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Knee Pain, Done Blood Test, X-ray, Physiotherapy. Why Do I Get Joint Injuries And How To Heal Them?
Question: Hi I’m XXXXXXX 21, Male, living in Melbourne, Australia. 180cm tall, 86kg / 190lbs
My problem is when I was 16 I started jogging for 6 months about 30 minutes about 5 days a week(treadmill and streets.) After 6 months I had to stop because of severe pain in my knee joints after a run, the pain has remained ever since.
The pain is not severe just a mild type of pain but whenever I add extra walking or any type of exercise over time the pain grows worse.
I have been to two physios, one when I was 17, just added a lot of muscle to my leg through muscle building exercises like step ups with extra weight, but it did not make the pain go away.
More recently I have started physio again and have rebuilt up some key muscles through more specific muscle building work outs, and now I ride an exercise bike on a low setting for 10 minutes every day almost, but the pain is still there.
I have had an x-ray of my knees which showed nothing abnormal and have had a blood test to check for rheumatoid arthritis, which showed none and the blood test was normal, I saw a specialist who said my joints were a bit more flexible and more prone to injury than others.
Some doctors would also check my knee, bend it all different ways check for clicking and cracking, but I have none, it doesn’t lock, click snap, crack or anything like that.
I have also tried swimming and weight lifting but have also developed pain in my shoulders and elbows, though my shoulder pain has gone away with physio.
Resting and taking breaks form activities makes the pain go away, but it can always come back when I resume those activities.
My question is why do I get these joint injuries?
What can I do to heal from them? Physically? Medically? And through diet and eating habits?
Regards, XXXXXXX
My problem is when I was 16 I started jogging for 6 months about 30 minutes about 5 days a week(treadmill and streets.) After 6 months I had to stop because of severe pain in my knee joints after a run, the pain has remained ever since.
The pain is not severe just a mild type of pain but whenever I add extra walking or any type of exercise over time the pain grows worse.
I have been to two physios, one when I was 17, just added a lot of muscle to my leg through muscle building exercises like step ups with extra weight, but it did not make the pain go away.
More recently I have started physio again and have rebuilt up some key muscles through more specific muscle building work outs, and now I ride an exercise bike on a low setting for 10 minutes every day almost, but the pain is still there.
I have had an x-ray of my knees which showed nothing abnormal and have had a blood test to check for rheumatoid arthritis, which showed none and the blood test was normal, I saw a specialist who said my joints were a bit more flexible and more prone to injury than others.
Some doctors would also check my knee, bend it all different ways check for clicking and cracking, but I have none, it doesn’t lock, click snap, crack or anything like that.
I have also tried swimming and weight lifting but have also developed pain in my shoulders and elbows, though my shoulder pain has gone away with physio.
Resting and taking breaks form activities makes the pain go away, but it can always come back when I resume those activities.
My question is why do I get these joint injuries?
What can I do to heal from them? Physically? Medically? And through diet and eating habits?
Regards, XXXXXXX
Dear XXXXXXX
Thanks for your query.
Going by the symptoms described by you it seems to be a case of " JUMPER'S KNEE". This is a common problem with Atheletes, tennis and badminton players. The basic pathology in this condition is "Inflammation of the Patellar Tendon" and thus it also known as " PATELLAR TENDONITIS" in medical terminology. This condition occurs when a person gets into active sporting activities without enough prior warm-up and stretching exercises. X-Ray's typically are normal as it is a soft tissue involvement. A MRI SCAN of the affected knee joint is however helpful in confirming the diagnosis.
In your case the following are the suggestions:
- aviod any strenuous activities ( jogging) for 3 weeks.
- take some NSAID medications for 1 week
- supplement this with some local application NSAID gel and cold packs for 2 weeks
- wear a knee cap for 3 weeks
- Physiotherapy ( US massage + SWD ) of the affected knee for 1 week
- if the symptoms subsides the go in for Qadriceps & Gastrocnemeius muscle stretching exercises.
- start initially with brisk walking on threadmill for the first 3 weeks and then slowly graduate to jogging gradually increasing the speed on the threadmill. Always wear a knee-cap while walking/ jogging.
However if you find no respite from this condition even after taking all the above mentioned precautions then you must consider getting an MRI scan. If the MRI scan confirms the diagnosis then the further options could vary from " Local steroid infiltration" to " Patellar tendon partial release surgery".
I suggest that you try out the earlier mentioned therapy for at least 3 weeks and then do let us know about the status of your condition for further discussions.
Regards,
Dr. XXXXXXX XXXXXXX
Thanks for your query.
Going by the symptoms described by you it seems to be a case of " JUMPER'S KNEE". This is a common problem with Atheletes, tennis and badminton players. The basic pathology in this condition is "Inflammation of the Patellar Tendon" and thus it also known as " PATELLAR TENDONITIS" in medical terminology. This condition occurs when a person gets into active sporting activities without enough prior warm-up and stretching exercises. X-Ray's typically are normal as it is a soft tissue involvement. A MRI SCAN of the affected knee joint is however helpful in confirming the diagnosis.
In your case the following are the suggestions:
- aviod any strenuous activities ( jogging) for 3 weeks.
- take some NSAID medications for 1 week
- supplement this with some local application NSAID gel and cold packs for 2 weeks
- wear a knee cap for 3 weeks
- Physiotherapy ( US massage + SWD ) of the affected knee for 1 week
- if the symptoms subsides the go in for Qadriceps & Gastrocnemeius muscle stretching exercises.
- start initially with brisk walking on threadmill for the first 3 weeks and then slowly graduate to jogging gradually increasing the speed on the threadmill. Always wear a knee-cap while walking/ jogging.
However if you find no respite from this condition even after taking all the above mentioned precautions then you must consider getting an MRI scan. If the MRI scan confirms the diagnosis then the further options could vary from " Local steroid infiltration" to " Patellar tendon partial release surgery".
I suggest that you try out the earlier mentioned therapy for at least 3 weeks and then do let us know about the status of your condition for further discussions.
Regards,
Dr. XXXXXXX XXXXXXX
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Hi Dr. XXXXXXX XXXXXXX
Thanks for your reply.
I also have pain in my elbows after doing weight exercises and in my shoulders too. Are these also inflamed tendons?
Also regarding the jumpers knee the pain in my knee started when i was 16-17 and i am now 21. Does this mean I've had this condition for all those years?
Also with jumpers knee i would expect to feel pain while i cycle but i rarely feel pain during exercise, it is usually later on or the next day.
Regards, XXXXXXX
Thanks for your reply.
I also have pain in my elbows after doing weight exercises and in my shoulders too. Are these also inflamed tendons?
Also regarding the jumpers knee the pain in my knee started when i was 16-17 and i am now 21. Does this mean I've had this condition for all those years?
Also with jumpers knee i would expect to feel pain while i cycle but i rarely feel pain during exercise, it is usually later on or the next day.
Regards, XXXXXXX
Dear XXXXXXX
Pain around the other joints along with the knee could also be a part of a condition known as " FIBROMYALGIA SYNDROME", where-in there is a generalized inflammation of tendons around peripheral joints. Pain in this condition usually takes about 8-12 hours to manifest after any sporting activity, as the inflammation manifests itself gradually. However the treatment remains the same.
I suggest that you try them out and then revert back to me for further discussions.
Regards,
Dr. XXXXXXX XXXXXXX
Pain around the other joints along with the knee could also be a part of a condition known as " FIBROMYALGIA SYNDROME", where-in there is a generalized inflammation of tendons around peripheral joints. Pain in this condition usually takes about 8-12 hours to manifest after any sporting activity, as the inflammation manifests itself gradually. However the treatment remains the same.
I suggest that you try them out and then revert back to me for further discussions.
Regards,
Dr. XXXXXXX XXXXXXX
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Shanthi.E
Answered by
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