Got diagnosed with plica syndrome today.
It hurts to put any pressure on the leg while knee is bent (using stairs, running, etc.)
The sports doc that I saw today said that I can run as long as I can “keep the pain under control”, anti inflammatories, “icing like hell”, stretching etc.
On the other hand, all the research I did online suggests rest, avoiding any activity that involves bending of the knee and 4-6 week rehabilitation until normal activities.
I’m confused… I’m not sure if the college doctor is just trying to get me through the college season and then hope that I rest it in the summer.
Only I plan to run more races in the summer (till June) and those meets are actually my goal for this year…
Plica syndrome was a very popular diagnosis many years ago. Very rarely is the plica the end-all cause of the pain. My doctor suggested it to me when my knee was hurt and locking up so bad I had to limp everywhere. First thing I would do is let the inflammation die down and return to normal walking (gait). Then get to work on the hamstrings, calves, psoas, and rectus femoris with the foam roller and stretches. Then start back with single leg strength work and TKE’s. Then to running. I learned that you can’t be too aggressive with this injury if you want to see improvement.
I have no history whatsoever with this knee.
He just looked at it, played with it, had me walk, had me do stretches, examined what hurt and what not, and diagnosed. Actually from the research that I did on line (I did a fairly decent search), he sounds about right.
Stef, could you to the best of your ability describe wear your pain is?
Give us some details on your training leading up to your knee pain. Any history of foot, ankle or hip injuries? Any acute injuries to your knee? Any training errors you can indentify? Any other sports you play. Bow-legged or knock-kneed? What level of fitness are you at? How is your body composition? What events do you run. Number of years competing.
No suggestion of a MRI?
My concern is that if have a synovial plica problem, it will continue to hurt as soon as you start training again. It doesn’t go away. Rest makes your knee feel better because you’re not irritating it. However, if you’ve been training for some time and this pain just sort of popped up like you describe, my thoughts tend to go towards patella-femoral injuries, bursitis, patella tendon, quad tendon and meniscal injuries.
I’m confused… I’m not sure if the college doctor is just trying to get me through the college season and then hope that I rest it in the summer.