Last week, I decided to add some variety to my cardio routine by jogging in the park. It was 86 degrees outside and just gorgeous, and I wanted to soak up as much of it as I could. Big mistake. I consider myself to by in pretty good shape, but I hardly ever run, except for 20 minute HIIT sessions on the treadmill.
I don’t know if it’s because my body isn’t used to that kind of exercise, or if I wasn’t using proper form, but on my second lap around the park, I felt the sides of my left knee start to burn with pain. I didn’t twist it or hear a pop: it just began to hurt. So, instead of pushing myself, I slowed to a walk and sat down on the nearest bench. I rested for about 15 minutes, and then decided to make the 10 minute walk back to my apartment. By the time I got there, I was limping. The next morning when I woke up, I couldn’t bend my knee without a shock of pain around the knee joint.
For the last week, I’ve been icing it, taking anti-inflammatory pills, resting it as much as possible (if I limped around for more than 5 minutes, it began to hurt again) and reducing my workouts to just a few laps in the pool – I found that this doesn’t hurt, and the weightlessness seems to help a bit. It’s been 6 days, and the pain has mostly subsided, I bought an Ace knee bandage and have been using that for support when walking around. I can bend my knee now without pain, but now my knee clicks when I move it a certain way and if I bend my knee while holding my kneecap, it pops (with no pain). I’m worried that I’ve torn my meniscus, and that it will require surgery to repair (cartilage doesn’t heal, right?).
Does this sound like a common runner’s injury to anyone (Runner’s Knee?), and is there anything I should do for it besides rest? I want to start working out again, but I don’t know how much longer I should wait – my knee still feels weak. It doesn’t hurt, but it’s not 100%. I’m so angry at myself for allowing this to happen… I’m so worried that I’ve permanently damaged my knee cartilage.
I don’t know if it’s because my body isn’t used to that kind of exercise, or if I wasn’t using proper form, but on my second lap around the park, I felt the sides of my left knee start to burn with pain. I didn’t twist it or hear a pop: it just began to hurt. So, instead of pushing myself, I slowed to a walk and sat down on the nearest bench. I rested for about 15 minutes, and then decided to make the 10 minute walk back to my apartment. By the time I got there, I was limping. The next morning when I woke up, I couldn’t bend my knee without a shock of pain around the knee joint.
For the last week, I’ve been icing it, taking anti-inflammatory pills, resting it as much as possible (if I limped around for more than 5 minutes, it began to hurt again) and reducing my workouts to just a few laps in the pool – I found that this doesn’t hurt, and the weightlessness seems to help a bit. It’s been 6 days, and the pain has mostly subsided, I bought an Ace knee bandage and have been using that for support when walking around. I can bend my knee now without pain, but now my knee clicks when I move it a certain way and if I bend my knee while holding my kneecap, it pops (with no pain). I’m worried that I’ve torn my meniscus, and that it will require surgery to repair (cartilage doesn’t heal, right?).
Does this sound like a common runner’s injury to anyone (Runner’s Knee?), and is there anything I should do for it besides rest? I want to start working out again, but I don’t know how much longer I should wait – my knee still feels weak. It doesn’t hurt, but it’s not 100%. I’m so angry at myself for allowing this to happen… I’m so worried that I’ve permanently damaged my knee cartilage.