long- term knee pain question

[desertrails]

I am a runner and have been experiencing pain in my right knee for several years. I ran a lot in high school and then stopped for a while and have been trying to get back into it on and off for years (I am 28 now). for the last four years I have been experiencing sharp pain on the outside of my right knee starting usually after running about 3 miles. no pain when I am not running. It comes on gradually but I eventually need to stop running. The pain is located in the vicinity of the lateral meniscus and is most intense when my foot is off the ground and my leg moving forward. I have had no major injury to this knee. What is going on? is there anything I can do?

[pablo01]

Accurate advice from the dr Kokil Mathur , only i want to add a point is start practising Yoga atleast for 10 min a day which will gradually strengthen the knee muscles ..withour any medicine, you will start feeling results in some time !!

[calleryblossom]

Great advice from the doctor above. All I want to add is this: should your doc decide to prescibe meds, one non-narcotic option that worked awesome for my knee pain was Celebrex.

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi!
You are probably overstraining yourself. If you are a runner, you could have injured your lateral meniscus or the collateral ligaments, or the pain can be due to arthritis. Ligament injury causes pain to worsen on walking, bending and stretching the knee. Meniscii too if torn or injured, result in joint instability—that is you are not confident the knee joint will take your weight. Often the person feels a popping sensation on moving the joint. It can also be tendinitis due to inflammation of tendon at the knee joint.
You will need X-rays and MRIs of the knee to find the exact. Compression of nerve, deep vein thrombosis too could be causing leg pain or it could just be overtired muscles. So if nothing is found in the knee, then these possibilities will have to be looked at by nerve conduction studies, MRIs or by duplex ultrasounds. At times dehydration and electrolyte imbalance is the cause for calf pain. So this too would need to be ruled out.  Treatment will follow correct diagnosis. Do consult an orthopedic specialist at the earliest. Meanwhile do not bear weight on that leg, give it rest, apply ice pack, and take an anti-inflammatory pain killer. Take care!

The medical advice given should not be considered a substitute for medical care provided by a doctor who can examine you. The advice may not be completely correct for you as the doctor cannot examine you and does not know your complete medical history. Hence this reply to your post should only be considered as a guiding line and you must consult your doctor at the earliest for your medical problem.