knee pain

[vinhextreme]

i have a little pain in my right knee every time i walk and what can i do about it?
play less tennis?
well whenever i go to a public court, i tend to ride my bike there
i think that's one of the problem that cause the pain in my right knee
and every time i get up from the ground, i can hear the scratching noise comes out of my right knee and sometime left knee
i think my knee bones are scratching each other
is that bad?

 

[NotAtTheNet]

Ummm riding your bike should cause problems, it actually helps by warming up your legs b4 goign to play which is good. If you did somethign major like an ACL or MCL, you'd know it. Might be something minor like a lateral meniscus which is no big deal. I had mine removed and I'm fine (i got creaky knees now) and can do long distance runs (full and half marathons). Is the pain severe? do you stretch out before you play? Might want to consider taking time off and see if conditions improve.

 

[vinhextreme]

i had it before and i rested a little
i guess i have to rest now
what's ACL or MCL?

 

[LaZeR]

Ummm riding your bike should cause problems, it actually helps by warming up your legs b4 goign to play which is good. ...

AGREE (assuming @NotAtTheNet meant to write "riding your bike should NOT cause problems"), biking is an excellent non-friction warm up in advance of playing tennis, and the cycling motion should loosen up your knees.

 

[ollinger]

and the cycling motion should loosen up your knees.

"loosening up your knees" is not something to aspire to. Would only destabilize things and predispose to injury.

 

[LaZeR]

Ummm riding your bike should cause problems, it actually helps by warming up your legs b4 goign to play which is good. ...

AGREE (assuming @NotAtTheNet meant to write "riding your bike should NOT cause problems"), biking is an excellent non-friction warm up in advance of playing tennis, and the cycling motion should loosen up your knees.

"loosening up your knees" is not something to aspire to. Would only destabilize things and predispose to injury.

Whatchu talkin bout? Why do you think players STRETCH before playing - to TIGHTEN sh*t up?? It's the same concept.

 

[fpsanti]

i have a little pain in my right knee every time i walk and what can i do about it?
play less tennis?
well whenever i go to a public court, i tend to ride my bike there
i think that's one of the problem that cause the pain in my right knee
and every time i get up from the ground, i can hear the scratching noise comes out of my right knee and sometime left knee
i think my knee bones are scratching each other
is that bad?

Scratching noise could be either meniscus or patella.
Try to rest for a few days if it does not go away in max two weeks then see a doc.
In both cases, building stronger leg muscles (especially quads) helps protecting the knees.

Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

 

[ollinger]

Whatchu talkin bout? Why do you think players STRETCH before playing - to TIGHTEN sh*t up?? It's the same concept

players stretch muscles in their legs but none of that will "loosen up the knee" which is held together, hopefully quite firmly, by ligaments

 

[Dartagnan64]

i have a little pain in my right knee every time i walk and what can i do about it?
play less tennis?
well whenever i go to a public court, i tend to ride my bike there
i think that's one of the problem that cause the pain in my right knee
and every time i get up from the ground, i can hear the scratching noise comes out of my right knee and sometime left knee
i think my knee bones are scratching each other
is that bad?

Welcome to getting old. Creaky knee joints are part of wear and tear on your cartilage and mensicus.

Playing tennis with its fast stops and starts is the problem not riding the bike. Getting blood flowing riding your bike is a good low impact warmup. Make sure your seat is set high enough so you aren't overflexing the knee.

If something in a joint suddenly hurts, rest it until it doesn't hurt. Then gradually return to activity and see if the pain comes back. If so, see a doctor.

 

[LaZeR]

Played for 3 hours on Saturday night, knees hurt after, then 2 hours on Wed nite, and knees felt excruciating!!

Now it's Friday evening, just got back from a 3 mile bike ride getting groceries, and knees feel a bit better. Case in Point per previous posts...

 

[LaZeR]

Welcome to getting old. Creaky knee joints are part of wear and tear on your cartilage and mensicus. Playing tennis with its fast stops and starts is the problem not riding the bike. Getting blood flowing riding your bike is a good low impact warmup. If something in a joint suddenly hurts, rest it until it doesn't hurt. Then gradually return to activity and see if the pain comes back. If so, see a doctor.

AGREE on all points but just a question on the last 2 points... taking everything all together in combination, isn't it NORMAL for knees to hurt AGAIN after tennis activity - what could a doctor do other than give almost the exact same advice?

 

[RogueFLIP]

AGREE on all points but just a question on the last 2 points... taking everything all together in combination, isn't it NORMAL for knees to hurt AGAIN after tennis activity - what could a doctor do other than give almost the exact same advice?

1. Dartagnan64 IS a medical doctor FYI
2. Was there a point of reviving a 12 year old thread?

 

[LaZeR]

Was there a point of reviving a 12 year old thread?

Yep.

 

[HelenCH]

AGREE on all points but just a question on the last 2 points... taking everything all together in combination, isn't it NORMAL for knees to hurt AGAIN after tennis activity - what could a doctor do other than give almost the exact same advice?

A doctor could refer you to get an MRI done, which is a good starting point, unless the issue is very obvious, like an MCL sprain. "Excruciating pain" is non-specific. Medial and lateral pain for example are caused by different things and managed differently, so you need to know what is happening there, to know what to do and what to avoid, which muscles to build and which ones to stretch, and no-one can tell you that without a diagnosis. Many knee issues even when permanent can be managed without sacrificing a lot of activity. For example, I am missing a piece of cartilage under my left patella, according to MRI all the way to the bone, and I am currently playing 5-6 times a week, mostly singles, and I have no excruciating pain afterwards. Yet when my problem started 5 years ago I couldn't get up from the sofa and wasn't even thinking of doing any sports, I could only think about different models of wheelchairs. And it was caused by incorrect management of a previous knee injury which otherwise would have become a distant memory by now.

 

[LaZeR]

... Many knee issues even when permanent can be managed without sacrificing a lot of activity. For example, I am missing a piece of cartilage under my left patella, according to MRI all the way to the bone, and I am currently playing 5-6 times a week, mostly singles, and I have no excruciating pain afterwards. Yet when my problem started 5 years ago I couldn't get up from the sofa and wasn't even thinking of doing any sports, I could only think about different models of wheelchairs. And it was caused by incorrect management of a previous knee injury which otherwise would have become a distant memory by now.

So then what was the cure / solution / fix -- surgery?

 

[HelenCH]

So then what was the cure / solution / fix -- surgery?

Stretches, work on building some muscles, while leaving other muscles alone - I am not touching quads but work on flexors and adductors, this kind of things. No lunges, avoid exercise that requires some extreme bending of the knee. I also wear a support brace when playing tennis, and I ski now in robocop-style brace, and mostly freeride in good snow as technique is different with less torque on a knee joint. Surgery is left as the last resort when things get worse to bring my knee to its current state because this is as good as it will ever be functionally, so the goal is o delay or even avoid the surgery. I am very lucky with my new surgeon, he is honest with me and not too keen to operate just for the sake of it, so he will only operate when there will be a benefit to me from this surgery.
Anyway, if your knee pain keeps coming back get it checked to see why your knee hurts.

 

[socallefty]

@LaZeR - How old are you? Do you think it is a degenerative disease caused by age like arthritis or do you think you suffered an acute injury recently where you hurt a ligament, meniscus or knee cap?

If it is arthritis, you need to strengthen the muscles around the knee with a good physical therapy routine - a doctor might also give your cortisone shots to reduce the inflammation or hyaluronuc acid injections to keep the joint well-lubricated. Don’t do surgery in this case as it is unlikely to help much in the long-term. Anti-inflammatories, knee braces, icing a couple of times a day all help with reducing any pain and instability you feel. Rest Is always good and so, don’t overdo tennis if you are hurting a lot - build up the muscles first around the knee and then you can play daily. I am in my fifties with arthritis and am bone-on-bone in spots (no cartilage left) - had surgery last year, had cortisone/HA shots and the thing that worked the best is a proper workout program to build up muscles. Now I play everyday (singles and doubles) with a light fabric brace.

If it is an acute injury, a doctor needs to diagnose it with a MRI and then tell you what the best course is.

 

[LaZeR]

@LaZeR - How old are you? Do you think it is a degenerative disease caused by age like arthritis or do you think you suffered an acute injury recently where you hurt a ligament, meniscus or knee cap?

• Mid-40s. Decided to postpone playing tennis & run for a while. It's now Sunday. On Friday & Sat tried rollerblading but that still hurts knees, so switched to, in total, around 10 miles of biking, which barely has any impact on knees at all.
• Gonna order Pro Band Sports Kneedit Knee Supports - those look pretty good coz they're hard plastic like BandIt for tennis elbow.
• Also gonna ask doctor for injection in left hand middle finger, due to degenerative, and at the same time ask about knees.

Thanks for all suggestions!!

 

[ollinger]

If it is arthritis

Don’t do surgery in this case as it is unlikely to help much in the long-term

If it is arthritis, data show that a meniscus procedure won't have significant impact, but if pain is persistent and limiting, a knee replacement usually will relieve it

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Whatchu talkin bout? Why do you think players STRETCH before playing - to TIGHTEN sh*t up?? It's the same concept.

Players, who know what they are doing, do not usually stretch just prior to play. At least not static stretches. Static stretching just prior to playing or exercising is a very outdated idea. Dynamic stretches (constant movement) as part of a dynamic warmup is preferred.

Static stretching can be performed after you finish playing tennis for the day. Alternately, static stretches can be performed an hour or more prior to tennis. Static stretching has been found to reduce muscle performance -- a reduction in both muscle speed and muscle strength. It can take an hour or more for muscles to recover from static stretching. In some cases, static stretching just prior to exercise might actually increase the likelihood of injury rather than reducing it.

 

[LaZeR]

OK well a bike ride to the courts sure sounds like a pretty dynamic stretch/warmup IMO.

 

[Dartagnan64]

AGREE on all points but just a question on the last 2 points... taking everything all together in combination, isn't it NORMAL for knees to hurt AGAIN after tennis activity - what could a doctor do other than give almost the exact same advice?

Doctor can examine the knee for ligament damage, get an Xray to look for degenerative changes or refer to a specialist for a scope to check out the meniscus. But it starts with a good history of the symptoms which isn't easy on a message board. Of course if you are old and know you have arthritis in the knee there isn't as much to be gained from the doctor than if you are young and knee pain is less common from wear and tear and could be something more serious.