Knee Pain from skating?

[Fanned On It]

Hey guys, I know that I should probably ask a medical professional about this, but since I'm at work and can't get to the doctor right now, I figured I would ask on here.

I started playing hockey/skating about a year and a half ago and ever since I started I've pretty much been going all out with ice-time. I skate as much as my life lets me and get on the ice whenever I can (my family owns an ice rink so ice time is easy to find). I don't know when this knee "pain" started, exactly, but I would say maybe 8 months or so after I started skating I started to get this weird pain in my knees. The pain never comes while I'm skating, rather, I usually feel it when I'm doing every-day things. The pain itself is kind of hard to describe but I'll try my best: The location of the pain is like on the inside of my patella, like, my actual knee cap. Sometimes the pain feels like it's directly in the center of my patella as well. Sometimes while I'm in the shower or something I'll tend to lean on one leg more (actually this happens all throughout the day) and as I'm leaning on that leg, I'll start to get this pain on the inside of my knee (not the knee cap), almost like it's a ligament or something.

The situations in which the pain arises that I can think of are: in the shower, when I'm sharpening skates at work (due to me rocking my body side to side while maneuvering the skate along the wheel), sometimes when I'm just standing around, and sometimes while I'm laying in bed on my side with my knees bent.

It's not an extreme pain at all, but it's definitely noticeable and at the age of 23, I feel like I shouldn't be experiencing it. I don't really work out with weights at all so hockey is pretty much my only form of exercise, but I skate a LOT.

Any ideas what this might be? Maybe just bad knees? I'm a skinny dude and I've always had skinny/knobby knees so maybe that's a factor? Idk.

 

[SexyJoffreyLupul]

strained acl? i would go to the doctor to be sure but it sounds like an acl problem.it might be a tear, so if you want to be safe i suggest resting for a week and see how it feels if you can't afford a doctor. but i would take it easy for a week and then go back to your routine

 

[thrillhouse99]

Go to a doctor. That "I'm only 23 so I feel like I shouldn't be having problems" thing is a common way to look at it but unfortunately it's not how the world works. I wound up with two herniated discs in my back at 21 so things can happen at a young age.

If there is a problem it's going to be easier to deal with if it's caught early.

 

[howeaboutthat]

It is (obviously) quite difficult to make a diagnosis over the internet, no matter how well the symptoms are described. This said though, given the type of pain you say you are experiencing and its location I'd hazard a guess at "Anterior Cruciate or Posterior Cruciate Ligament damage". These are quite common problems for sportspersons, especially in sports like ice hockey where twisting motions through the knee, caused by eversion/inversion of the feet, are a regular occurrence.

It can be a difficult injury to treat but the prognosis can vary greatly dependant upon age, weight, strength etc of the individual concerned. I would recommend seeing a specialist as soon as you can because left unchecked it can become very painful, even if it is just to rule out ACL/PCL damage.

 

[Fanned On It]

Alright thanks for the responses... I would never think that it was a ligament strain or tear or anything like that, but I guess I have to get it checked out to know for sure. My older brother (27) had knee problems as well from playing hockey and I think his doctor said it was a cartilage problem maybe? I remember him telling me that his doctor told him to ride the bike at the gym more often, and I'm pretty sure he started taking glucosamine chondroitin or whatever the heck it is.

 

[IDuck]

well....im 28 and have had 1 back surgery already (could've been 2 or 3 if i listened to some doctors) that forced me into RETIREMENT from a great carear at the age of 24, so being young has nothing to do with it (unfortunately)...i have since screwed up BOTH knee's playing hockey and both were the same injury...a bucket handle tear to the medial meniscus...it started off similar to what you describe but with me it would moreso feel like it would "lock up" but i would move it and it would pop and feel fine, but when they finally tore they locked up good for about 2 weeks before i could even get them to straighten up somewhat (they were locked in almost a 90 degree position), they pain was bad but i didnt have surgery on either and i am fine now (will most likely have issues later in life)...really you answered you own question, which is go see a doctor for a proper diagnosis and take it easy...good luck, hope its not a issue at all

 

[noobman]

I'm not a doctor, but based on your symptoms it sounds like you may have patellofemoral pain. That's essentially irritation of the knee cartilage caused by maltracking of your patella. If you're stupid like I was it may become chondromalacia where the cartilage has actually worn away a little bit due to constant irritation.

Do have pain when you:

Walk up and down stairs?
Squat below parallel?
Perform general activities? (running, soccer, tennis, football, etc)?
Sit for a long period of time with your knees bent (IE at a movie theatre)?

My guess is that all of the skating you've decided to do recently has caused your pain.. A lack of flexibility training and general strength training has caused muscle tightness and muscular imbalances where certain leg muscles are too dominant over others.


Your first order of business is to let the irritation settle. RICE your knee (rest, ice, compression, elevation) and let it get better. You can do some light cycling and/or swimming to keep yourself fit as long as it doesn't cause irritation.

Your next order of business is to try and locate/resolve the issue. More often than not it's a combination of tightness in the quads/hamstrings/hips and a weak VMO muscle (inner quad). You want to perform exercises that will help you build the strength and endurance in these muscles while also working on stretching them a lot to keep them flexible. You mentioned that cycling was recommended to your brother... yes, that's a good one because it will help strengthen the VMO without putting too much load on the knee joint.



I'm at a stage now where I take 20 minutes about 3-5 times a day to stretch out my lower body. I'm doing some cycling and swimming on an almost daily basis and have started doing some weightlifting again (leg extensions, hamstring curls, adductor exercises, leg press) to help build up some of that strength that I lost. I did quite a bit of damage to my knees back around April/May and spent June/July doing physiotherapy. After one month on my own in August I'm stronger and more flexible than ever, but *still* not ready to play hockey on a weekly basis, since my issues have been compound over several years and were exacerbated by my sudden decline in activity due to my concussion in January. I also take glucosamine-chondrotin supplements on a daily basis. They seem to help some people but not others... I feel a little better with them. They are supposedly designed to promote cartilage growth, but cartilage doesn't naturally "grow" in an adult per se. The absorption rate of that supplement from the intestines (you are taking pills after all) is notably low. I take six a day. In the case of you and your brother, also make sure that you are getting enough Essential Fatty Acids (IE Omega 3 supplements) in your diet. They act as almost a lubrication for your joints.

I'm about 24 myself, so I figure that whatever hockey I miss (right now it looks like this entire year will be a write-off for hockey) will be peanuts in comparison to the time I have left playing the game *if* I go slow, take my time, and make sure that I heal properly.

 

[Fanned On It]

****, this stuff is starting to scare me. I'm going to schedule an appointment before I get all hypo-chondriac on my self lol. I will be very depressed if I lose hockey for any extended amount of time... seriously.

 

[IDuck]

****, this stuff is starting to scare me. I'm going to schedule an appointment before I get all hypo-chondriac on my self lol. I will be very depressed if I lose hockey for any extended amount of time... seriously.

understandable...but better to be safe then sorry, and lose hockey for a extended time then forever