Downhill Knee Pain?

by **adventurer** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 3:36 pm

You'll forgive me for suggesting the obvious, but go see a doctor. In the meantime, I'd suggest that you stop trying to push through the pain. At 23, you have a long climbing life ahead of you and there is no point in your risking significant damage by trying to hurry through a bunch of 14er's. Good luck.

by **MoapaPk** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 4:31 pm

Sound familiar?
http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cyber ... sknee.html

by **SoCalHiker** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 4:33 pm

lanarei wrote:I have been experiencing a ton of knee pain on the descent for the past 3 weeks. I'm not sure what the problem is, but it probably doesn't help that I've done three peaks since the pain began. Uphill does not seem to be as much of a problem and sprinting on a flat surface doesn't bother me either. The pain is so bad coming down that no combination of a knee brace, aleve or my trekking poles seems to get rid of it to a point where I'm not hobbling down the mountain and wincing at every step.

Has anyone had this problem? Any advice? How long should I rest it before hiking again? The alpine summer is almost over

Where is the pain? On what side of the knee? Or immediately below the knee in the front (tibia)?

by Ze » Fri Aug 20, 2010 4:36 pm

you should ice it right after your done hiking to reduce inflammation.

could be patellafemoral pain, basically there is a lot of pressure between your kneecap and femur (thigh) when bending your knee under high force. perhaps the cartilage between the two is a little rough and not liking the pressure.

if you change how you walk down, do you notice a difference? if your knees stay straighter or more flexed, does the pain change?

If you land on your forefoot and not your heel, you can reduce the impact force, but this may not be the problem. but those are things to try and see what happens

by **SoCalHiker** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 7:06 pm

If the pain is mostly (only) while hiking downhill, I don't think there is ligament (ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL) damage. Meniscus damage could be, since there is more pressure on them while downhiking. Pain especially walking downhill or climbing down stairs is typical of patellar problem (knee cap).

by **MoapaPk** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 7:13 pm

lanarei wrote:I have been experiencing a ton of knee pain on the descent for the past 3 weeks. I'm not sure what the problem is, but it probably doesn't help that I've done three peaks since the pain began. Uphill does not seem to be as much of a problem and sprinting on a flat surface doesn't bother me either. The pain is so bad coming down that no combination of a knee brace, aleve or my trekking poles seems to get rid of it to a point where I'm not hobbling down the mountain and wincing at every step.

Has anyone had this problem? Any advice? How long should I rest it before hiking again? The alpine summer is almost over

Give us more detail on where the pain occurs. You're a bit young for some of the more frightening stuff (unless you played a lot of field hockey). I've had lots of ligament knee injuries. The ITB has been the most excruciating problem for me, and it normally just resolves with time.

by **Sierra Ledge Rat** » Sat Aug 21, 2010 8:42 am

Chondromalacia of the patella?

by **MoapaPk** » Sat Aug 21, 2010 3:25 pm

Chicharrón of the paiella.

by **lefty** » Tue Oct 26, 2010 6:17 am

I had very similar knee pains a number of years ago when I first took up hiking and started doing a lot of hikes. The pain was very sharp right under the knee cap on steep descents. My doctor did not find any tears in anything on the MRI. There did not seem to be a definitive diagnosis. I went to physical therapy to strengthen the muscles around the knee which seemed to do the trick. After therapy I slowly got back on the trails and built up my elevation gain. I haven't had any problems since then so I think it was really rest and muscle strengthening that was needed.

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