And yes, I am asking for medical advice (sort of) I don’t have health insurance currently and will not be going to the doctor unless I absolutely have to because I can’t really afford it.
I’m 49 years old and like to walk/jog every morning. (I’m also slightly overweight about 15 lbs from the top weight for my height on the charts) I alternate walking with jogging and was also doing the couch to 5K program. I got as far as being able to jog 2.5 miles which I did exactly 1 time but my right knee started hurting a little and I went back to alternating walking and jogging. After my knee started bothering me I took a couple days off, I bought new shoes (my old running shoes were very worn out and I felt no longer offered stability or cushioning) and wore an elastic knee brace for about a week. After that it felt fine again and I went back to jog/run combination.
Yesterday my morning routine lasted almost an hour (56 minutes) of which I jogged 28 and walked the rest. I jogged in 5 or 6 or 3 minute intervals alternated with walking.
Last night I noticed there was a swelling right above my right knee cap. No pain but a noticeable swelling. I felt it, it doesn’t hurt to touch. Feels kinda like a lump of fat or fluid. This morning I skipped the exercise and it’s maybe a little smaller.
I googled “water on the knee” because it feels like fluid, not solid, but the photos that I found don’t look like what’s happening with my knee.
Once again, it doesn’t hurt at all. Just swollen and not on the knee, right above it.
question: Run to the doctor? or wait it out?
Any advice or suggestions would be most helpful. I am reluctant to go to my regular physician because I know he’s going to want to send me to a specialist who will want scans and xrays. I fear the cost of a diagnosis and since it doesn’t hurt I’m somewhat inclined to leave it alone.
That said, if the general concensus is “get thee to a doctor” then I will do exactly that. Thanks.
IANAD, but I’ve had several knee injuries. Absent a fracture (doesn’t sound like one), pain and, just as important, absent insurance, I’d wait it out for a week. The knee is, IMHO, the second worst designed joint (after the ankle). My guess would be that your knee is just defending it’s prior laziness, and rebelling a bit at the exercise.
Ice it up and see how it goes. If you start to feel pain, call a doctor up (and get an estimate on the cost for evaluation up front).
I’m not a doctor, in which case I would not give you advice, but I’ve had lots and lots of knee operations and have been seen by at least 25 different doctors over the years for various knee problems. You could have any of a number of problems that are all aggravated by overuse. Sure, you’re not overusing like a marathon runner but if you are just starting out a training program that is a lot of stress in places that aren’t used to it. Have you run before and had problems? You could have a torn ligament or cartilage, or arthritis. Or it could be something simple like you have a bad stride or one leg longer than the other. I could be the new shoes too.
In my experience, going to a GP for this type of problem is a crap shoot. Their tools are x-rays and MRIs, those are expensive and they are looking for major structural problems. I have had good luck with orthopedic Docs who specialize in sports medicine, many of whom specialize in knees. You might just need a physical therapist to correct your stride.
My non-medical advice would be to take a week off, ditch the elastic knee brace (which may be the problem) and, if the problem continues, look up a sports medicine doctor who does knees.
It’d help if you described the pain and the exact location of it. What happens when you push on it? Does it hurt when the knee is stationary? Moving? What about when it’s extended? Flexed?
If you’ve got a fluid sac that formed right when you started exercising, I’m going to agree that it’s prepatellar bursitis.
The treatment for it, unfortunately, is to stop using your knee as much as possible. A bursa’s job is to cushion ligaments. If you’re moving the ligaments roughly, the bursa swells. The only way to get it to go down is to stop moving those ligaments and STOP POKING THE DARN THING.
*I am in no way medically trained to answer this question. I have as much medical experience as your cat.
Thank you for your responses. Prepatellar bursitis sounds like a pretty good fit for my symptoms and any number of people (including my husband) have recommended that I take some time off my jogging to allow the healing to commence.
I’ve been walking/jogging for a long time but have recently increased the jogging portion. I’m sure this is part of the problem along with the extra lbs. I’m carrying.
So, rest it is…possibly with some wine though my sister recommends ice and heat
though my sister recommends ice and heat