Stupid Knee--time for physical therapy?

Have you tried taking Cod Liver Oil?  I've heard it is really good for joints.  Hubby and I just started taking it a week or so ago, so I haven't got any first hand knowledge to share yet, but you might want to look into it!

Ok well I promised to tell you what I found out and so I am.  I got a diagnosis of patella-something another...I'm so bad with medical terms.  So here's what it means anyways.  I have stronger muscles on the outside of my thigh than in my inside on my left leg.  The stronger muscles dominate enough that my patella/knee-cap gets pulled up and out to the left instead of up and down.  So instead of sliding smoothly on top of the cartilage, it scrapes it, hence the bad irritation, swelling, and pain whenever it is bent.  And it's also irritating my bursitis. :-/

Now for the good news!!!  I am in rehab for about 40 minutes a session, 3 sessions a week for about a month or until the pain goes away.  I had my first session today and it was actually kind of fun.  They've got me doing some exercises to strengthen the inner muscles, and will hopefully make all my pain go away.  Oh I still have to ice as well.  So it's something that can be mostly cured....YIPPIE!!!!

Great news.    Good luck with the rehab!

Glad to hear you have a proper diagnosis! Keep up the rehab and you'll be as good as new in no time!  

Sorry to butt in so late here, I just wanted to share a site that might be a helpful resource.

www.kneeguru.co.uk

Sorry to butt in so late here, I just wanted to share a site that might be a helpful resource.

www.kneeguru.co.uk

Where has that site been all my life!   Thanks Leah!

I'll be checking it out as I have another knee area problem which my US doctors said can only be fixed by placing a screw in the bone ....which I don't fancy. I'll have to see if there are other options.  Even though the husband may laugh if I start hanging out on a knee msg board!    

I had to have knee surgery after a rugby accident (tore my ACL) so you have my full sympathies.  Even though it's been 2 years I still do rehab regularly so that it doesn't get sore & I try to stick to less 'bouncy' activities.  If you ever want any exercises to do, let me know - I have a done them all! (I had bad knees before due to catching for softball for 9 years).  

Hi Onetiger~

Yes, please!  Any extra exercises to help with the knees would be great!  My stint with physical therapy will probably run until the end of my semester, or for about another two months or so, and then I'm on my own until the fall.  The people at the rehab are great and really patient (and the best part is that it's free, as I'm a student ).  But, I'll need to know what to do on my own during the summer and for future times when I can't just run down to the trainer's.

My knees have always been sore, with my left one in particular, but they've only ever blamed weak muscles or overuse, so hopefully regular rehab will keep me out of knee surgery or prevent permanent problems.  Plus I tend to be prone to burcitis (not sure if I spelled that right), but that is very painful and I hate it! :-/  

I tend to prefer the more "intense" workouts such as taebo or aerobics, but it looks like those days are kind of maybe over for me.  But, seeing as how the pain is not fun at all, I'll just listen to the advice of the trainers and do low or no impact exercise.

You probably won't be done with the hard core exercises forever...you just need to hold back for a while until the muscles are a bit stronger where you need them.  Less than two years after my surgery I was able to ski & play softball (including sliding) again...I just tend to mix those sorts of things in with walking/bike/elliptical machine so that I don't overdo it.

I'll try to find my exercises and then send them on to you...