alamosaurus

I have occasional problems with both knees. Last Saturday, I
went on a 4-mile hike in the local mountains (around L.A.). This
time it was the turn of my RIGHT knee to act up. (Last time it
was the left.) It became very stiff and painful to bend. I had
trouble getting in and out of my car as a result.
The knee is slightly swollen, sore, stiff, and when I rub it, I
think I can hear fluid sloshing around inside. One of my friends
thought it might be a "bursitis" whatever that is. The question
is: what do I do about it? Hot applications--or Ice? I could go
to my doctor about this problem, but by the time I got an appointment, the problem would be long gone.

I also have a problem with low back pain, but it is not bothering
me right now, so I will save that for another post.

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alamosaurus

Okikwe

Gee, sounds to me like you may have a water knee (good thing your not up north or it would freeze LOL) all kidding aside, first try ice (good for the swelling) if not there are alot more old remedies..... You know what I mean....Best of luck to you.

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Walk in balance,stay on the path

alamosaurus

The problem started a week ago. I went out with two friends
to Rancho Sierra Vista; there is a Native American cultural
center there, and also lots of hiking trails. There is a small
museum and bookstore, also. The center is part of the
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area; the
Santa Monica Mountains run through the middle of Los
Angeles. The eastern, built-up part of the range is known as
the "Hollywood Hills"; many people here don't know that
the "Hollywood Hills" are just the eastern foothills of a
mountain range that extends up the coast and into Ventura
County--and gets much higher as you go further west. My
two friends went on a hike; they advised me to stay at the
museum because of my bad leg;but I decided to go on my
own hike at a slower pace and with less uphill. Mistake #1.
Wednesday, I met one of my friends for dinner, and we
decided to go on a hike along the bed of the Los Angeles
River, because it didn't involve any uphill. I wasn't wearing
my hiking boots; I was wearing sneakers. Mistake #2. My
knee started getting worse and worse. By Saturday (yester-
day), I could barely get around my apartment. I called my
doctor, who recommended ice and ibuprofin. I had been tak-
ing ibuprofin all along--2 200 mg. tablets. He told me to
double the dose. 4 tablets, every 4 hours. Today, my knee
seems much better (although it is still not back to normal);
I am not sure whether it is really healing, or whether the
ibuprofin is just masking the symptoms. I didn't even use any
ice today, and have even been able to get around with out a
walking stick. (I usually carry one on hikes to use as a brake
when going down a steep hill.)

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alamosaurus

hockeyfan_019

Sorry to hear about your knee problem Alam. Here's some simple advice I've learned over and over again, through numerous injuries...

RICE

Rest. Take it easy for awhile. And by awhile, that's not just 10 minutes while you read the local paper. More like a week takin it easy, walking around only when necessary, no biking, etc, etc. EVEN IF IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S FEELING BETTER.

Ice. Takes the swelling down, and considerably eases the pain. Ibuprofin (Motrin) helps too. The ice'll only do much while the injury is "fresh" though, so after a week it probably won't do much good. If it helps, it usually means you have made the injury a bit worse, or the numbness is just killing the pain...

Compresion. Wear a knee wrap. It not only helps prevent swelling, but it can also help align your knee during exercise, and help prevent strains and putting it "out of place". My son has a knee problem, and the doctor insists he wear his brace (really just a stretchy knee wrap with some "splint" stuff down the sides, not really bulky) whenever he does anything. When he follows the advice, his knee feels good. But when he just says "I don't need to wear it, it's feeling good lately" that's when the problem results...

Elevation. Keep your leg elevated as high as comfortable, that'll keep the swelling down while you are sitting at a chair, on the couch, lying in bed, etc...

After a week or so, a nice warm pad seems to help improve circulation, and help healing some more. But not before at least a week. Don't expect dramatic improvement though for a while. If you're older than high school, you won't heal like you might expect

Hope this helps, I've used the RICE method for years, and I haven't had to replace anything major yet lol!

Tom

wyo_rose

That's good advice. Now AFTER you heal up you need to do exercises to strengthen the muscles that work your knee. It helps so much!!

Dancin by the bay

RICE is the best method hocky019. Not a expert but I have used this method and as a climber I had my share of bad knee syndrom*laughs* but don't hurry to get back to hiking or at least heavy hiking alamo before you strengthen your knees both of them not just the 1 givin you problems at the time. Best advice for building your stenght is walking, lift weights not heavy but just enough to give you resistence and build up strneth gradual. good luck bro.


:Thumbs

WocusWoman

I recently realized I only have knee problems when I dance a certain way. The round dance and the OK two-step cause me to have problems for about a week or so afterward. Anybody else have this problem?