I went to the doctor today, and he looked at my knees. He poked them, prodded them, all the things you expect a doctor to do. He posed questions to me regarding my running habits. He looked dubiously at the sneakers I wore to the appointment and asked, “Do you run in those?” and I assured him I do not (which reminds me, it’s probably time to look for a new pair of trail runners again).
In the end, he said that, while there was a slight chance that my right knee is suffering from the start of arthritis, it is more likely that I am afflicted with “runner’s knee.” After 5760 km run1Not really a humblebrag, since that’s spread over 14 years, I suppose it’s not entirely unexpected. The main remedy is to rest, stretch and get bionic knees.
Actually, this article says what I really need is RICE:
- Rest: Avoid repetitive stress on the knee.
- Ice: To reduce pain and swelling, apply an ice pack or a package of frozen peas to the knee for up to 30 minutes at a time and avoid any heat to the knee.
- Compression: Wrap your knee with an elastic bandage or sleeve to restrict swelling but not too tightly as to cause swelling below the knee.
- Elevation: Place a pillow under your knee when sitting or lying down to prevent further swelling. When there is significant swelling, keep the foot elevated above the knee and the knee above the level of the heart.
As of this coming Tuesday, it will be two weeks since my last run. I will probably wait a little longer still, then gradually start running again, first 5K, then 10K, then upping the frequency and hopefully my knees will be cool with it. Or else it’s RICE time.
My doctor also suggested physical therapy, which might include massage and that might be nice, so I’m looking into that, too.
As a bonus, I also have what he says is a baker cyst, which sounds like something you’d see in the world’s worst, most horrifying bakery. While my doctor thought it was no big deal, the causes listed on the Mayo Clinic link above do concern me somewhat:
This can be caused by:
- Inflammation of the knee joint, which can occur with various types of arthritis (arthritis would be bad, although in this case, also very sudden)
- A knee injury, such as a cartilage tear (anything inside your body tearing is bad, though cartilage can heal)
He said to just treat the knee and the pesky fluid should go away without any direct intervention, such as a judo chop.
Anyway, bodies are dumb. I’ve only had one knee incident before in 14 years of running, so I guess in a way I’m lucky. Maybe I’ll get new and comfier shoes before that next run, something nice and pillowy, like the old colour-bleeding Speedgoats I had way back when.
