Maybe it’s true that you start falling apart when you turn 40. It’s been almost 2 months since the whole knee pop thing, and 1 month since I turned 40. My knee is still so sore and stiff. Because of still being in pain, I decided to finally go to the Dr. about it. He said that it sounds like I’d torn my meniscus because I heard that loud pop noise when I twisted my knee. He sent me for an x-ray and ultrasound to check out what is happening inside.
A few days later, I get a call from the Dr. to come in for the results. For some reason, the appointment they booked me for, they put at a different office location without telling me?? So I ended up needing to re-book the appointment. Frustrating! What a waste of time! Show up the next day and had to wait over an hour for an overbooked appointment. The physicians assistant sees me and gets the results ready for the Dr. He reassures me that it’s nothing serious.
The Dr comes in and touches my knee and tugs on my knee, but none of that hurts much. It’s more in the joints and the stiff pain that comes after sitting for a while or as the day is ending after walking/moving/sitting all day. He said that nothing is torn or broken but can see mild arthritis on the x-ray. He said that knee injuries can take a long time for the pain to subside and I could still feel pain for another 4-6 weeks. I’m thankful that I was already doing the things he said to do – ice when needed, Tylenol or Advil when needed and rest. He did mention that I could do physio as well if I wanted.
Of course, when I get back home I do some googling and see what causes it and how to prevent it from getting worse. Causes include: increasing age ✔, overweight ✔, previous joint injury ✔, weak thigh muscles ✔. I guess I have some work to do! Time to get my body moving more, lose some weight and strengthen muscles. This leads to googling to see what exercises physio would recommend for knees. I’m finding results of gentle stretching and bending, holding a modified lunge position and squat position and holding leg lifts. I’m going to try some of them on my own and see if that helps.
I am starting out the day feeling a little better tho. I can walk and go down stairs with relative ease as the day starts. But the more I move it/bend it, the stiffer it feels. However, if I need to take an Advil or Tylenol, it does seem to help it easier than it did in the beginning. So I know it’s on the mend. It’s just taking it’s time.
Until next time, xoxo