Hey guys, been having problems with my MCL past few weeks. I think it got irritated intially from running at Boston off the steep banks. I was doing a decent amount of strides it it started to hurt. Practicing on a tight turned mondo track has not made it better and it has been getting progressivly worse although I have only been doing 1 workout a week on the track the past 2 weeks. Anyhow I finished my season up with a 22.60 200 the other night which is my best time in 3 years .06 off my indoor pr. Both knees are hurting although its mainly the left MCL. If I use my finger to dig down into it and push on it I get pain as well that is how I am pretty sure its my MCL unless its meniscus along with it.
What should I do? I was thinking 2 weeks total rest and ultrasound as I been doing.
Will ice help at this point? Anything else you guys can add?
Alternate cold and warm…do you use orthotics?
Contrast. how long what temp?
No I dont use orthotics.
Jay, I would definately use ice after your workouts even though it sounds to be a chronic inflammation. Ultrasound will help, and so will ultrasound under warm water. Orthodics might help, and if you have the correct insurance I would go for it. If you don’t have insurance to cover it, you would probably better spend that money to go see an orthopedic.
If the pain is comming directly in between your joint segment, it may be your meniscus. If the pain is morso towards the femur or tibia its sounds more like MCL. In either case this would be my coarse of action:
1)Ice after every workout
2)No curve running for at least 2 weeks
3)Do not perform leg curls or leg extensions for a while (if you are doing them, hip extensions exercises should be used instead).
4)Go see a reputable orthopedic
5)Work on your form a bit. When I see you run it seems that your femer rotates inward slightly upon foot contact. This slight torque of inward rotation combined with a curve could contribute to pain in the medial aspect of the knee.
Deep tissue massage and an MRI might be courses of action if the pain persists another 1-2 weeks. You don’t want this to become a chronic thing so be agressive with your action towards therapy asap.
Thanks. I dont have insurance so some of that stuff is out of the question for now.
I wonder if it is the menisus as well as you mentioned. How can I tell if its between the joint segment. It hurts pretty bad even when I bend down to touch my toes or do an RDL on that side.
Right now I am taking 2 weeks off of running. Should I still ice? I have also been getting ultrasound. How high should I jack the setting up? Should I feel it?
I would refer to the users guide on the ultrasound because I think each manufacturer sets the intensities slightly different. Still ice after your workouts or after massages. If it even hurts to bend down and touch your toes sounds like this is a serious issue.
When I was in college I once did a backflip onto a pole vault pit, I didn’t get high enough and my foot got twisted outwards. It hurt a lot at the moment but I kept doing light squats to get the bloodflow going and within 5 days it felt better. I think mine was a slight stretch, yours sounds more serious bro.
Do you have any friends that are therapists? Do you trust the PT’ sat your school? I would try to barter with someone for training if you can find someone who can help you out with advanced therapy.
No you shouldn’t feel the ultrasound and jacking the settings up isn’t necessarily better as the higher the power setting the less deep the ultrasound waves penetrate into the tissue. Consult a PT for proper settings as you can do damage with ultrasound if you are careless. Also use ice and get a full postural evaluation to correct the underlying imbalances, especially in your hips as velocegatto indicated (femur rotation).