Knee Pain - what could be causing it?

[materialsgirl]

I was hoping there might be someone out there who has experienced something similar to this and can help me figure out what's going on...

Just yesterday I started noticing some pain in my left knee. It's not very bad, but I know knee pain is usually not a good sign, so I want to nip it in the bud, before it gets any worse. It only hurts when my knee is bent. The pain is on the inside of my left knee, basically just beside the knee cap. Doesn't hurt when I walk. But there is some discomfort when doing squats, leg presses, lunges, etc. I have been doing these kinds of exercises for ages and never had pain. I always practice good form. So I don't think it was these exercises that causes my knee to start hurting - it could be high impact step, or maybe I torqued my knee funny doing some kind of pivot move. Has anyone else experienced a similar knee pain? What caused the problem for you and how did you remedy it? (I SURE don't want to have to stop working out!)

Thanks in advance!

 

[Bobbi]

Emily, you are smart to nip it in the bud. I always suspect impact because it's been so hard on me but knee pain can be mysterious. If you exercise, proceed with caution. You might try RICE: rest, ice, compression and elevation and then workout to see how things are going. If you haven't torqued it, you could be experiencing bursitis, which is imflammation of the fluid sac that protects the joint. Check out the knee pain information at http://www.runnersworld.com. It's a great resource. Worst case scenario, see your doctor as soon as you can and don't risk further injury. You may need to take a break but in the long run, it wil be worth it. I lost more than nine months of working out to Plantar Fasciitis and if I had quick running sooner, it might not have been that drastic. It was a year and a half to resume real workouts! Good luck. Listen to your body!
Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif "Chick's rule!"

Tell me, what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? -Mary Oliver

Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength. -Ch

 

[fitxme]

I've had this happen to me before, but found that my running shoes needed to be replaced. I don't know if you run, but if you have not replaced your shoes in a while that could be a problem too.

Just a thought...

Hope you find the source of the problem.


FITXME

 

[EricaH]

I just recently had similar pain - on the inside of the knee and it limited my range of motion when doing squats, lunges, etc. I suspected a meniscus tear and went to a sports med doctor and had and X-ray an MRI done. No tear was found, but there was degeneration of the meniscus and also some mild arthritis. I'm a runner and the doctor recommended that I cut back on running and cross-train more with cycling/swimming if possible.

I think I injured mine doing a workout (not Cathe) that had a lot of twisting moves, but it could have been an overuse injury from so much running.

Anyway, my doctor prescribed NSAIDs for me and recommended glucosamine and icing my knee. My knee felt much better after 24 hours on the NSAIDs. It's still not healed, but I haven't cut back on running like I was advised either.

Hope your knee feels better soon.

Erica

 

[materialsgirl]

Thanks everyone for your input! I am going to try going low impact, and taking Aleve or Advil for a while to see if it helps. My shoes are pretty new, and I don't use them for anything but my workouts, so I don't think it's worn shoes. Although it is always possible they are just not the right shoes for the kind of workouts I'm doing. I have just recently started taking glucosamine - not long enough to see any benefits yet - but I will keep taking it. I started taking it because high-impact is new for me and I was afraid of having joint problems. Bad joints run in my family... I am trying my best to avoid having the same problems as my parents and other relatives. Probably need to just reduce the impact.

I am going to blame plie jacks. Yes, that's what did it. Oh darn, now I guess I shouldn't do plie jackes anymore. Shucks, what a bummer...

 

[MadnNatsmom]

Emily,

I have/had a similar pain in my right knee. I finally made myself stop doing high impact when my knee started to really bother me during plyo jumps.

I don't know what causes my injury either, but my knee feels great right now and I'm slowly going back to Cathe's step tapes with modifications.

Also, I would not take Aleve or pain reliever. My fear is that the pain from the injury would be masked and you would be unable to gauage your discomfort and push past a point that you shouldn't.

 

[hippahips]

Emily, plie jacks can do that to me, too. The worst ones are the airborne jacks. I already work out on puzzle mats, but those evil airborne jacks never quit.}( So I don't do them. I can still take a few plyo jacks here and there but I just try to modify as much in such a way that I lose the impact without sacrificing intensity.

Don't be so bummed by the loss of impact. I just got a heart rate monitor and found out I'm burning more calories doing RS, which has much less impact, than IMAX 2. The percentage of fat calories burned is also higher with RS than IMAX 2. I couldn't believe it.

Icing my knees 3-4 times a day helps. I also take glucosamine. It takes time to feel a difference, but it helps. Hope you feel better soon.

Pinky

Editing to add that hyaluronic acid may also help. I've been taking it for 3 months now and feel a big difference in my joints.

 

[Snazzy]

I get the same thing in my right knee. Painful going down stairs. Up stairs not quite so bad. My chiropractor found that my tibia was out. He set it for me, and it worked like magic.

He had similar pain from rock climbing. Gave me an exercise to try, that 'cured' him, and it's been working for me as well. Sitting in a chair, press your feet into the floor and back, as if you are trying to push your chair back (but don't actually push your chair back). You'll feel your quad contract better at the inside of the knee, the "teardrop" portion of the quad, than even in leg extensions. Hold that isometric contraction for as long as you can. Rest, and repeat a few times.

It's really helped me. What you are doing is strengthening that portion of the quad, which should help you knee tract a little better. I do these as I sit at my desk through the day, off and on, as I remember it.