What is stabbing me in the knee??

[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.

[NbyNW]

I had ITBS/runners knee/jumpers knee many years ago. I also had stabbing pains and my knee would just randomly give out, didn't matter if I was running or walking or just standing around.

If this is indeed your problem, yes to all the above -- foam roller, any IT stretches you can find (you can do this standing up or lying down on your side, like on the edge of a bed or couch), and ice. In my case I also have a tendency for my patella to track improperly (chondramalacia) so I was also told to do exercises to strengthen the inner quads.

I've recently discovered Yamuna body rolling which uses a ball instead of a roller, and I get good results without it being as excruciatingly painful as the foam roller.

Oh, and I just re-read your original post and you said this happened when you were kneeling? You may want to google knee bursitis as well. I don't have personal experience with it, but I remember it coming up in my research when I used to obsess about knee pain.

[wackyjacky1]

I had the same kind of pain after I banged my kneecap really hard at work one day. It lasted a long while, but has finally gone away. I didn't do any treatment for it other than try to remember to not kneel on that particular knee.

[MomOnBike]

I think I remember you're a fencer. Am I right? If so, you are already spending your knees at at tremendous rate. Is the pain on your forward knee?

Long story short: get it checked out. In this case, earlier is better than later.