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Just as things were really coming together, my knee was a screaming riot of sharp pain yesterday after just walking up then down the stairs.
It's not swollen, nor red, nor tender, the muscles look and feel fine, I have a full range of movement in the leg and joint and can walk in a straight line of the flat. So it's something inside I suspect (?).
It's no different today, just getting it out of bed and up out of this chair resuts in a mass of sharp pain, so I'm off to the Dr's later, but don't hold out much hope there.
Think it might be prudent to ring the local Bupa hospital and see if I can't get an ultrasound scan on the knee joint asap (Mon / Tues next week?) for about £200.
Any thoughts or ideas greatly appreciated.
My advice would be to avoid the private approach to start with.
Spending £200 on an ultrasound scan? Ultrasound is good for looking at babies, bladders, pleural effusions, etc., but is not for knees....
If you go private, you will probably be offered an arthroscopy...
I've a couple of friends who use private medicine for this sort of thing, and they are both on their second round of scan/surgery/rehab. My own personal prejudice is that they would both have been better off doing the sensible, boring, cheap thing and resting the knee first, then seeing how things went.
I think, and again this is a prejudice, but one informed by 10 years working in an operating theatre, that private orthopaedics is a bit too keen to go for the surgical option, because that's what they can charge for.
You may need an op, but I'd opt for less invasive stuff first; knees have to last a long time, and poking them rarely helps that process.
I have a weird pain in my knee when walking down hill - only on the outside of the knee. in the soft part! When riding or running its fine, just when walking in a controlled manner down hill does it hurt!
Get to your local physio, or get a referal from your doctor.
When my knee did the same I was lucky enough to be seen by a local physio who specialized in cycling - sorted me out in half an hour.
23yrs ago I damaged it on a run and had arthroscopy, then a lateral release 18yrs ago and some cartilage taken out 15yrs ago.
Looks like it’s perhaps coming back to haunt me a second time!
There's a sports physio local who I've been to in the past, so maybe worth exploring.
The Dr, who is a cyclist, says it’s inflammation under the knee cap.
Crepitus, he described it as.
Pressing down on the knee cap on the R had a very different feel to doing so on the L knee cap.
He has a nurse with him to show what he was doing.
So, 10 days rest (?) me thinks.
Damn, and I was getting up a good head of steam!
Sounds like sensible, and of course boring advice...
Crepitus is medical speak for sounds/feels a bit like Rice Krispies getting crushed; its the inflamed and roughened back side of the knee cap getting squashed against the knee end of your femur.
I'd rest it for a few days, then start very gentle exercise to help smooth things out and stop it getting stiff.
Try to avoid stuff like stair climbing; things that put the back side of the knee under pressure, and when you start gentle rides again, make sure your saddle height is right, use very low gears and be gentle generally.
He might have mentioned anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen/Nurofen; they can help to settle things down and ease the pain, but their anti-inflammatory action can also slow down the healing process a little.
It should go away relatively easily, but it might be a sign of patellar maltracking; where your knee cap doesn't quite run smoothly in the groove. I get this sometimes and I've found that taping my knee for a week or so can help mend it..
Sound advice.
Merida in 4 weeks, so fingers X-ed.
Solo 24hr at the end of June.
Cheers
might be worth having a swatch at way shoes and pedals are set up, if foot points out etc
sounds like a good GP though which always helps 🙂
crikey, i havent heard of nsaids being bad for healing before? is it personal experience?
hmmm, Iv got knee pain at the moment too. After a winter of riding most days in the cold !
Went to gp who seemed to thing it was some detached cartilage
One week later (next monday) I have an appointment with the specialist. Thank you axa PP it who have been 4-6 weeks on nhs.
MRI and x-ray should tell them whats wrong aparently
hmmm, Iv got knee pain at the moment too. After a winter of riding most days in the cold !
there is evidence that cold makes bad knees hurt more, but none that cold makes knees bad...
Google 'NSAIDS healing' for more info, I'm not that sure its all that pronounced an effect, tho.
It struck me when I take NSAIDS I get more prone to cold sores, I suspect because inflammation is an important part of defence too....
I'm a little duck-footed on the R.
I have the cleats adjusted for this and both the L and the R feel good in the Crank Bros Candys.
I tried some SPD's in early Feb and "felt" them on my kees so swapped back after 30 minutes - I just wanted to try them as they came with an eBay bike and I'd never used them!
prise your knee cap off with a screwdriver. sand the back smooth and then duct tape it back
simples
Good thinking, I'm on my way to B&Q as I type.... want anything whilst I'm there?
🙂
crikey, get lectures on pharm stuff and not aware of that with nsaids hence asking
cold sores is potentially because immune system already compromised, there is potentially an argument given that they inhibit COX 1 which is protective but i think its more associated with GI probs
TI, have you been training hard?
Yes, upping the distance and frequency and intensity.
I think that's what's triggered it.
4hrs Saturday. 2hrs Mon and 2:10hrs fast chase-me style on Tues.
Wednesday it started to be painful.
I blame my mother for my cruddy knees!
i know when i increase mileage running i get sloppy technique and knees are all over the shop, could be something similar on the bike plus if you've been pushing a big gear?
anyway i expect you know all this im just thinking out loud