sore knee... what to do?

[space-time]

for the past few days my knee bothered me a little bit. I think I noticed it first a week ago, then it seemed to go away, but not really, it came back.

for the record: I wasn't a great athlete, but I was able to run a 5k race in under 25 min a few years ago. Since then got lazy and put in a few extra pounds, and my doctor recommended to start cardio exercises again. So about 10 days ago I run again for about 20 minutes, but I didn't go running since then, I need to see what's going on with my knee first. it could be that I have some knee injury form when I went running.

I called an orthopedist today, and the earliest appointment is on August 3. I scheduled an exam anyway, but I wonder what my options are till then. I could go to my PCP, they even have walk-in hours tomorrow, but on the other hand I think he will send me to a specialist anyway (and my insurance does not require referrals)

it doesn't really hurt, it just feels a little different than usual and I would not dare to run, and I walk a little slower than usual (and probably limp a little bit)

see the PCP? wait till August 3? find another less-busy orthopedist?

[Racer X]

well, ibuprophen may reduce any inflammation, and help with the pain. 2-3 every 4-6 hours with food for a few weeks is safe.

Long term, for joint wear and inflammation, glucosamine/chondroitan and Omega 3 fish oil caps can do wonders. They reduce the pain and inflammation in my hip just as much as my prescription NSAID does. If I go off the oil and glucosamine, I am in a world of hurt in about a week, and it takes a week or 2 to lessen the pain after I go back on them.

Glucosamine/chondroitan and fish oil don't work as well on knees as they do on hips and shoulders because the joint is smaller and has far less surface area. YMMV.

[AlphaDog]

Since the chances are that you'll be referred to an orthoped anyway, why spend the time and money on the PCP? By the way, waiting until August 3 to see my ortho is considered a really quick appointment. The better they are, the longer it takes to get in. This is also vacation time. And, if you'll look at the calendar, the 3rd of August is just a bit over a week away. Follow Racer's advice for temporary relief and just wait for the guy who knows what he's doing. That's what I'd do, but, of course, I'm used to living with pain, whereas you young pups aren't.

[mattkime]

what is "bothered me a little bit"?

most runners endure pain far worse than that and consider it normal. still, if it is in a certain class of concerns then stopping with even a small amount of pain is wise.

you definitely need a better description of the problem

definitely watch this - http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core...2109474549

[andypie48]

The physical therapists use ice packs a lot. They leave them on for 10 minutes.

I had good results once with upper arm pain from a friend who knows Reiki, but there is a lot of mystic bs that goes along with the laying on of hands. You may know someone who will give you a treatment for free.

I have the utmost respect for physical therapists, whose ability and knowledge are vastly unrecognized.

If you use acetaminophen (tylenol) be warned that it is toxic to the liver, so do some research and find out what the safe dose is and don't exceed it. Acetaminophen poisoning is the #1 cause of liver failure in the US today.

[M>B>]

How about a simple elastic knee brace available at most drug stores. It helped with my knee problem.

http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/search/search_....jsp?oss=1&removeAllFacets=true&addFacet=SRCH:Knee%20Brace

[Black]

M>B> wrote:
How about a simple elastic knee brace available at most drug stores. It helped with my knee problem.

http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/search/search_....jsp?oss=1&removeAllFacets=true&addFacet=SRCH:Knee%20Brace

Nice! Do you shave or wax?

[Fritz]

ice packs, as above. portable stim (tens) units can be found for $50 can be helpful. both together have helped me a lot.

[DRR]

I'm not a doctor but I play one on the internet...

Sounds like a meniscus problem to me. Keep your appt. and keep your knee rested until then. No high impact activities!

With exercising, as we all get older - start slow. A 20 minute run for someone that doesn't run or has not had any high impact activities, can be too much for out of shape knees.