Inner knee pain

Good morning people,

My frustration has led me to having to post in here for any advice I can get. I developed a problem with my knee, here are the details...

I'm 28, male and in good physical condition. I've been running for years and not once had an injury (until now). The inner side of my knee started to niggle me a little on a run but wasn't anything serious. The next day after about 4 miles the pain started to get worse and soon became too painful to run on, in fact it was too painful to even walk properly. I hadn't drastically increased my milage, the only thing I can think of was that I had recently reverted to older trainers that were maybe a little worn (but still proper running trainers)

I haven't ran on it for over two weeks and the pain doesn't seem to be getting any better. I have a full range of motion in my leg (can bend it and put all my weight on it fine). There's no visible swelling and it doesn't hurt when I press on any part of my knee (or when I wiggle the knee cap about). The pain is only there when I have to walk and usually only develops after I've walked a couple of hundred metres.

The pain is on the inner side of my left knee. Which leads me to believe it's a medial ligament problem, but there was no sudden twisting or impact on my knee.

Has anyone had a similar problem? I think everyone knows how frustrating it is to be sidelined from running so if there is anything anyone can suggest to aid recovery I would most appreciate it, and if someone has had something similar how long did they take to recover?

arghhh this is soo annoying!

I have been on every 'knee pain' website the internet has to offer. I looked at going to a BUPA appointment but they seem so overpriced.

Hi Tom,
Any locking or giving way of the knee?
Does it hurt if you feel the joint line (you can do this by feeling just on the inside of the patella tendon)?
Can you fully squat and sit back on your heels?
Sorry to answer your question with more questions but it helps with determining a potential diagnosis.
thanks
Tom G

Hey Tom G,

Thanks for the response. No, it doesn't hurt when I feel the joint line. I can fully squat and sit back on my heels. In fact I can squat with all the weight on my left knee and it feels fine. The pain only seems to come when I walk.

I think i might have the same, but not sure its my knee. Its like to the left of the knee, and feels like muscle on the rear side of the knee. I limp for a while. I am going to try a knee splint when i run tomorrow to try and keep my leg straight. I ran this morning with grief, but i tried running with my leg stretched out more, and that seemed to relieve it, like i was striding. I have never been right since i did a hill climb half marathon about 5 weeks ago. Had grief ever since, but yet i can walk day to day, no problems, and some days i think its all in my head.

It's hard to diagnose these things via a forum but here are my thoughts;

Ligament injury is unlike due to lack of trauma, swelling or giving way.
Patellofemoral pain is unlikely as you can squat pain free and the symptoms are more medial.
Referral from another joint (e.g. Back or hip) is a possibility but wouldn't usually create such a specific area of pain around the medial knee (I'd expect symptom in the thigh, hip, groin or back as well)
An issue with the medial meniscus is a possibility but I'd expect pain squatting and joint line tenderness. I wouldn't rule this out though as it could be more a problem with the anterior part of the meniscus causing pain when walking.
The other possibility, which may be more likely, is the fat pad beneath the patella tendon. It can produce pain in several areas around the knee. Really though you'll need an examination to make a clear diagnosis.

I'd ice the painful area 15 mins, twice per day. Run only if pain free. You might be able to do short distances but it needs to be comfortable during the run and for 24 hours after. Taping can really help to offload the fat pad. This one from RW is very simple but can be very effective;
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-241-286--13018-0,00.html
Try it then go for a walk, see if it reduces your symptoms.
Also try stretching the quads as if they are tight that can increase the stress on the fat pad. Have a good stretch session then again see if it helps you symptoms when you walk - in that way you can test if it's helping.

If it's not settling and still painful walking after giving this stuff a go then I would get it assessed properly.

Hope that helps
Tom G

nice answers Tom

I've also got inner knee pain - gives me crap / sharp pain in Yoga, squatting and seizes up following long runs / hard runs.
This was great/manageable but following a big cycling week I cant run any more with pain on impact under/behind the knee cap.... that was 3 weeks ago and its no better
related/new..... who knows......

referral from a physio has been done, see the GP on Monday then Specialist asap

ive also toured the internet and have about 5 potential diagnosis - you cant replace a specialist assessment.


Ironman Lanza in 3 weeks, will now become a swim / bike training day

Apologies for resurrecting an older thread but I'd just like to know how or if you managed to resolve this problem since I'm having the EXACT same issues you describe in your first post.

My pain only occurs when walking for longer than about 5 minutes, but other than that, there is absolutely no pain or problem with it. I can perform bodyweight squats, walk up or down stairs, there's no pain at all when I prod or poke the knee, in fact I can be as rough with it as I like without feeling even the slightest twinge of pain!  But should I walk on it for 5 minutes or so then I'll begin to feel something then if I continue walking for about 10 to 15 minutes I'll basically end up limping in - if not agony then reasonably - severe pain.

From my utterly amateur, internet based self diagnosis it looks to me like some kind of low grade medial ligament tear, but I'd love to hear some follow up info from someone who has already experienced this issue!

Hey mate,

Yep that was an annoying injury. In the end I rested for about a month (maybe 6 weeks) then I started cycling and it was fine. Soon after that I started running again and just stopped if I felt it coming back again. So I'm afraid the cure is to just rest it, but be safe in the knowledge that it will heal completely after a month or two. 

Also, I know this sounds ridiculous, and maybe it was all in my head, but I find that I run and walk with my feet in a 'duck stance' (i.e. pointing outwards). Someone suggested concentrating on walking with toes pointing forwards and think this actually helped. Or, more probably, it was a placebo. Either way thought I'd throw it out there.

Good luck recovering!

Thanks for the reply, good to know you recovered from this!

Think I might do a similar thing with the placement of my feet when I walk, I'll have to train myself out of that bad habit, along with ice and a bit of rest.

Thanks once more!

Guys, I'm having this problem now and I rested for 3 weeks and as soon as I start running, I get the pain on my left knee!

Any suggestions? I will be running a marathon by next week and as it stands, I won't be able to run more than 2 miles pain free!!

 

I know you don't want to hear it but rest was the only cure for me. Wouldn't want to be running a marathon on it that's for sure. I suppose you could give it a go, but accept the fact you may have to retire after a mile or so. Either that or give it a test run a few days beforehand.