topic Re: Knee questionl in Wellness

Knee question

qualitygal — Mon, 01 Jan 2018 18:47:16 GMT

My knee is getting better slowly but surely, but can you overwork it? I was up and down the stairs a lot on Christmas Eve. It started getting sore that day. It supports the weight to stand on it, But it isn't happy about bending. It kind of hurts off and on at night. In the day, I'm packing it in cold pack and it's fine. It's just stiff when it I need to use the stairs. But it is getting better. Do you know what that might be? Arthritis, something like that, or ?? I haven't had that before. So to lift it, to get in the car, hurt some the other day. I'm trying to treat it gently as I use the stairs. If it's not better in a few days, I guess I'll have to call the doctor. The first day or two, it felt inflamed. I just haven't had it before, but I feel like if it's not one thing, it'll just be another. I am taking Ibuprofen too.

Re: Knee questionl

SeaMaiden — Mon, 01 Jan 2018 19:23:04 GMT

@qualitygal wrote:
My knee is getting better slowly but surely, but can you overwork it? I was up and down the stairs a lot on Christmas Eve. It started getting sore that day. It supports the weight to stand on it, But it isn't happy about bending. It kind of hurts off and on at night. In the day, I'm packing it in cold pack and it's fine. It's just stiff when it I need to use the stairs. But it is getting better. Do you know what that might be? Arthritis, something like that, or ?? I haven't had that before. So to lift it, to get in the car, hurt some the other day. I'm trying to treat it gently as I use the stairs. If it's not better in a few days, I guess I'll have to call the doctor. The first day or two, it felt inflamed. I just haven't had it before, but I feel like if it's not one thing, it'll just be another. I am taking Ibuprofen too.

@qualitygal You might have just strained your knee so give it a week.... be easy on it...take Tylenol or the like....see how it feels by next Monday before you go to the DR.

It also could be onset Osteo arthritis...I have had both knees replaced and the onset many years prior to knee replacement was inflammation, stiffness and the like. My symptoms came on all at once....and just continued to get worse from that day. Not everyone has to have knee replacement. That is the worse case senero! If it is-onset arthritis, you can do many things to keep the discomfort manageable never having knee replacement.

For now, rest it, ice it, maybe take a hot epsome salt bath and soak it. It most likely will feel better in a few days. Best thoughts to you!

Re: Knee questionl

qualitygal — Mon, 01 Jan 2018 19:33:35 GMT

@SeaMaiden, Thank you. I think it's just taking it's sweet time, bouncing back.

Re: Knee question

on the bay — Mon, 01 Jan 2018 19:56:31 GMT

@qualitygal-

I've never met a stair that was kind to knees!

Especially going up.

If you can get one of those ace things for knees at any drug store (Rite Aid is good) or Walmart etc., I think they really help when it starts to hurt. And limit the stairs as much as possible while it hurts and try going up on the knee that doesn't hurt first, then the other one, one step at a time.

And while sitting put keeping an ice pack on is good for the first few days.

Re: Knee question

qualitygal — Mon, 01 Jan 2018 20:41:48 GMT

@on the bay, yep, I've been doing all that. So I guess it's going to mend on it's own time. Thank you so much for your answer though.

Re: Knee question

hckynut — Mon, 01 Jan 2018 21:50:14 GMT

@qualitygal

One of my very good friends is a Sports Medicine Certified Orthopedic Surgeon and his specialties are Hip and Knee Repair and Replacement. If he read your post he could not even tell you your problem.

Now I can speculate with the best of 'em, but when it comes to the major weight bearing joints of ones body? Count me out. See you PCP/GP or and Orthopedist to get to the source of you knee issue.

hckynut(john)

Re: Knee question

muttmom — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 00:33:27 GMT

Before I had TKR my ortho suggested ice and elevation. Aleve was what he told me to use. He said Tylenol did nothing for knee pain.

Re: Knee question

Moonchilde — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 00:45:58 GMT

@qualitygal, you don’t state if you know there’s anything wrong with your knee, whether a doctor has told you that you need a knee replacement, etc, or whether this just happened out of the blue. Also, are you the age when arthritis is a first thought?

Body mechanics we don’t even know are wrong can put stress, wear and tear on other parts of the body. In general, my first thought would be arthritis. If so, welcome to the world of osteoarthritis. There isn’t a lot of effective, good pain-relieving treatment. NSAIDs don’t always cut it, or for very long. Definitely, stairs can irritate cranky joints, including ankles.

I hope you at least get a definitive diagnosis so you’ll know.

Re: Knee question

cherry — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 01:08:59 GMT

You could have a torn meniscus(sp) and if you do ,it's not going to go away

Do as you wish, but if it were me, I would get into the Dr asap

Re: Knee question

m0rgan — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 01:19:24 GMT

I have a torn meniscus and my doctor recommended Physical Therapy. They taught me so much about how to go up and down stairs and different exercises to do to strengthen the muscles around the area. Your insurance will probably cover it and it is worth a try. I was scheduled for surgery and then postponed and then my family doctor said to try the therapy. I am so glad I did. I am now working with a personal trainer (not covered by my insurance) to keep strengthening my muscles and hopefully lose some weight which will also help my knee.

Re: Knee question

Carmie — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 02:13:29 GMT

I have osteoarthritis in both of my knees and it can be quite painful. Going up and down stairs seems to aggravate them.

i suggest going down slowly and holding onto the handrail...step lightly. You don’t want to pound them down.

I also go down the stairs backwards, it’s easier on my knees. I am up and down two flights of stairs many times a day.

If your knees don’t feel any better, call the ortho doctor and make an appointment. It took me almost a month to be seen. By the time I got in to see him the first time, the swelling was down and my knee didn’t hurt. I had x-rays and an MRI that showed the arthritis. My left knee was the worst of the two, but it didn’t hurt. My right knee was giving me problems. now both knees talk to me daily.

Re: Knee question

hckynut — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 02:58:14 GMT

@m0rgan wrote:
I have a torn meniscus and my doctor recommended Physical Therapy. They taught me so much about how to go up and down stairs and different exercises to do to strengthen the muscles around the area. Your insurance will probably cover it and it is worth a try. I was scheduled for surgery and then postponed and then my family doctor said to try the therapy. I am so glad I did. I am now working with a personal trainer (not covered by my insurance) to keep strengthening my muscles and hopefully lose some weight which will also help my knee.

@m0rgan,

You are a very wise person. Carrying extra weight with weak supporting muscles, can and do cause more wear and tear on all weight bearing joints. Certain muscle groups can help protect these joints from injuries from everyday use. Trauma is another completely different scenario.

I credit my much used knees(runner with over 100,000 miles) and played ice hockey and was a referee for over 50 years, to always maintaining extra strength in all the supporting muscle groups. Never had a knee joint injury in my very active life, thanks to the support of the strength in those supporting muscles.

Keep doing what you are doing with your therapy and it should help protect your knees. Good for you,

hckynut

Re: Knee question

sfnative — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 20:06:01 GMT

@qualitygal

It would be helpful to know where you're experiencing pain in your knee and what kind of pain.

Is the pain sharp, an ache, burning sensation, any numbness, stabbing pain, lacerating? Also, do you have whatever pain 24/7? And, do you know what you do initially which caused the knee pain?

Thanks!

Re: Knee question

qualitygal — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 20:15:30 GMT

@sfnative wrote:
@qualitygal

It would be helpful to know where you're experiencing pain in your knee and what kind of pain.

Is the pain sharp, an ache, burning sensation, any numbness, stabbing pain, lacerating? Also, do you have whatever pain 24/7? And, do you know what you do initially which caused the knee pain?

Thanks!

@sfnative, Saw my doctor today. I overworked it on lChristmas Eve, going up and down stairs. I was limping, it had fever, so I used a cold pack on it and it helped. I have to go one foot at a time, same foot first up and down the stairs. It's the bending that hurts. No numbness, or stabbing pain, just bad pain. I'm going to take good care of it and hopefully it will get better. If not, I'll be seeing my doctor. Sometimes it bothers me at night, last night was very good, got good rest. I think it's going to take time. It's sore like I bumped or bruised it on the (as I look at it) right side of the knee area. On my left leg though.

Re: Knee question

Annabellethecat66 — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 20:25:49 GMT

On May first of 2017 I had both knees replaced the same time.

It was smooth sailing and I have not had any trouble with the replacement.

I have something in my blood called IGG (my body doesn't fight infection very well). However, I didn't have any trouble healing EXCEPT with the incision in one knee. It kept busting open.

I had to keep going back to the knee Dr to have him check it.

I never used one of those walkers and only used the cane for maybe 2 weeks.

I (like many other people) at one time tore the miniscus in one knee. I had the operation to fix it and it was good for a few years.

Eventually (not because of the torn minuscus) but arthritis and age the pain in both knees got so bad I could hardly walk a few steps. That's why I had them both replaced.

My guess is you might have a slight tear in your knee. I have friends who've done that. Some have had to wear a simple brace and it healed, some had to have the operation (like I did) to repair it.

If it continues (often it is sporatic) when it tears slightly, perhaps you might want to have a Dr look at it.

Often (if it is torn slightly) you feel like it'll be OK, but it pops back up now and then.

Re: Knee question

sfnative — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 22:52:58 GMT

@qualitygal wrote:
@sfnative wrote:
@qualitygal

It would be helpful to know where you're experiencing pain in your knee and what kind of pain.

Is the pain sharp, an ache, burning sensation, any numbness, stabbing pain, lacerating? Also, do you have whatever pain 24/7? And, do you know what you do initially which caused the knee pain?

Thanks!
@sfnative, Saw my doctor today. I overworked it on lChristmas Eve, going up and down stairs. I was limping, it had fever, so I used a cold pack on it and it helped. I have to go one foot at a time, same foot first up and down the stairs. It's the bending that hurts. No numbness, or stabbing pain, just bad pain. I'm going to take good care of it and hopefully it will get better. If not, I'll be seeing my doctor. Sometimes it bothers me at night, last night was very good, got good rest. I think it's going to take time. It's sore like I bumped or bruised it on the (as I look at it) right side of the knee area. On my left leg though.

@qualitygal

You know, I really should have explained that before I retired a few years ago, 60% of what I did was Ortho, hence the questions asked. I'd advise keeping on that knee. Taking steps one at a time like you're doing is smart - going up AND down, since you really don't know what's wrong with your knee. If this condition persists into the spring and/or gets worse, I'd ask for a referral to an Ortho doc and arrange for an MRI, just to make sure nothing untoward is going on.

Here's hoping that taking good care of it and icing will make your knee happy again. XXX

Re: Knee question

qualitygal — Wed, 03 Jan 2018 10:33:43 GMT

@sfnative, that's ok to ask questions. I appreciate your response. I'm going to see how it goes, and it was better to walk on today. I'm leary,since by the end of the day, it could be differerent but so far so good. By the end of the week, I'll see what's what, but thank you.