Pain and Crinkling noise on my knee

[dirkgnuf]

For over a year, I've been dealing with mild pain in my right knee. Whenever I bend my knee down in a fixed position for a while or when I put weight on my knee (squats, knee bending, jumping etc) I will feel pain that occurs around my kneecap as well as a crinkling sound when I bend my knee and bend it back. At first I thought if I waited long enough, it would heal. However it has not improved and is is really bothering me when I exercise. Does anyone know what I can do to strengthen my knees and get rid of this problem. Can anyone give me an idea of what I am suffering from, or am I just out of shape?
I can also hear and feel the crinkling sound when I place my hands on my knee cap.Thanks

 

[NLBwell]

Sounds like Chrondomalachia (sp?) maybe? - roughness of the cartilage underneath the kneecap - If so (and of course I am not a Dr. and can not make a diagnosis so don't sue me) you will usually be told to strengthen your quadriceps muscles. The stronger muscle will lift the kneecap away from the joint. Leg extensions (sitting on bench,then straightening leg) build the quad fastest, but can be hard on the knee if it is not strong enough. Closed chain (heel on ground) exercises like squats, leg press, are safer if the knee is weak but also use hamstring and butt. You can even just tighten your quads with your leg straight or do a straight leg lift.

 

[LarougeNY]

do you have flat feet? Wear orthodics?
Anyhow you should definitely schedule a visit to an orthopedist and lay off the lower body exercise for a while. If you really want to be safe, you can even get an MRI before your visit to the ortho (unless he tells you to get one anyway) so he can diagnose the problem more accurately.

 

[Frodo Baggins]

my knee goes pop,pop When I walk no fun.. I Have bursitis in my knee... my knee problem started Last fri.. an i'm still hurt But gettin Better.. So I should be up An running again to Help Davide soon!!

 

[circusmouse]

I agree with NLBwell. I have the same problem. The sound you hear is called crepitus. It's very common and nothing to worry about unto itself, but strengthening the quads is probably a good idea. I recommend doing one-legged squats (no weights, you can do these at home, and I find that doing them after tennis produces a nice soreness). Be prepared to hear some awful sounds if you do these. You may experience pain if your quads aren't strong enough, so you might want to try squatting against a wall until you get some strenght going. To do this, just stand against a wall and with your feet out a couple of feet and lower your body down into a high squatting position in which the thighs are not quite parallel to the ground, push your lower back against the wall, and just stay there for a few minutes. You'll feel the burn. Yoga is also good. And you might want to take some glucosamine for at least a few months. I use a brand called Dr. Theo's Avosoy Complete. Good glucosamine is expensive, so expect that. It's also good to take an ibuprofen before tennis and to ice afterwards.

 

[dirkgnuf]

LaRougeNY, I do have overpronation, flat feet etc, but do not wear orthotics,
Could that have been related to this problem?
As for the exercises, can anyone redirect me to a good site, because although I do squats, they are rather painful after say 10 reps.
Thanks for the suggestions guys, appreciate it.

 

[circusmouse]

Here's something:
http://www.tinajuanfitness.info/exercises/list.htm

The wall squat I mentioned earlier is listed on that site, except they do the one-legged version, which you probably won't want to do at first. Start with two legs. Different foot widths will affect different muscles.

 

[Marius_Hancu]

You may well have arthritis.

Go to an GOOD orthopedic surgeon specializing in knees (I can't believe you haven't been to one already). He would probably ask you to have X-Rays and MRIs.

You may have to start using Glucosamine if the cartilage is affected. Quite effective from my experience.

 

[backcourt]

Sounds like Chrondomalachia (sp?) maybe? - roughness of the cartilage underneath the kneecap - If so (and of course I am not a Dr. and can not make a diagnosis so don't sue me) you will usually be told to strengthen your quadriceps muscles. The stronger muscle will lift the kneecap away from the joint. Leg extensions (sitting on bench,then straightening leg) build the quad fastest, but can be hard on the knee if it is not strong enough. Closed chain (heel on ground) exercises like squats, leg press, are safer if the knee is weak but also use hamstring and butt. You can even just tighten your quads with your leg straight or do a straight leg lift.

I also am not a doctor but concur with the chondromalcia thought, I have it too; but have also been diag'd with chronic patellar tendonitis. The primary exercise the PT has given me is to lie on our back with one leg extended and the other one bent. Tighten the quad muscle in your extended leg and lift it up above your bent one. I do these 10 each side x 3. Stretching the quad and hamstring as well as the calf is also a good idea.

 

[Fries-N-Gravy]

Quads? WRONG! Hamstrings protect your knee. Do hamstring curls. VERY SLOWLY 4 sets of 15-20. at least once or twice a week.

posture also plays a role. You need to strengthen your lower back. When you squat down and your knees are in front of your feet in terms of their two vertical planes, that puts too much stress on your knees. Best is if you look down and your knees just almost cover your feet, to do that you need to have good upper body posture.

Take:

glucosamine chondroitin
Vitamin E

 

[spadesss]

i have the same problem.
i thought time would heal it. wrong.
acuputure fixed it. done twice. problem solved!

i didn't understand the medical terms behind it or the cause of it.
i am just damn happy its gone once and for all.
i felt "pressure" was released and no more noises.
you can look up my old post on this if you li,e.

 

[circusmouse]

I love acupuncture and can't say enough about its many benefits, but it didn't help my knees at all. In my case, the issue was largely one of leg strength. It's good to point out acupuncture as an option, though. Depending on the underlying problem, it could be the cure.