts badly :(

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  • salxtai
    salxtai Posts: 341 Member
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    As a medical professional who specializes in sports injuries (Certified Athletic Trainer)...I would strongly encourage you to take the advice everyone is giving you with a grain of salt. Although there are some good tidbits here and there, there is in NO WAY enough information (medical history, mechanical dysfunction, etc...) for anyone to be doling out completely accurate exercises or treatment protocols. Based on the little information you did present, I can only presume what is going on...in which case there is a bit of advice that you've been given that you most definitely shouldn't follow. But again, that cannot be said without more information and the appropriate special testing. I would also encourage the person who suggested 800 mg of ibuprofen to realize, that although people have the tendency to pop the stuff like candy, 800mg of ibuprofen is a prescription dosage that can only be prescribed to someone by a DOCTOR!

    Please please please rest and ice to not aggrivate your condition worse. And if you must, take the dosage indicated on the bottle of ibuprofen until designated by an appropriate medical professional.


    Beaten to the punch - was going to say the exact same thing.

    asking for injury diagnosis on MFP is never a smart move, despite everyone's best intentions, because its all shooting in the dark without assessing your knee in person.
  • mightyminerva
    mightyminerva Posts: 145 Member
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    I'd agree with many of the posts above: swimming, ice/heat, incredibly gradual increasing of the miles. As mentioned above, seeing your doctor should be a priority so that he or she can rule out anything serious. Take it from someone with a genetic knee issue and pain!

    I've found that yoga is helpful for me (which doesn't mean it will be for you), and I've read that hero pose is supposed to help with strengthening the knee muscles. Ask your doctor if exercises like that might help you.

    Also, you might want to go into a running shoe store to see if they can do a gait analysis. I did this knowing I overpronate (roll in/flat feet), and they were able to suggest shoes for me and then run a gait analysis on those options to find the pair that were best for me. (NB: A gait analysis is when you wear a neutral shoe and they check how your feet fall on a treadmill with a video camera. Then they compare video of you walking in each possible pair of shoes to see which pair has the perfect balance of comfort, support, and alignment.) I just did this, and my feet and knees feel so much better in my new shoes!
  • Masterdo
    Masterdo Posts: 331 Member
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    Check your stride too. Shin splints can indicate a heavy heel strike, and that could easily become a knee pain, even with just walking. Walking/running form is important :)
  • papastu
    papastu Posts: 737 Member
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    Ice and painkillers sound like a good solution for today.

    For the longer term - get yourself to a physiotherapist who will identify exactly hat the problem is and give you specific strategies to help fix it. None of us know exactly what is going on.

    at last , cant believe all these people who think they are experts giving out advice.

    seek advice from a specialist, not from a forum !!!
  • neclar
    neclar Posts: 75 Member
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    i'm rather heavy myself. if you can swim, treading water without using your hands, and kicking with a kickboard only help stregnthen your leg muscles. water jogging also helps.
  • Phaedra2014
    Phaedra2014 Posts: 1,254 Member
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    Water walking sounds really good! I'll check to see if the rec center offers aqua gym classes.
  • Phaedra2014
    Phaedra2014 Posts: 1,254 Member
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    Check your stride too. Shin splints can indicate a heavy heel strike, and that could easily become a knee pain, even with just walking. Walking/running form is important :)

    Yep. I recognize my stride in your words.
  • crobl
    crobl Posts: 380
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    crobl - I wasn't planning on taking 800mg of Ibuprofen because I know it's prescription strength. I'll probably take an Aleve before bed time and ice my knee as well. The same knee gave me problems some years ago and it was patellar tracking issues. I had to do PT to strengthen muscles holding the knee in place. It did nothing for me and instead of going back, I quit working out all together....to my detriment. I don't know what additional PT can do for me. That's why I feel demoralized. If I don't work out, my knee is fine. Even something like brisk walking throws it off. It didn't use to be this way. I injured it during a work out under the supervision of a personal trainer, who wasn't very competent.

    jbrookeh - It's good to hear your knee got better. Gives me hope mine can too. I will look up some exercises online for wall squats and quad/hamstring routines.

    My body is such that even if I starved myself I would not lose much weight. I HAVE TO exercise.

    Good to hear! Sorry it sounded as though I was on a soapbox... working with injured athletes is not only my job, but my passion, so I get just a wee bit on edge when there is mis-information out there. Please, please, please don't loose hope in yourself! And remember, just as there is good and bad advice on here, there are also good and bad physical therapists! In my personal opinion (and take it for what you will), but if you didn't see any progress, then they probably weren't doing everything in their power to help you!

    If patellar tracking is your issue, then there is a fairly good chance that you're looking at a muscular imbalance. Depending on how it's tracking improperly, there is more to consider that just you quads and hamstrings, like your adductors (the group of muscles that squeeze your things together) as well as your abductors (muscles that spread your legs apart). Also remember, that everything is connected through the kinetic chain, thus everything from back pain to foot pain (and everything in between) can and is affected by something as simple as poorly fitting shoes. Yes, I have seen that happen! I believe I recall someone mentioning squats and lunges to help strengthen...if you're having problems with your knee, there's a very good chance that those exercises are too much too soon!!

    As masterdo said, shin pain can be indicitive of heavy heel strike. It can also come from over training, change in surface (going from hard pavement to soft grass and vice versa), and shoe fit in regards to improper arch support.

    Unfortunately, from what you've indicated, it seems reasonable to say that this will continue to bother you until some core issues can be addressed. However, the sooner you seek help, the sooner you're back! And when you do, try asking about the possibility of using Kinesiotape or Leukotape (using a McConnall method) for patellar tracking support. Note - these DO NOT solve a patellar tracking issue, but that can relieve discomfort and be used to aid in 'retraining' the muscles.

    But...another disclaimer - just because I know I'm right, doesn't mean that you should necessarily believe me word for word. I have not thoroughly evaluated you and am merely offering words of wisdom based upon my medical experience and the brief information you provided.
  • Healthydiner65
    Healthydiner65 Posts: 1,579 Member
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    R.I.C.E
    Rest
    ICE
    COMPRESSION
    ELEVATION

    GOOD LUCK!
  • Phaedra2014
    Phaedra2014 Posts: 1,254 Member
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    Thank you!

    crobl I appreciate the time you took to write out such an informative post.

    I am on my way to a running store to have my gait checked and be fitted with walking shoes that are made for someone like me. As fate would have it....I found an unused $100 VISA gift card from 4 years ago tucked away in an old hand bag!

    Guess what I'm going to spend it on today?! :D
  • pennyrtyler
    pennyrtyler Posts: 79 Member
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    I was having issues with my knees, too, especially when I did squats and lunges, or tried to use the treadmill (knee torture!!!) instead of the elliptical. My trainer checked my form, and when we saw that wasn't the problem, she showed me how to work on knee strength with resistance bands and a medium size stability ball.

    I took a break from everything that was hurting my knees and focused on making them stronger, along with the exercises I COULD do without knee pain. It really paid off. I'm back to doing just a few squats with the stability ball on the wall, and I actually changed the way my foot strikes the ground when walking (purposefully, not a result of training).

    Please, please see a professional to help you sort this out. Whether you see a trainer, doctor, physical therapist ... Living and working out without knee pain is worth the effort and expense.
  • Phaedra2014
    Phaedra2014 Posts: 1,254 Member
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    I went to a running store today and got fitted for shoes. It's possible I was ripped off but I don't care! I got me a pair of Brooks Ghost 5 and they feel like pure love on my feet :love:

    I am looking forward to walking in them. I didn't realize what bad, bad shoes I had been wearing until the salesperson latched up my new shoes and said....take a few steps. HEAVEN. Now I want to buy shoes that fit for my feet even for casual and work wear.

    pennyrtyper - that is what I will do. I don't have a trainer because I don't belong to a gym but for now I'm only going to walk. I'm too heavy for squats and lunges. I don't want to have more issues down the road.

    Someone mentioned being mindful of my walking stride. I noticed that I take strides that are too big.
  • kristinegift
    kristinegift Posts: 2,406 Member
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    Which knee is it? If it's your left knee, it's the outside of the knee, but if it's the right knee, it's the inside of your knee? Those can be completely different causes, effects, and injuries. Outside, maybe ITBS, inside, something could be more serious.
  • crobl
    crobl Posts: 380
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    I went to a running store today and got fitted for shoes. It's possible I was ripped off but I don't care! I got me a pair of Brooks Ghost 5 and they feel like pure love on my feet :love:

    I am looking forward to walking in them. I didn't realize what bad, bad shoes I had been wearing until the salesperson latched up my new shoes and said....take a few steps. HEAVEN. Now I want to buy shoes that fit for my feet even for casual and work wear.

    pennyrtyper - that is what I will do. I don't have a trainer because I don't belong to a gym but for now I'm only going to walk. I'm too heavy for squats and lunges. I don't want to have more issues down the road.

    Someone mentioned being mindful of my walking stride. I noticed that I take strides that are too big.


    I'm so happy for you! Hopefully this is the first step towards recovery!! I'm jealous of your Brooks, they are amazing shoes, but I've got such messed up feet that I can't get a pair that fit properly. But they are an amazingly high quality shoe!!

    And you're so welcome, I'm glad I could help, even if it was just a little bit...it's the reason I got into sports medicine in the first place. If there's ever anything I can help with, please don't hesitate to ask!
  • Phaedra2014
    Phaedra2014 Posts: 1,254 Member
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    Which knee is it? If it's your left knee, it's the outside of the knee, but if it's the right knee, it's the inside of your knee? Those can be completely different causes, effects, and injuries. Outside, maybe ITBS, inside, something could be more serious.

    Right knee on the inside - to the left of my knee cap. It's one small spot of stabbing pain that gets worse with too much movement.

    crobl - *muah!*

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