A few weeks ago it got bad, so I took an ice bath and I thought I was cured.
Then the training went ballistic-nuts-high-volume and the ice baths stopped working. One day I was crippled to hardly being able to run to being able to run, then back to crippled. This morning I couldn't put any power into the pedals even in the easiest gear because of the strain is was putting on my knees. I held a 14.27 mph avg. WTF?!?!? Biking is low impact on the knees I thought!!!
So enough crying. Enough whining. I am through with feeling sorry for myself with sore knees. I HAVE AN IRONMAN TO DO!!!!
So I went to the experts to get this taken care of. I call her "The Elbow" because she has a habit of sticking her extremely sharp elbow into my IT band and then rolling it. It hurts like nothing else but IT WORKS!
Tonight's diagnosis? It is not anything inside the knee itself that is causing the knee pain, it is everything surrounding the knee that is causing the pain. Basically my knee cap (the patella) wants to move up when I bend the knee. It should stay down. So by relieving the tightness of the material surrounding the knee cap, it can relax and stay down like it should, relieving the pain.
Sounds easy, right? It does, but OMG it is PAINFUL!!!
Lemme show you:
 |
| (source) |
Let's just say that when "The Elbow" first assessed how tight this area was she said, "Oh, this is gonna be fun."
Translation, "I am going to make you cry like a little five year old girl!!!"
She also asked, "Do you need a bullet or a stick to bite down on?"
This area also happens to be the most sensitive area in the body to massage. AND! The more in shape you are, the tighter everything in this area gets. Translation, IT HURTS MORE!!!
So after a lot of screaming and thinking I was going to die, she worked out a lot of the tightness and I was able to bend down and come back up with no knee pain. It was not fun. It never was.
For homework, more stretching, more foam rolling, and using a tennis ball to massage directly into that area. She even suggested taking a plastic hand weight with a knob end to massage in that area. Ouchy, right?
I go back in two weeks, and I am wearing my heart rate monitor. Should be interesting....
Fortunately! I have a rest week this week!
oh my that sounds awful! but atleast it is something you can control and keep at a minimum
ReplyDeleteOuch! That all sounds super painful, but I'm glad it works for you. At least you've got a method figured out to keep you going. "The Elbow" sounds like she knows what she's doing.
ReplyDelete"Thank you sir, may I have another!"
ReplyDeleteI hope that it helps. It is good news that the problem is not actual knee pain which is harder to deal with.
The rest week should really help you bro! That shit sounds excruciating! Wait until you hit your mid-30's, it just keeps getting worse (-:
ReplyDeleteCrazy that the more in shape you are the more it hurts, that just seems unfair. Hopefully it works out sooner than later!
ReplyDeletewow - I truly know the extent of this since I have TWO 5 yr old girls :)
ReplyDeletegood news on the rest week
go easy
Oh No! I'm sorry you're having knee issues still! But, it sounds like "the elbow" is going to help you! Hopefully it will get better soon!
ReplyDeleteDUDE!! I need the elbow.
ReplyDeleteI hope that helps the knee. So scary right? My knee is bugging too. I have been tennisballing it but OWIE.
Stay healthy!
I have mine own Elbow and she is crazy. Everything she does makes me want to cry but she is keeping me moving!
ReplyDeleteHere's to healing!
I had tons of knee issues for well over a decade. Turns out they were nothing more than some unbalanced muscles and tightness that could be stretched and massaged out. You are definitely going about this the right way. Do not neglect stretching and rolling! It will keep you moving!
ReplyDeleteStretching, rolling and tennis balls consistently make massage appointments a LOT less painful. I was having pain and made massage appointment, but stretched and rolled for like an hour a day the week preceding. The pain went away before I saw her and she said that my muscles were in good condition. Nice! Good luck with the knee!!
ReplyDeleteDude, I hit 30 and everything hurts. It's like a switch! :)
ReplyDeleteSounds painful... hope the rest week helps!
Wait until you hit your 40s!
ReplyDeleteGlad you found the problem - Half the battle.
You will be back in true form shortly.
This is so timely! So timely! I have never had the "outside the knee" pain before until this week and was having a hard time pinpointing it.
ReplyDeleteMy pain sounds exactly like yours and I was pretty perplexed about why it hurt so much biking. A little self-imposed "elbow" to the ITB last night and it feels a million times better today. (Though OMG I wanted to cry at the time). Thank you for sharing! And good luck with "The Elbow."