extreme knee pain

[melissanicole]

I am almost 20 years old and am pretty active. I really enjoy running but recently (about a week ago) I ran 3 miles, which is really nothing for me, but about the middle of my run, i had this really sharp pain in my left knee. This particular knee has had complications like soreness and tightness before. This time though, the pain was much worse. I ended up running an 8 mile route yesterday and once again, the pain was horrible. I had to try and "walk it off" but that seems to intensify the pain.  I feel pain on the lateral side of my knee. It hurts a lot to bend and then once bent, it also hurts to unbend it. Also, i can hardly walk normally. I have a limp...this is because it hurts too bad to bend my knee, therefore, i literally have to walk by dragging my left leg. It's that bad. Bending is not the only problem, when i add pressure to the left side, i can also feel a sharp pain to my patella. In addition, when i am laying down and attempt to raise my leg, it's harder than usual...big time! If you could please give me a few ideas of what might be wrong with my knee, that would be greatly appreciated!

[melissanicole]

In high school i was in both cross country and track. I enjoyed them equally. I was given pavement, woodchips, grass, and or sand when it came to cross country trails and for track, we were given the plan and simple track mesh. As i mentioned, my knee has had reoccurring pain and complications but never to this extent. After graduated, i would have to say that i have been running more on roads than anything else. I'm sure that this has taken a negative impact on my knee. I would love to run soon but know that this is probably not the best for my knee. Thanks for taken the time reply to my post!

[melissanicole]

Thank you for all the information you gave me! I did find a knee brace at home that my father was given after he had meniscus surgery. I am really hoping that i will not need the same, i have scheduled an appointment for this coming week and will let you know how everything goes. Once again, i appreciate your reply!

-Melissa

[Patricia70]

For about 18 years I've been running with no knee pain. I run on the dirt/grass, where others run on the hard cement.  Time after again they would get knee injuries.  I quit running in races because I could feel the difference in the hard surface on my legs running verus the dirt/grass.  If it was me, since I love running, I would stay off the hard cement.  Our joints aren't made for that hard pounding.  

[Jaybay]

You've got some kind of soft-tissue injury and need to see a doctor ASAP.  You could have damage to any of the knee structures including ligaments, tendons, muscle tissue and cartilage.  Your symptoms do not indicate something like a simple case of tendonitis so please waste no time seeking and orthopedic opinion.  Since you enjoy sports, try to find a doctor who specializes in sports medicine.  You'll definitely need an MRI to see exactly what happened and it wouldn't surprise me to learn that your injury is bad enough to require surgery.  

In the meantime, focus on rest, ice and anti-inflammatories.  It wouldn't hurt to track down some crutches so you don't do additional damage to your knee.  Please come back and give us an update and feel better soon!