What is stabbing me in the knee??

[zoom-zoom]

ITBS?

[owlice]

I think zoom-zoom's found it! There is soreness to the touch all along my thigh that is compatible with the placement of the iliotibial band. Dang!

Well, it's not as though I'm going anywhere soon, so it's easy to rest it!

And yes, I'll go to the doctor... assuming the snow stops someday, but right now, it looks like endless winter out there.

[salsabike]

That exact same thing happened to me a few years ago. It WAS just tendonitis. You'd think the high degree of pain would imply a terrible serious problem but it didn't at all. It's good to have your doc check it, but take heart in knowing it may not at all mean an awful thing. My doc, a major athlete herself, said, "So don't kneel on that place on your knee, then..."

[ny biker]

I think zoom-zoom's found it! There is soreness to the touch all along my thigh that is compatible with the placement of the iliotibial band. Dang!

Well, it's not as though I'm going anywhere soon, so it's easy to rest it!

And yes, I'll go to the doctor... assuming the snow stops someday, but right now, it looks like endless winter out there.

In the meantime, try icing it. Or just go outside and bury it in snow...

[owlice]

nybiker, bury it?? I'd just have to try walking (or rather, wading) through the snow to ice the knee!!

salsabike, good to know, though I'm sorry that you know this pain through personal experience. What a weird sensation it was!!

[zoom-zoom]

The folks I know who have dealt with ITBS absolutely SWEAR by using a foam roller every day...several times/day.

[moderncyclista]

I know that sometimes cyclists can injure the tendons around the knee. I read this - although I can't find the book - in Bicycling Magazines - Greatest tips book **searches frantically** I'm not quoting directly - but I remember the best you can do for it is to Rest, Ice, and Repeat. I hold an art degree though - so - listening to me for medical advice is probably iffy at best.

[OakLeaf]

See the doctor, but MAKE SURE you get a referral to a physical therapist, assuming it's not a surgical issue.

A foam roller (and a foam ball, and a spiky inflatable ball, and a Stick...) is a good thing to have and use regularly regardless of whether that's your specific problem right now. Odds are that working out trigger points and adhesions will be pretty darn painful all by itself... but it'll prevent worse problems down the road. Roll first, stretch second.