Overuse problems of the knee :
Overuse or specific injury? - - Posted by BrianR (BrianR), 21 January 2005
Hi,
I'm totally new to this site and have spent the last few nights scanning through many of the articles trying to make some sense of my knee problem.
As a bit of background, I'm a fairly active 37 year old (ex-volleyball - now mainly football any gym) and have a history of sore knees although nothing serious enough to have a significant impact.
Back at the beginning of Oct 04, I played 5-aside football and finished the game with a real tightness above me kneecap - it felt more like a muscle strain at the outer bottom part of my quad but the next day my whole knee had siezed up and I had real difficulty bending/straightening the knee. Stairs were impossible and any kind of loading / squating was out of the questions. There was no real sign of swelling.
I've had various physio sessions (ultra sound, quad stretching, quad strengthening) and am making a very slow recovery. It took the best part of 2 months to even climb stairs.
Since the initial injury, I've had all sorts of different symptoms. The inside of my knee still aches like hell and I've got all sorts of pain around my knee-cap / behind the knee. The most severe pain has been when either trying to squat or trying to bend my knee when lying on my back with my leg raised - it feels as if a knife is being rammed inside my knee. Laterly, I'm generally able to squat with my weight back but any kind of squat with the weight forward is still really, really painful. Sometimes a squat might feel OK but if I shake my knee about a bit and try again it hurts like hell. Any kind of loading of the knee brings on severe pain inside and I'm also now experiencing kneecap locking / clicking when I have been sitting for a while and try to straighten it - painful too.
Is this just overuse? I suppose after 3 1/2 months I'm starting to think it has to be something more serious. My physio suspects kneecap alignment/tracking - I'm thinking I could have some meniscus damage. Any advise would be most welcome.
Posted by shadehawk (shadehawk), 21 January 2005
Hi and welcome, your GP can get you a referral to an OS who specializes in knees, but keep up with the PT, it takes an awful long time to notice results with PT. Sometimes it takes 6 - 7 months before you see good results from PT.
There is a list at the top of this page, click 'Knee Surgeons' and then find one in your area.
If squatting hurts your knees, you should take a brake from them until you have your knees checked out. You certainly do not want to create more damage to your knees. There are alot of posts under patello-femoral joint that is just up from this section.
Good luck!
Posted by stgiles16 (stgiles16), 26 January 2005
I have had a few of those symptoms you describe and my OS says that mine is plica. Check with an OS. Most times, these can be calmed down with pt.I am not a dr and it could be a lot of different things. You wont know until you have it checked out.
good luck
missy
Updated Sat Nov 21 2009
