Knee problems?
I've had knee problems for about two months now. One day during my gym period, I was running around a track. All of the sudden, I feel this crack around my knee cap and I fell right to the ground. I experienced knee pain for a few weeks and it seemed to get better. I started tryouts for basketball just today and the same thing happened to me again. Can anyone tell me the diagnosis might be and how I could treat it? Also, can anyone tell me if it might be how I run that caused it?
Public Comments
1. I am a long time track runner with (well had before surgery) a very bad knee problem. What happened to you can be painless, and is really quite common. Check your shoes, make sure you have shoes that support your feet the correct way, track spikes alone can often times be bad for your feet and back if you have bad arches in your feet. Second, make sure your back is completely straight when you run, and you kick your feet forward more then letting them fly back, proper running form can cut away injuries and improve your sprints a ton.2. Only a doctor can tell you whether there is any serious damage to your knee. You will probably need to have an xray.
I know some sports people are so dedicated that they try to ignore problems like this but in the long run if it is serious, ignoring it & hoping it will just go away will only do more damage.
3. There are a lot of possible reasons why you are feeling this pain. It could be arthritis (osteoarthritis), a patella problem (patella is your knee cap), or a problem on the knee bones (distal femur and proximal tibia). I can see that you are a runner. This means that you put a lot of stress on your knees. If there is no trauma or you do not recall hitting your knee, then I can assume that it is osteoarthritis. Contrary to what others believe that osteoarthritis is for old people, it could also happen to young people. What I can suggest is for you to put a hot compress on the affected area. Stretch before running and most importantly, strengthen your leg muscles. This is important because the muscles help absorb the stress on the knee bones. You can do lunges or partial squats. Note that I put PARTIAL because if you do in fact have an arthritis, you should avoid bending your knees more than 45 degrees. If, on the other hand you recall hitting your knees, it may be your ligaments or the patella that is affected. That will need xray or MRI. Good luck with your knee problem!
4. Have you seen a doctor? You might have a meniscus tear, also called a torn cartilage which is a common knee injury. Chech with your doctor and get relief from your pain. Good luck.
