Knee experts, help me out here...

[SuperMoe]

My knee problem was related to cartilage. I basically had a chunk break away (left with a small hole)...somewhere in my knee (duh, I forgot exactly what part now) It was just one of those things that years of abuse..jumping, diving, etc probably brought on, no one specific injury. It caused swelling, some pain, occasional limited mobility, etc. You might just have a bunch of "floaties" in your knee and all it would take is a simple scope to clean it out and then you're back to good.

So, you really need to go in and have some one look at it. There's so many things it could be. Find a good sports med. doctor, let them do an x-ray or mri. But...if then recommend an Oates procedure...then we need to talk!

 

[pinto]

The back of knee pain sounds muscular to me, probably hamstring, maybe gastroc (calf muscle). Especially with the tightness. The under kneecap pain is most likely patellofemoral pain, although it could have progressed to chondromalacia. Patellofemoral pain is extremely common in females thanks to our nice wide child-bearin' hips. Echoing what others have said, ice never hurts, OTC anti-inflammatories are great as long as you don't have any gastrointestinal issues (ALWAYS take them with food). ....

Yes, I have been through this with my left knee, which has had chondromalacia since I was 12. Another flare-up (and some significant back-of-knee pain) last summer led me to some PTs and MDs and MRIs ... the consensus was that the back-of-knee pain was referred from the under-patellar pain and swelling. YMMV.

 

[itri]

Yes, I have been through this with my left knee, which has had chondromalacia since I was 12. Another flare-up (and some significant back-of-knee pain) last summer led me to some PTs and MDs and MRIs ... the consensus was that the back-of-knee pain was referred from the under-patellar pain and swelling. YMMV.

Hmm, guess it could be referred pain. I haven't seen a whole lot of that. But then again, when I was working, I was in a high school setting where you don't tend to see a lot of chondromalacia (it's a degenerative thing, so the young'uns don't usually have it yet ). Like I said before, hard to tell going off of limited information. Over the internet! :p

Robyn, as far as the insurance, if you have any say in things, try to avoid going with Kaiser. They're great for a lot of things, but athletic injuries do NOT tend to be one of them. And just let me know when you're ready for recs, I've got a lot of 'em!

 

[SueNJ]

My knee problem was related to cartilage. I basically had a chunk break away (left with a small hole)...somewhere in my knee (duh, I forgot exactly what part now) It was just one of those things that years of abuse..jumping, diving, etc probably brought on, no one specific injury. It caused swelling, some pain, occasional limited mobility, etc. You might just have a bunch of "floaties" in your knee and all it would take is a simple scope to clean it out and then you're back to good.

So, you really need to go in and have some one look at it. There's so many things it could be. Find a good sports med. doctor, let them do an x-ray or mri. But...if then recommend an Oates procedure...then we need to talk!

Good advice--that's what I had done a little over a year ago in my left knee (scope for cartilage debridement/lavage), final Dx was osteoarthritis. I've now got it in both knees. It's definitely manageable, especially once you know you've got it, and if you take care of it early.

 

[Robyn]

Okay, so the knee did pretty well at A-Basin, especially considering the bumps on Palli. I got the knee brace on Tuesday and have been wearing it in the evenings (I forgot to put it on this morning) but plan on wearing it tomorrow since we're doing major moving of crap at the office tomorrow. It'll get it's first skiing test on Saturday and Sunday with the Bears.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

^^^ Methinks you spent too much time laughing too hard to be aware of any knee anything!! Brace is a good idea - anything that provides additional support. Let us know how it works out.

I'm still sporting "chopat" and a lot of medical tape over my kneecap ("patella realignment"). No pain, it just gets sore after about 3 hours' worth of skiing hard. I do the ice thing when I get home, a little "vitamin m" and I'm good to go.

 

[overthehilldiva]

Interesting thread. An ortho that I used to ski with about 15 years ago recommended the exercises. Came in handy to know them when I tore the ACL. I was really ready for the surgery and it's helping in my recovery. Last night at PT, just 3 weeks post surgery I rode the bike, did a ton of exercises and started on leg presses. Felt great when I left there but after I got home BOTH knees were killing me. I think all of this is putting pressure on my left knee which before the ACL thing was worse than the right. Maybe I should get one of those braces and wear it on the left to therapy????
Jane

 

[Robyn]

Since this got bumped I thought I would update y'all. My knee has been doing fantastically both skiing and running. The only pain I get running is a bit of a twinge when going down steeper hills so I slow it down and concentrate on being light-footed which seems to help. So, for now, all is good.

 

[overthehilldiva]

Update....went to surgeon yesterday for checkup after the ACL surgery and he was very pleased with my progress. Good stability, etc. I told him that my kneecaps are driving me crazy - especially going up and downstairs, getting out of a chair, etc. I wondered if the PT had exacerbated the patellar pain. Probably....a bit of an overachiever. I asked him about the Chopat brace and he looked it up and didn't think it would be that much of a help. He said to just get an overthecounter sleeve with the hole. Then I asked about what if that doesn't work and he said I could try cortisone or Synvisc. Any of you have any experience with that? I looked at one site online that was anecdotal and it looked like the Synvisc only helped about half the time and for some people it made the pain worse.
Jane

 

[sdskiqueen]

I'm not sure what's going on with your knee. I've had bad knees for a long time (every since I moonlighted in my youth as a topless dancer dancing and bending in really really tall heels, but that's another story). I can't sit in a seat in a tight space for very long or my knees will start to hurt. I have to unbend them or they will just keep hurting. When I went to a doctor they didn't know what the problem was either. One guy said it was bursitis or "wash women's knees" and told me basically don't bend your knees too much. Dah! Well, I learned to live with my knees and they don't bother me too much and most importantly, they don't affect my being able to ski.
The other knee problem I had was a torn left ACL and, of course, torn it skiing. When I had to find a orthopedic surgeon I went to same orthopedic surgeon who repaired my husband's ACL that was torn while he was skiing, a few years back. If you think you want a second opinion I would highly recommend Dr. Gary Hess who practices in Denver. I understand he has quite a few patients who are athletes or patient who have sports-related injuries.

 

[SnowHot]

I'm not sure what's going on with your knee. I've had bad knees for a long time (every since I moonlighted in my youth as a topless dancer dancing and bending in really really tall heels, but that's another story).

This I gotta hear!

 

[ski diva]

You didn't really think you could just slip that in there, did you????

 

[sdskiqueen]

Well, it's ancient history, but ok. Did the dancing thing when I was in my 20's. I'm now 52 so you can see why it's ancient history. Anyway, back then I wasn't too bad looking, was a pretty good dancer and I heard "exotic dancers" could make a lot of money. So I mustered up the courage to look into it and went to try out and got a job at night at Pacers in San Diego. They advertised themselves as "home of the centerfolds" - yeah, right, like Hugh Heffner was going to walk in and put you in his magazine. Well, that never happened. But I did it three nights a week while I kept my day job as a legal secretary. It was a lot of work and it wasn't easy. Had to walk around on stilleto heels serving drinks and dancing on the stage. Could be a lot of fun. The other girls ran the gammet from girls working they're way through college, to girls that didn't really have skills for anything else but great bodies. I met one of my dearest friends there - a fellow dancer. She was actually a ballroom dance instructor, had her own studio, found her husband cheating on her with another instructor at her studio and just wanted to regroup. We have been best friends for over 20 years now. She now is teaching marketing at a business college and is just finishing her Ph.D. in business administration with an emphasis in marketing. Whenever anyone asks the two of us where we met, we always say "at a party" - because it was, kinda. Have too many stories to tell, but maybe I can get a chance to tell you some in person during the Diva Weekend this year.

 

[ski diva]

Have too many stories to tell, but maybe I can get a chance to tell you some in person during the Diva Weekend this year.

Now you absolutely have to come!!!!!

(Ahhhh, we'd want you there, anyway!)

 

[sdskiqueen]

I am planning on being there and wouldn't miss it for anything! When I moved to Colorado, I moved away from all my gal pals. Although my girlfriends in San Diego don't ski, they let me bend their ear about it even if they had no idea what I was talking about. This is going to be even better. Gals that ski - what could be better!

 

[Jilly]

I'm getting a really vivid picture here of the Diva Summit. "Girls night out!" Seriously my DH managed a peeler bar outside of Montreal, Quebec for a couple of months. Most the girls were making money for college or university. Most were really nice people and boy did they work hard for that pay cheque.

 

[sdskiqueen]

I promise not to instigate anything unless there is ample and vigorous support from the Divas and a lot of shots. I have learned over the years and many incarnations (Army clerk - exotic dancer - body builder - legal secretary - fashion designer - 3 husbands and finally being over 50) to be moderate in my behavior unless circumstances warrant otherwise.

 

[badger]

back to knees...

Funny, my daughter was an "exotic dancer" last year in San Diego too! These girls make pretty decent money and are really just trying to survive school and escalating costs, etc.
However, back to the knee issue here---could be a Baker's cyst. they can resolve themselves(fluid re-absorbtion) and then return once again to cause pain all over again. Ultrasound will see it. MRI not necessary for these, and x-rays won't show it.