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Knee tracking problem just wont settle down

[Deleted User][Deleted User]
in Health + Injury

Hi, i've had a problem with my right knee now for a whole year.  It seems that i have a tracking problem which i ignored and hoped would get better but it didn't and eventually i couldn't run at all.  That was last christmas.  Since then i've had physio and an MRI  everyone i've seen thinks it's a tracking problem and i've been given exercises to give the knee more stability and more strength in my quad.  I've worked hard on the exercises and the knee is alot better but it's still not right.  I run and ride and spend most of my time , it feels, managing that one joint and the workload it can take.  Has anyone else had a tracking problem?  I've found it hard to get any sense of the time frame for recovery or even if full recovery is possible.  

Marcus

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Comments

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]

    Hi Marcus, so sorry to hear you're struggling with your knee. A whole year does sound like a very long time and I did wonder whether there's another underlying problem but it sounds like you've had it well examined.

    I too suffered with tracking problems, due to a very very tight ITB pulling my kneecap, which then also led to an inflamed bursae. I could barely walk without sobbing but in all I was only out for 8 weeks and was allowed to start aqua jogging after 5 and cycling after 6.  I also had a physio massage my leg & glutes every week for about 5 weeks, which was agonising and left me utterly bruised but it did help with loseing up my muscles. Added to that, I had exercises to do 6 x a day, plus foam rolling. When I was finally given the green light for  running, I was given a very strict schedule of how much / how long I was allowed to do per week by my physio. 

    Is there any chance you are trying to do too much too early and therefore setting yourself back each time (a mistake I have certainly made - more than once!), especially if there's still a bit of inflamation present ?  Was your physio one that specializes in running?

    I'm sorry I can't be of more help but sincerely hope you get back to normal soon.
    All the best

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  • socks up tosocks up to ✭✭✭

    I had a problem with my knee and came across an article which was very helpful, and basically said:

    "Common things that can cause misalignment include

    • Tightness in the ilio tibial band: a band of fibre that runs from the outside of the hip to the outside if the knee cap. The ilio tibial band frequently becomes tight in middle distance runners. When tight it pulls the patella outwards and out of alignment.
    • Imbalance of the quadriceps: the quadriceps muscle on the front of the thigh is made up of four parts. Most forms of training strengthens the outer part more than the inner part, thus the patella is pulled out of alignment
    • Tight calf muscles: if the calf muscles are tight the foot has to pronate further to gain the same movement when running or walking – this causes an increase in rotation at the lower leg leading to patella malalignment
    • Tight hamstrings: if the hamstrings are tight when running or walking the knee is not fully straightened, this means the foot has to roll into pronation causing malalignment at the patella
    • Weakness in gluteus medius: One of the muscles that make up the buttock, it is frequently underactive in runners. If the gluteus medius is not working well enough the upper leg rotates inwards again causing patella malalignment."

    I dealt with all the items on the list and the knee problems have virtually disappeared.

     

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  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    The only thing that got Ron Hill to have surgery. It must be really bad. Good luck.

    🙂

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