Knee pain with just about all exercises, been to dr.

applebobbrush
applebobbrush Posts: 235 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
On December 1st I was doing day three of week seven of c25k. At the beginning of my run, about 5 minutes into the run portion, I started to feel some pain in my right knee, left side inside frontal area of the knee. I pushed through thinking I need to watch my stride better and I finished. By the time I was done stretching it felt like some had been pounding on my knee. I took it easy the rest of the week, tried icing and heat and ice with some Tylenol. I can't take Advil or ibuprofen due to GI issues.

Last week I finally went to the doctor because I was having pain still, even from just walking around during my job. Doctor sent me for x-rays and a referral to an orthopedic doctor. He thought it might be a cartilage tear. Ordered an MRI. That came back clear. Still no reason for this pain. I tried to do the elliptical and stationary bike today. I can barely walk and stairs are murder afterwards!

Please someone give me some direction on what I am doing wrong or can do to prevent this.

Usually I agree that the forums are not for medical diagnosis, however the doctors aren't any help either.

Replies

  • JosieJo2000
    JosieJo2000 Posts: 162 Member
    Your best bet is to see a physiotherapist. They'll give you exercises to specifically strengthen the muscles around your knee and it won't hurt as much. They will treat the symptoms and not worry that there isn't a clear diagnosis on an x-ray or MRI.

    I am 39 and can't run much any more. I've taken up swimming (and I've NEVER been a swimmer!) and cycling and feel great. I run about once a week because I enjoy it.
  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
    Yep, definitely see a physio. I have patella tendonitis. It sounds like some of your symptoms might match up with this diagnosis but obviously it's impossible to tel for sure over here. I'm not sure if this woudl show up on an MRI. I'm allowed to do stationary bike provided it's pain free. I have a bunch of exercises for strengthening my quads, butt and inner thighs (from a physio). It's frustrating but you are probably going to have to take a rest from any exercises that cause you pain. If not it'll just get worse. Not what you want to hear I know
  • firecopfl
    firecopfl Posts: 19 Member
    Having had knee pain during and after running for several years while I was younger I fully understand your situation. When I made my lifelong changes in July I started taking up running up again knowing the inevitable knee pain would be there. It was and now that I'm older it was worse. I went to a running store that specializes in fitting the correct shoes to the runner (Fit2Run). They had a treadmill setup with a video camera to record impact. They also have a machine to locate the exact pressure points of your feet. Seems that the shoes I was running in were about the worst for my stride and impact. My ankles were rolling and putting my leg at an unnatural position. Nothing that the naked eye would really see. I was put into a pair of shoes (asics kayano18) and insert ( spenco sport). Then back onto the treadmill. This setup kept everything perfectly inline. After two runs in my new setup I've had zero pain and this was four months ago. In the last eight days I have ran almost 30 miles and again no leg, knee, or ankle pain. My advise to you is go somewhere that does this sort of fitting. I cannot guarentee that it will be your fix but it cannot hurt and at the very least you will have shoes correct for you.
  • rfsatar
    rfsatar Posts: 599 Member
    I knackered my knees when I was a hurdler, and had an experience not that dissimilar to you at the end of October, and with some rest and rehab, had just started back when I apparently ground bone on bone, thanks to previously torn meniscus and now am on rehab until end of Jan.

    I have booked an appt with the doctor as the physio believes we have gone as far as we can... BUT...
    I spent a week purely icing and stretching - applebobbrush is right - the physio has given me a load of stuff to add to a morning stretching routine.
    I invested in a foam roller to pummel my quads, calves and IT Band (which was the cause of the first knee issue in October).
    I also saw a PT at my gym who specialises in pain management and posture correction - more stretches to add to my collection, now making 30 mins of stretching EVERY DAY.

    I am cycling with little to no resistance for 5 mins, and then I was also advised by the physio to invest in a pull-buoy for the pool - I place this between my knees and force the muscles to squeeze onto that thing for dear life - I can't kick and so have to do purely cardio front crawl strokes to pull myself through the water... so you are strengthening your knees and getting come cardio in.
    I do knee bends against the wall pushing through my heels and in the water this causes next to no pain in my knees.
    Then I bound up and down a couple of lengths before another round of pull-buoy swimming.

    In Jan I will add walking on the treadmill, cycle and elliptical - that will have been almost a month off.
    Also - do some yoga - it will keep you supple and perhaps be a gentler form of stretch while you (re)build your knee muscles.

    I have suffered with knee pain since before I was 30... I'm now 43, so I LITERALLY feel your pain - but after you have given yourself AT LEAST a week of constant icing, and then some heat - try and gently mobilise it and look around on the web - livestrong has some good exercises... and I think a site called bigkneepain... or something like that....
    Also useful to look up hydrotherapy exercises, if you have access to a pool although be prepared to look a right muppet!
    But hey - if it rehabs my knee, I couldn't care less if I looked like the six million dollar woman in a cozzie, running in slo-mo!

    Good luck and maybe something in there will help.
  • Allyson1985
    Allyson1985 Posts: 148
    I was this way myself - I started takig a glucosamine supplement and my knee pain subsided.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,449 Member
    If it's a meniscus tear (cartilage) It may not show up in Xrays or MRIs. I had the same thing. Go to a physical therapist - your doctor will be able to give you a referral. They will work with you for a few weeks. If you aren't feeling better, you can ask for surgery. The surgery for a cartilage tear is minimally invasive, three tiny 1/2 inch cuts in the knee, and about 4-5 days recovery with crutches. I had it done. Mostly, insurance companies want to exhaust all other remedies before surgery....as should you.

    My surgeon was NOT convinced going into surgery that I even had a tear in the meniscus, since he saw nothing on MRI. But once he got in there, it was shredded about 2/3 of the way around. So glad I had the surgery - after a year of pain.
  • wiebec1
    wiebec1 Posts: 6
    If it is just below you knee i would agree with plateller tendonitis. I have had to deal with this off and on due to a damaged from hurdeling, the best thing i could reccomend is good shoes (a must) and lots of stretching ( i know we all hate it) and rehab. since you can't take NCIDS i would ice for 15-20 min after each work out, then through our the day gentely massage the area and slowly move the knee, anything to increade blood flow to the area and lessen swelling.
  • nagniho
    nagniho Posts: 132 Member
    Yep, definitely see a physio. I have patella tendonitis. It sounds like some of your symptoms might match up with this diagnosis but obviously it's impossible to tel for sure over here. I'm not sure if this woudl show up on an MRI. I'm allowed to do stationary bike provided it's pain free. I have a bunch of exercises for strengthening my quads, butt and inner thighs (from a physio). It's frustrating but you are probably going to have to take a rest from any exercises that cause you pain. If not it'll just get worse. Not what you want to hear I know

    Totally agree!! I am in the same boat and seeing a therapist. The doctor found nothing wrong with my knees after X-rays and such but based on the symptoms said that it looked like "lateral displacement" of the knee due to a dominant quad muscle that runs along the outside of the thighs. The therapist has given me butt strengthening exercises(:-)) to help strengthen the gluteous minimus....and inner thigh exercises as well. Of course this has to be coupled with no heavy lifting, Insanity or any other high intensity exercise that jars the knees:-(

    Hang in there....and see a Therapist.
  • kiminikimkim
    kiminikimkim Posts: 746 Member
    First, you need to give your knees a rest. No more running till you see a doctor.

    I too cannot run for more than 3km before feeling the pain in my knees. I have had xrays done (shows no problem) and I am waiting to see an Orthopedist xmas eve. I haven't run at all in the last 4 months since my last Triathlon. My trainer suspects its a T-band issue.

    If you can't take any inflammatoires, then stop running altogether and let your knee heel. See a specialist if you can. You may have something as simple as a 3mm shorter leg on the right or left. It's time to get up and personal with your body. You need to know its quirks and short comings so you know how not to injure yourself.

    Check out Rolfing on youtube.
  • applebobbrush
    applebobbrush Posts: 235 Member
    Thank you all so much, I have a plan now. I'll see if my doc can give me a referral for physical therapy, as insurance will need one. The only pool locally is within a club. Maybe I'll see if I can switch my membership from my current gym. I'll check on livestrong for some stretches to do in the mean time. I'm willing to do just about anything. I do like exercising, then I can be a little less constricted with my calorie intake :D. Plus I like how I'm starting to see the difference. Over the last month though I feel like I'm losing all my endurance I've worked so hard for.

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