Thread: I hurt my knee! :-( What now??

Okay, in a fit of complete stupidity I did some of those deep floorwork undulations (that lean back into nearly a full turkish backbend...don't know how else to describe) during a sword dance Saturday night without properly warming up my knees & quads. The result is my first ever knee injury. I don't know what it is, but it's a tender, mildly swollen spot just to the upper left (if you are facing me) of my right kneecap. ..cr.: Swollen bursa?

I iced it all day yesterday and am wearing a compression knee brace. I can't skip another day of practice though!! How can I safely practice? .w.:

I will never ever do that again.

Oh Sonja! I'm afraid I can't help identify what it is exactly but I do know that there is no way to safely pratice with an injury! You CAN miss a day, or a week if you have to, because if you dance on an injury you risk making the problem much much worse. You don't want to end up laid up for a month! Poor you, I hope it improves soon.

Have you gone to a specialist? I had the same problem 5 years ago doing deep knee bends. I found out I had a torn ACL and I needed arthroscopic suegery. Your case might not be the same, but if it continues to hurt and is swollen, you might have to have it checked.
I'd tell you to get off your knee for a few days to see if the inflammation goes away and if it feels better. Ice it down also, that will help, but no more than 15-20 minutes. Good luck!

Women's knees are one of the weakest parts of the body. I would see a doctor ASAP. What could be a minor injury now, may develop into something far worse.

I also have a knee injury ( left knee ). What would be the best kind of doctor to see? Would your regular doctor do, or would it be someone that specializes in sports injuries or a chiropractor?

I would contact your GP (general practitioner) and ask for a referral.

Hey Sonja,
I am sorry to hear about your injury. I have had a broken knee (long time ago) with a pulled ACL...still pulled. It swells occasionally & when it does I ice it, stay off it and take anti-inflammatory meds. Ibuprofen should help. Personally I have found Daypro works very well. That combination has saved me from having to have fluid aspirated. Good luck :-)

Originally Posted by Sonja2

Okay, in a fit of complete stupidity I did some of those deep floorwork undulations (that lean back into nearly a full turkish backbend...don't know how else to describe) during a sword dance Saturday night without properly warming up my knees & quads. The result is my first ever knee injury. I don't know what it is, but it's a tender, mildly swollen spot just to the upper left (if you are facing me) of my right kneecap. ..cr.: Swollen bursa?

I iced it all day yesterday and am wearing a compression knee brace. I can't skip another day of practice though!! How can I safely practice? .w.:

I will never ever do that again.

If you can generally do those laybacks without problem, and Saturday you just weren't warmed up enough, there is a good chance it is just a pulled muscle. Definitely rest it for a few days. Also large doses of Ibuprofen or Aspirin to reduce inflamation.

Originally Posted by _Tanya_

Women's knees are one of the weakest parts of the body.

I really don't mean to be rude, but this statement doesn't even make sense.

Muscles are generally described as "weak" or "strong", not joints. The knee functions via movement generated from the thigh and lower leg, which are among the biggest and strongest muscles of a woman's body. What parts of our bodies are stronger than our legs?

She isn't injured because women have inherently "weak knees".

Knee injuries are common in both men and women. Some women (not all) do have particular knee problems arising from having wide hips, but this has nothing to do with weakness.

I'm posting this a bit late, but I had the same exact problem. I already have a bad knee, but it was acting up and I decided to do dance practice and yoga (on the floor). I ended up with a minor sprain and the same swelling on the kneecap. I couldn't walk properly for days. All I can tell you is to take it easy. Dance will have to wait. What got me through was constant heat (heat pads) on the knee, resting, no dancing or yoga, bending it up and down a few times a day, and just resting and laying off of it. I've been out of it for a few weeks now and am still recovering. After about 3 weeks, I started to slowly do some physical activity that won't strain the knees or requires you to get on the floor. I'm progressing by going to the gym and doing the circular motion stepper and treadmill (walking, not running). Then I make sure I do some yoga stretches and poses for warm-up and cool down. So all of this is helping me strengthen my knee again, and I'll probably start back dancing in 2 weeks. But this has been a month's process.

I hope this helps you. You definitely need to rest it for more than a few days. Consider 2-3 weeks or else you can risk hurting it again (happens to me all the time, just learning my lesson!).

Take Care,

BDF

Originally Posted by ssipes

I really don't mean to be rude, but this statement doesn't even make sense.

Muscles are generally described as "weak" or "strong", not joints. The knee functions via movement generated from the thigh and lower leg, which are among the biggest and strongest muscles of a woman's body. What parts of our bodies are stronger than our legs?

She isn't injured because women have inherently "weak knees".

Knee injuries are common in both men and women. Some women (not all) do have particular knee problems arising from having wide hips, but this has nothing to do with weakness.

Are Women Weak In The Knees?
Knee Injuries Up in Women | Newsweek Voices - Her Body | Newsweek.com

Speaking not about tencile strength but anatomical composition, women's knees are often injured due to the fact that estrogen often weakens the ligaments of the knee. I was not speaking about the ball joint in particular, rather the ligaments, muscles and cartilage which surroung the ball joint in question. Often times women are more flexible in their knee joints while having less shock absorption, which causes grinding and ligament breakdown.

I made the statement, to explain that many women injure that specific area of the body and often allow it to go untreated. Knee surgery is far from perfect and it is always best to have problem areas treated before things get that far. Yes the lower body on a woman is perhaps the strongest as a whole, but the knees are often problematic in female athletes and dancers.
If you want to argue semantics let me rephrase for you.

"Many women have problems with knee injuries, due to the fact that the anatomy of hip ratio and estrogen levels often place the knees in compromised extension. Women runners suffer knee injury more then men runners for this same reason. I'm sorry you hurt your knee but the best advice I can give you is to see you doctor."

Feeling much better today, no more swelling, not much tenderness, just a little stiff from trying not to use it much. So, I'll be back on it some today, walking through choreographies, wearing a light brace. I'm sure it was just a pulled muscle. I know better now than to do any knee-straining moves without proper warm up. (I knew better before, I just did it anyway. Note to self...I am no longer 20 years old).

Originally Posted by _Tanya_

Are Women Weak In The Knees?
Knee Injuries Up in Women | Newsweek Voices - Her Body | Newsweek.com


"Many women have problems with knee injuries, due to the fact that the anatomy of hip ratio and estrogen levels often place the knees in compromised extension. Women runners suffer knee injury more then men runners for this same reason. I'm sorry you hurt your knee but the best advice I can give you is to see you doctor."

Yes, thanks, I think "prone to certain types of injuries" is different from "weak".

From reading the articles, it sounds like doctors really don't know why they are seeing more ACL injuries in females than males. The Q-angle issue must be part of the problem but the newsweek article basically says that the causes are just speculative (especially the estrogen connection). Also mentioned was the possibility that women athletes are training differently than men, which might be causing some of the injuries.

Originally Posted by Sonja2

Feeling much better today, no more swelling, not much tenderness, just a little stiff from trying not to use it much. So, I'll be back on it some today, walking through choreographies, wearing a light brace. I'm sure it was just a pulled muscle. I know better now than to do any knee-straining moves without proper warm up. (I knew better before, I just did it anyway. Note to self...I am no longer 20 years old).

Glad to hear you're feeling better.
Dang it's hard to remember we're not 20, ennit?

I did something to my knee in class, it didn't hurt but there was a pop! and when I talked to my chiropractor, he said I had to stay off of it for a week or two (see? at age 20 I'd be able to tell you exactly how long it was!).

But these are the only knees we have, and we need them both, and they have to last the rest of our lives, and that's belly dance, plus stairs, plus using the clutch, plus ....

Be careful and do the right thing (whatever that is for you)