Need Help! Knee problem?! :(

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officiallymrswhite
officiallymrswhite Posts: 423 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So, I was working out with my personal trainer yesterday. He was having me do lunges with free weights. My leg position felt uncomfortable...but he told me it was fine...grrr! Well, as I went to get on the treadmill to run shortly after the lunges, I noticed my knee/upper knee area started to feel unstable...almost like jell-o. I thought my leg was going to give out a few times on the treadmill so I switched to the elliptical.

As the day went on, I noticed that it felt very unstable....almost like if someone kicks you in the back of the knee and you go to fall...its that feeling but when I put all my body weight on it (standing on that foot, climbing stairs...etc.)

It doesn't hurt other than typical muscle soreness and it does not hurt to bend it or touch it. It does feel a little swollen at the top of the knee cap

Any suggestions on what it could be? Is it normal? Should I have it looked at? I just don't want to make a big deal out of nothing

Thanks!

Replies

  • Cinnamonie
    Cinnamonie Posts: 138
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    I am far from an expert on knee problems but I am up late, and no one else has answered....so I'll tell you I don't like the way it sounds....but if it were me, I'd probably give it a day or two of gentle use and feel it out, then see a Dr. if it's still acting up, or no improvement. Maybe not the best advice (I'm a wait and see type person) but that's what I would do. I hope you feel better!
  • jamielise2
    jamielise2 Posts: 432 Member
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    I agree - give it a couple of days of gentle use, and if still having problems see a doctor. That doesn't sound good. Take it from someone who has had two meniscus repairs and bone spurs scraped out of my knee. I don't do lunges anymore unless I'm in the pool. Butt crunches/bridges will give you the same workout without the knee damage.

    Also, you might consider having a discussion with your trainer. Was your front knee ever going past your toes? That would be wrong...
  • whispiri
    whispiri Posts: 43 Member
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    I am not a doctor or expert at all but I also suffer from bad knees. Unfortunately most of my family has had them and both my father and grandfather has not. My chiropractor called it Hypermobility in my knees. Regardless, due to this, there is evidence of some wearing down within the knees itself.

    The advice my chiropractor gave me was to use knee supports. You can usually get them in walmart or any drug store. I know when I feel great, I forget them sometimes but they do help stabilize. There are different kinds out there, it might take a few tries to find the right one for you. I know it did for me. I cannot stand the neoprene ones as they made me itch when I sweated.

    Maybe someone knows of a better kind that I use but I do know that mine work great for me.

    Best of luck!
  • miked1379
    miked1379 Posts: 4
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    That "wobbly" feeling can happen when you lift weights and do lunges, but it shouldn't linger too long either. Err on the side of caution. Speaking from the experience of having a dislocated right knee (not to mention osteoarthritis), you don't want it to become something worse. That "unstable" feeling can sometimes make the knee give way if you put sudden pressure on it. Not to scare you, but it can result in hyperextension, where the knee actually bends the wrong way (I've done that, too. Not pleasant.). Better to be safe than sorry. If it persists, go see an orthopedist.
  • whispiri
    whispiri Posts: 43 Member
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    Oh.....one more thing that I heard before.......make sure you do increased amount of stretches in the knee area before attempting anything exercise that involves the knees. Do something that you can't work up to it first. And it doesn't hurt to have them monitored on a regular basis like I do.
  • KeepOnMoving
    KeepOnMoving Posts: 383 Member
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    OMG! It sounds like just what I had! Last year I took up running for the first time in years. I ran with a group running in my neighborhood with lots of cement and hills. I also have tons of stairs at my house. I was doing well and challenged to do speed work, then quickly do long distance runs. I did a mountain run one day, followed by speed training the next day (foolish) and that's when I first got "runners knee." I thought I could run thru it, but when I did that, it only gotten worse after doing a 9 mile run in hills. After that, both my knees would give out (slip off their hinges) without a warning during my run.

    I went to a sports medicine doctor who gave me anti-inflamatories to take 6-10 days then stop. That helped but I wanted to get back into running sooner and it just wasn't happening. About 2-3 months later, had an MRI that showed "severe chondromalica of the knees." What that means is the cartilage behind my knees is worn down. Sometimes the body develops osteophytes that are sharp bony things that can be debrided. In my case, my chondromalica was paper thin, so no surgery would help.

    They gave me physical therapy exercises to strengthen my leg muscles around my knees. But these were too easy and boring after a month. Then I bought a DVD called "Strong Knees" from Bodyinsight.com that has a physical therapist/ pilates instructor/ massage therapist. It was more challenging than the PT exercises the doctor gave me. The exercises helped made my legs strong and supports my knee cap from "slipping" or being jello like.

    Basically these are exercises everyone should do to prevent injury. What happens is, you got a weak muscle and a strong muscle that causes your knee cap to pull out of line. When this happens, you have bone rubbing on bone, causing pain.

    My knee pain has gone away with these exercises and walking. No need for anti-inflamatories unless I get crazy like try to run hills. I do tae bo, boxing and kick boxing because my hips are in great shape. I think I can still run but it's only on flat, soft track. I been toying with the idea of barefoot running. But I can't do this on cement or hills or my knees will misaglin. It's been a year, but I am thinking of experiment with the treadmill, just having too much fun on the boxing at circut training. I had a slight flare up recently playing tons of tennis (singles) with my son. But my knees are not bad enough to take medicine. Yoga and pilates have became my best friend too!

    Good luck and feel free to add me as a friend if you need support in this. :wink:
  • mursey
    mursey Posts: 191 Member
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    I am no expert either, the only knee thing I know a bit about is called the IT Band or illio tibial band (I think that is how you spell it, maybe not). Yours doesn't sound like it's that. If it was, I'd say there are foam roller exercises that help and google those.

    Otherwise . ... I agree with everyone else. If I were you I would concentrate on upper body exercises for a few days until it feels better. When I used to run a lot, I had terrible knee problems in one knee, my Dad said "sometimes you just have to give your knees a rest" but I didn't want to listen. I HAD to listen though, because my knee wouldn't allow me to run for a very long time. I focused on weight training and when my knee felt ok, I switched my cardio to the bike (supposedly helps build stabilizer muscles around the knee) and when it felt even better, eliptical. (I now can do the "stepmill" and it's fine. just can't jog too often.) I have also been told to ice my knee when it's swollen.

    If you have some more serious problem, then I hope you have health insurance and can see someone, I don't, but I think my problem is just the IT Band. If you aren't used to working out yet, it could just be something you will get over. A lot of my friends who just start working out seem to have "growing pains" when they do something new that seems intense, for instance, in yoga, a lot of people would complain about wrists hurting or head hurting when you do headstands. That **** goes away as you get used to using those parts of your body.

    I would say lay off the more intense leg or knee exercises, spend a little time building your upper body strength, and slowly try to work out after a few days and see if your knee still hurts. Then try to see a doctor just to make sure it's not more serious. The main thing people say about workout injuries is that if you refuse to stop when you're injured, you're going to make it worse and possibly stop for much longer time. "One step forward, two steps back" is said a lot.
  • KeepOnMoving
    KeepOnMoving Posts: 383 Member
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    I wanted to add....knee braces are great when recovering! I bought the cheap kind, then an expensive kind from the sports med doctor, but it was too bulky to really do some high impact stuff. (Even thou the doctor told me to avoid high impact, I do baby steps.) Then I bought expensive custom sized knee braces from the running store. They are supportive but light and not bulky. Now I almost never wear them. Its been a year since I injured them. I just keep exercising to keep my muscles strong. If I stay sedentary too much, my knees cramp up.

    Also, on your lunges, or squats, put your weight on your heels. Moving from lunge to standing position, push off with your heels. Never push off or put your weight on your toes.
  • KeepOnMoving
    KeepOnMoving Posts: 383 Member
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    Knee swelling could also be an indication of a tear. I would definitely see a doctor if it's still bothering you for a month. Lay off the lower body some, if not, ice the knees immediately after workout to reduce inflammation.
  • sarahrosemun
    sarahrosemun Posts: 21
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    Try some ice and heat

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