Knee pain - advice please

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GimmeMedals Aug 2020 11:41am, 27 Aug 2020 17,788 posts	0 GimmeMedals A couple of years ago, I used to get a sharp pain on the inside of my left knee when I was laid on my side in bed at night. Putting a pillow between my knees eased it. I've rarely had that in the last 8 months. Last month, I was doing a lot of walking on rough and hilly ground. The knee pain surfaced once again and was quite painful a lot of the time when walking around. Despite the pain, I carried on walking every day and it got better after a few days and now I walk with no pain. Yesterday, I went for a short run - 30 seconds running / 30 seconds walking - and the run was really painful in the same place, front/right of my left knee whilst running, but not when walking. The pain eased as I did more reps and was most painful during the 1st run rep. I did just over a mile in total. The same thing today. I didn't dare go any further in case I'm causing more problems. But as the pain lessens with more reps, am I being overly cautious? Is it simply a case of doing some squats to strengthen the muscles? I've looked on the many "knee related" forums and can't find anything that sounds the same as this. Do I run through the pain as it does seem to ease if I keep going?
EvilPixie Aug 2020 11:55am, 27 Aug 2020 18,461 posts	0 EvilPixie In my totally unprofessional capacity I would say ITB!
MH Aug 2020 11:57am, 27 Aug 2020 711 posts	0 MH I have to say that I would see a physio (speaking from my own experience of late) - even an initial Zoom consult would help a bit to refine what the issue might be and then a F2F if needed. Some of us bounce around with no injuries and some of us don't.
GordonG Aug 2020 1:40pm, 27 Aug 2020 8,288 posts	0 GordonG disclaimer: i'm not a doctor But mrs gordong has a very similar pain, particularly the issue about in bed at night. a number years ago she had a torn meniscus in her right knee that required surgery. recently the pain had come back again and it's in exactly the same spot as where the operation was. have to say, it doesn't sound like ITB to me - certainly not my experience of ITB which is on the outside of the leg. But I refer you to my opening line... Good luck
jennywren Aug 2020 1:47pm, 27 Aug 2020 15,788 posts	0 jennywren I could have written that initial post GM. I’ve had the same pain on the inside of my right kneecap for about 2 years now. I had it investigated and was told it was ‘runners’ knee’ although an X-ray showed mild osteoarthritis and a narrowing of the cartilage on the inside of the patella. That’s why I walk now although a little bit of jogging doesn’t set it off. Trying to run faster/further does though. Not saying yours is the same cause of course but I very much doubt it’s ITB, which is outside the knee in my experience.
MH Aug 2020 8:21pm, 27 Aug 2020 712 posts	0 MH (The ITB is definitely inserts on the outside aspect of the knee!!) Descriptions of areas of pain and symptoms are so subjective - hence the physio suggestion (and I'm not suggesting that they will always get it right). Your initial description GM was pain on the inside of the knee, however Jennywren's post mentions inside of right kneecap - so possibly completely different presentations - and I certainly don't mean to offend anyone at all with that observation. It could be a pes anserine bursitis but it could be meniscus related, or related to the patella.
EvilPixie Aug 2020 8:42pm, 27 Aug 2020 18,466 posts	0 EvilPixie (Must read post properly I thought it said outside! Please ignore my comment)
cerid Aug 2020 8:50pm, 27 Aug 2020 110 posts	0 cerid Go and see a good physio. It could be a number of things including referred pain from elsewhere and while a consultation might seem expensive, you only have two knees.
Velociraptor Aug 2020 9:12pm, 27 Aug 2020 48,180 posts	0 Velociraptor Definitely worth getting someone who sees a lot of people with knee problems to listen to a description of what you're experiencing and put a hand on your knee, GM. Statistically, in someone of, erm, retirement age it's likely that there will be some signs of osteoarthritis in the knee, but this doesn't correlate well with symptoms and doesn't always get worse with time. You're unlikely to do any harm by continuing to exercise, including running provided your knee isn't inflamed, locking or buckling, and you're able to run with a normal gait rather than limping, and it's better to continue to exercise than to retreat to the couch. Take a painkiller if you have pain at night or after exercise. There's a lot to be said for doing squats since they involve training the movement pattern that allows you to get out of a chair or up off the toilet independently
GimmeMedals Aug 2020 10:53pm, 27 Aug 2020 17,793 posts	0 GimmeMedals Thank you all for taking the time to comment; I really appreciate your advice. There is no buckling or locking and I'm making sure I don't limp/run when it hurts. I've started doing squats each day and icing after a run. I'll see about getting someone to take a look and prod and continue to do what I'm doing until I'm told otherwise