It has already seemed to help the tightness around the knee as I wear it to work and when I work out. So nothing exciting coming from the doctor besides me arguing with him about my condition. I don't doubt that the arthritis will be an issue in the next 10 years but right now that is not what is causing the pain. Anyway, just wanted to update you guys.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Dr. don't know nothin'...
First off that is proper english for the title. Secondly, I just got back from the Doc and he doesn't think it is runner's knee but more of a degenerative arthritis problem. I disagree and will be using my handy dandy runner's knee CHO-PAT knee brace.
It has already seemed to help the tightness around the knee as I wear it to work and when I work out. So nothing exciting coming from the doctor besides me arguing with him about my condition. I don't doubt that the arthritis will be an issue in the next 10 years but right now that is not what is causing the pain. Anyway, just wanted to update you guys.
It has already seemed to help the tightness around the knee as I wear it to work and when I work out. So nothing exciting coming from the doctor besides me arguing with him about my condition. I don't doubt that the arthritis will be an issue in the next 10 years but right now that is not what is causing the pain. Anyway, just wanted to update you guys.
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Disclaimer: no ACL in my left knee, have had chondromalacia, PFS, ITBS, all sorts of minor weird aches and pains in my knees, etc.
Arthritis will show up on a normal X-ray. If your knee was X-rayed and it showed frayed cartilage, then arthritis is what you have. If there was no X-ray taken, then saying you have arthritis is premature.
I know you know this, but the less you weigh, the less stress you put on your knees, and I assume some degree of weight loss is in your plans? Or at least you want to be as light as possible that will work for you if you intend to keep running.
Do you get massage? A lot of time knee pain is caused by trigger points in the quads, which can be brought on by simple overexertion, running on cambered surfaces, poor bike fit, need for new running shoes, etc.
If the knee is agitated by biking, raise the saddle just a hair until the problem goes away.
If you have a massage therapist, have them really work on your quads deeply. There's a book called "The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook" you can buy that shows you how to diagnose and fix your own trigger points (I've used it successfully for several years now).
Cho-Pat straps do not "fix" anything. They should only be used in conjunction with a concerted effort to get at the root cause of your pain. The strap may be good enough to get you through your taper, but you have plenty of time to make progress on your muscles, if that is all that is causing your knee troubles. Even if you DO have arthritis, it pays to take care of your soft-tissues, since they play such an important role in stabilizing your knees.
I tried reading your back posts to see where the pain is, and maybe it's the hamstrings instead? Trigger points there can certainly affect your knee mechanics since they attach behind the knee. You may just be experiencing beat-up hamstrings because you are peaking for an IM and your quads are seeing a ton of action, and many of us have strength imbalance between quads and hamstrings. Nothing you can do right away for that--but after your race when you get back to strength training, you might want to have a functional strength assessment, and you might find your hammies are relatively weak compared to your quads. That is easily fixable with targeted hammie curls and even squats.
Good luck in your race and don't give up on your knee! And get a good sports massage or 2 or 3 before you race.
You TELL 'EM!! No arthritis in my knees either, even though they hurt like hell on downhills and cambered roads and they lit up like a Christmas tree on a bone scan. Hey, it can't possibly be arthritis, I'm only 49!!! Nope, not arthritis, that's chronic, degenerative, progressive, all those things OLD people get.
The strap helps my knees feel a little more comfortable too, btw...
Dude, I think that first poster says your fat! She should have seen you before you started Tri-ing.
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