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- Sun Sep 20, 2009 9:59 am
I'm a 50 year old male, active. 5'7" 170lbs. I regularly exercise (free weights, calisthenic, bike, row). Ski in winter, golf and bike in summer (20+ miles once a week, in good weather, 15 mph+). I'm am, fortunately, free of daily aches and pain.
I'm not a runner. Last week while away I went for a jog, flat, about 1.5 - 2 miles.
Within a couple of hours, my left knee felt stiff / full. Not achy. No swelling or discoloration, no noise.
Riding home in the car (8 hours, the next day), it felt as if it swelled up, and the general region above and below the knee felt weak. Still no swelling or discoloration. Patella is stable.
It has eased back, but is still stiff, and either actually weak or I'm perceiveing a weakness. Exercising yesterday didn't aggravate it (deep knee bends / squats with dumbells). But getting on and off the floor for pushups or crunches is difficult.
I'm going to make an appointment, and I'm assuming that an MRI is in order.
But I'm very concerned and curious - does this sound like something that can abate on its own? Do you thing it's a ligament or do I have a bursa sac or fluid issue internally, or what?
| Tom Plamondon PA-C
- Sun Sep 27, 2009 8:59 pm
Thank you for the well described condition.
This knee stiffness and ache may resolve on its own without MRI or any intervention.
You may need to back off a bit on your regular exercise intensity for a few weeks then restart gradually. And also take some NSAIDS and ice or heat packs.
Probably what happened is the surfaces of the knee (articular cartilage) did not like the pounding of the running but only let you know that after the run. It is fairly common occurrence.
Running probably is not for you. And since you already have a consistent and good routine, I would not fiddle with running.