Knee q

[crazycanuck]

Hey there,

Whilst mtn biking on Sunday I took a good thwack to the side of my knee and it's still quite sore & painful to touch. (When i thwacked I got on my bike but I couldn't push down on the pedal as it was quite painful)

Could i ask you this q-I iced it when we got home, zonked out & didn't bike the next day. I thought i'd be ok this morning and tested my knee on a short ride to the train station(2km from home). I want to ride home tonight (30km) but am concerned i'm doing the wrong thing with my dear knee.

We're going camping/mtn biking this weekend and want to make sure I can go hard with the rest of them..(even if the others are going to drink more than they bike...)

What can I do for my knee? Is it too late to keep icing it? What about taping it?

[KnottedYet]

It's never too late to ice, if ice feels good!

Taping would depend on just what you did to it when you thwacked it.

If you already have a neoprene knee-sleeve you could try it on to see if the knee feels better with it.

How was the bike ride this morning?

[Pax]

Ice is your friend, I ice a few times a week...then again I've had four right knee surgeries so I can't say for sure if that's normal.

[crazycanuck]

What's a neoprene Knee sleeve? I will go to the pharmacy & see if they have any.

I'll ice it today while i'm at work.

The bike ride was short as i wanted to take the train just so i could give the knee a rest.

I think it's just bruised but ouchie! It feels like i have an egg on the side of my knee when i ride however i've not done a long ride yet. I think if i take it easy on my way home-it's going to be hot anyways-i'll be ok?

Tanks knot

c

[KnottedYet]

A neoprene knee sleeve is just like a knee-warmer for biking only heavier. It'll have a hole for your kneecap to stick out of. I have one for days when my knee is grumpy. They really don't do anything but give your knee a little squeeze of support and keep it warm. If you don't already have one, I don't know that I'd bother to go buy one if they're expensive at your pharmacy - the squeezing pressure might be uncomfortable if you've got a lump on your knee!

But ice could be a very good thing.

[spokewench]

I agree with Knotted - it might really hurt to put on a neoprene sleeve on your knee. I have in the past more than once banged my knee really hard riding mountain bikes. All times, it was just a bruise which hurt like h*@l but really was nothing more. I sure would not have wanted to put anything tight around it. Sometimes, I can remember it hurt to just try to wear tights!
I vote for ice and more ice - oh, and of course time for healing, but you will probably be fine to ride. Just watch that it doesn't start to really swell.

[Duck on Wheels]

((((((canuck)))))) ... but being careful not to bump your knee.

[crazycanuck]

Thanks for the info ladies!

I think i'm going to be nice to my knee & just take the train home. I'd rather take care of it & be able to ride tomorrow & the weekend.

It's still sore even after icing it so riding my 30km route home isn't the best plan.

At least it's nice outside! 31c!

c

[Wahine]

If it was a straight thwack to the knee and there was no twisting or torquing of the knee involved, it's likely just a contusion that will hurt a lot but will not have an effect on the structural integrity of the joint. That is, you should be able to go hard with the rest of them and you may even be able to keep up riding!!

The only thing that I would be mildly concerned about is your iliotibial bursa. This is a tissue under the distal part of the iliotibial band around where it joins into the knee. If you hit this directly, it may swell quite a bit and interfere with how the soft tissues shift and glide around your knee while you're cranking it out. If this is the case, it would be quite painful to ride and will get worse the longer you ride. If this happens, you should cut out the riding. Bursas are tricky things to settle once they're angry.

If it's a bruise, it might be somewhat sore, but should be tolerable and shouldn't get worse as you ride. So, try to be aware of the difference and monitor your activity accordingly. And yes ICE is nice. I love ice, especially in a good margarita (on the rocks, not blended).