Need some help from the PT's

[rocknrollgirl]

Good Morning All,
I am suffering from a rather nasty bout of petallar tendonitis. Self-diagnosed. I did not go to the doc because I have had it before. It showed up a week ago, pretty much out of the blue.

I iced like crazy the first few days and it has improved some, but not to the point that I feel like I can run, or bike yet.

I guess I want to know is there anything else I can do at this point to move things along.

Any rehab exercises? Can I spin on a bike without causing more problems?

Any help would be much appreciated. I am actually feeling pretty depressed about it, which seems silly I know, I think I am having some sort of weird withdrawl from exercise, or maybe I am just losing it. But the DH is starting to get worried about me, so I thought I would break down and ask.

Thanks in advance,
Ruth

[crazycanuck]

RNRG..I hope one of our lovely PT's is awake soon & able to help!

Take care of yourself & you won't go crazy..

[Zen]

Anything that ends in "itis" is an inflammation and usually involves mainly rest
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/patellar-tendinitis/DS00625/DSECTION=8

[Trek420]

At least one of the PT's has the flu. :cool: What Zen said, R.I.C.E. can't hurt. And go see your Dr.

[KnottedYet]

If it is nasty, came up out of the blue, and has lasted a week already without major improvement, I'd recommend you go to the doc.

Sorry, I'm no fun. :o

[rocknrollgirl]

I already made an appointment for next Monday. Is it possible to have more serious damage out of the blue with no trauma?

[KnottedYet]

Probably not serious end-of-the-world damage, but there could be something awry just enough that it's inhibiting proper function at the joint and giving you what feels like patellar tendonitis.

(for example, when my foot is getting floppy -like from shoes that need to be replaced- I feel it in my knee. My poor knee gets stuck trying to handle the twist caused by my foot. That messes up the function of my knee, but my foot never hurts.)

Your doc/PT can help you figure out the cause of the tendon pain. Make sure they track it down! (in my example: I could ice my knee til the cows come home, but if I don't fix my shoe my knee doesn't get better.) And don't be surprised if the cause turns out to be far away from your knee, like in your foot or your hip. Or it could be inside the knee joint itself.

Knees are kinda like canaries in the coal mine, especially for women since we put such angled stresses through our knees.

[Wahine]

First of all, spin to your heart's content as long as it doesn't make you feel worse. The key here is spin, nothing below 80 RPM. You may have to warm into that pace but once you're there, stay there. Absolutely no hills. Absolutely no running for now. IMHO.

You've had hip and IT band pain before right? Do you still have the foam roller exercises and stretches that I sent you? If you haven't been doing them, start back up and let me know if you need me to send them again.

As mentioned above, you may need orthotics.

You should be taking an anti-inflammatory if you're not already. If you have a regular one that you take and know is safe for you go ahead. If not, talk to a pharmacist about an over the counter option.

There is also something out there called a "patellar tendon strap". I like this one:

http://www.kneesupport.com/bodyglove/pat-matt.htm

and this:

http://www.kneesupport.com/protec/protec-sleeve.htm

The advantage of the first one is that it's a small brace and cool. The advantage of the second is that it keeps the area generally warmer while allowing direct pressure to the tendon that the wearer controls.

If you've had this before and it's not going to hurt your pocket book too much, I'd consider getting one of these braces. For where you live and the time of the year the second one may be best.

Let us know how the MD appointment goes.

[rocknrollgirl]

Thanks Guys,
I am a bit stir crazy, but trying to behave and get this better. I am even staying out of the pool for now.

Yoda, I will ask Monday about those braces and straps. I do not have the ITB exercises handy, but they are here somewhere, I will find them. It is the same knee, on my ITB side.

What size foam rollers should I get?