Have had a very swollen and painful left knee for about 2-1/2 months. Resting, icing, anti-inflammatories didn’t help much. Finally got in to see a knee doc in town today (his PA, to be more accurate). After tentatively diagnosing a meniscus tear (MRI is in the process of being scheduled), he drained a bunch of fluid out of the knee and told me to “take it easy for a few days.” I tried to clarify what that meant and got nowhere, though at least when I specifically asked him about my lunchtime swim, he said “no swimming for 48 hours, to minimize the risk of infection.” So, swimming is out for 48 hours. Running is out, because my knee will swell up like a balloon again. Seems to me like an easy spin tonight (not the bike intervals I had planned) or some time on an elliptical machine should be fine, but I was hoping that one of the more knowledgeable folks on this forum could weigh in. A google search and a search of past posts on this forum didn’t yield much.
ride and you’ll know, though i’d suggest several days rest, getting filmed and dx’d.
IMO, there’s no point in rushing into a non-critical workout when the possible downside is further damage. I would plan to take a couple of days off. It won’t hurt you in the near- or short-term. Give the bike a spin this weekend. If it doesn’t work for you by then, at least you’ll know that you can go swimming.
I find when I spin, it keeps the knee from being swollen for a while…kinda pushes the fluid out. I’ve had knee problems for years now, this is the first year I’ve had a swollen knee and by the time I’m about 15 minutes into my ride, the knee has actually come done a bit as if the fluid is being pushed out…then I would take advil right after and that would hold it off until the next morning (i ride in evening) and then being my feet all day will fill it up again. They didn’t do a procedure, just drained you, you should be able to spin. I’ve been drained 2 times in the past 4 weeks, I had no restrictions…
Was the fluid in the back of your knee? If so, it’s a Baker’s Cyst and you probably do have a meniscus tear. I only know this because this is exactly what I went through last April. Are you scheduled for an MRI and an appt. with a Surgeon? Might as well get it taken care of.
Not in the back. It was in front, all around the kneecap, plus some above and below the knee, too. Am in the process of getting scheduled for an MRI (takes a few days to get approval from the insurance company; they just took x-rays today, which, of course, do very little to help with diagnosing soft tissue injuries). The tentative diagnosis was a combo of a poorly tracking patella (not the cause of the swelling) and a meniscus tear (the cause of the swelling). I’m ALL about getting it taken care of. Missed a good chunk of last season recovering from elective surgery to correct a vascular problem, only to have this crop up in November. Already have exercises from the PT, which I will start tonight.
Good luck.