Knee Pain

[shmerham]

My left knee feels like it's a good 25 years older than it is. I experience an achy pain (not soreness) on the top of my knee cap. About a month ago, I went hiking and slipped on a boulder and slammed it pretty good. In the process I didn't, to my knowledge, strain anything. I had some good bruising and it was swollen. It's superficially healed up now, but my knee bothers me. The thing that has bothered me the most is riding in the backseat of a car. Keeping it in one position for an extended amount of time is excruciating. The pain doesn't hamper my activity, but then I notice it the next day. I thought I was in the clear. I went on a pretty long hike last weekend and was fine that evening and the day after. Last night though, I played ultimate frisbee and this morning it's bothering me again, in general (in my most comfortable position it's noticeable, but only marginally bothersome).

Thoughts on what's wrong and what I need to do to make it better?

[Vinman]

I would say it is likely that you have some inflammation of the tendon sheath left over from slamming it into the rock. Or it is possible to kind of bruise the joint surfaces from an impact like that, basically compressing the patella inot the femur and causing a bruise.

As for fixes, treat this like a tendonitis. Now that it is old, use some heat on it for general treatment or pre-activity. Ice post-exercise to keep an irritation limited. Stretch the quads and hamstrings. It should get better it you take the time to treat it. If not then it might be worth a trip to the doc, but unlikely.

[atomicboy]

my wife had the same problem. I finally begged her and her dr to get an MRI done. Turns out her cartilage is almost completely gone and the pain is from bone on bone. Most likely inflamation that will go away but if it persists past a couple of weeks something is not right.