Grrr... I have bursitis on my knee and I can't run.

[Presidentcokedupfratboy]

It started about four weeks ago, has gotten better slowllllllyyyyyy but still, the doc says don't run on it.

I've been icing it and was taking aspirin but was given a naproxen prescription, so I'm taking that now.

Anyone else deal with this kind of lingering injury?

[joneschick]

1. well, I've not had bursitis

but other chronic crap. Right now, I'm recommending haagen-Dazs mayan chocolate ice cream. and I offer :hug:

[Presidentcokedupfratboy]

12. Thanks.

I love Haaagen-Dazs, too. Too much.

One of the reasons I satrted running about 2 years ago was that I had ballooned up to almost 290 pounds (I'm about 6'3") and was told to lose weight by my doc.

I was always working out but always going to fast-food joints fo dinner, sometimes four times a week. I cut out the fast food and started taking workouts more seriously, and mthe weight came off (I'm at about 23-235 now).

I'm worried about gaining weight, and miss my running buddies.

[Floogeldy]

2. Bursitis made me cry.

Seriously. It was in my shoulder and every time my heart beat it felt like someone was stabbing me with a butcher knife. After about 3 or 4 days, I cracked.

Feel better soon.

[Presidentcokedupfratboy]

3. This is really frustrating

I don't have any pain yet I can't exercise if it involves my knee.

I miss working up a sweat.

[bluethruandthru]

4. I have it in my hip.

Had to have a shot of cortisone in it..which helped for awhile. I'm thinking of going back for another. I think it eventually burns itself out...but still sucks!

I hope you feel better.

[Presidentcokedupfratboy]

5. Thanks....If mine doesn't clear up

in about two weeks, I'm going to see about a cortisone shot, too.

[mike_c]

6. check your vitamin D....

Seriously. I have been hobbling around for YEARS with knee, foot, and hip pain. Some of it is plantar problems but most was just attributed to aging, overuse, tendonitis, bursitis, etc. Finally a new doc checked my vitamin D titer-- which everyone ALWAYS assumes is just fine-- and it was off-the-charts low. 55,000 IU a week later and ALL THE PAIN DISAPPEARED. I still have periodic plantar problems, but all the "oh shit I'm getting old" pain is gone, particularly in my knees, which have plagued me for years. One blood test will tell the tale-- apparently vitamin D deficiency is pretty common, especially in the northern parts of the country.

[izzybeans]

7. I had it in high school when I played basketball.

I couldn't jump off my right leg very well. Every season my knee hurt very badly. I had it drained every so often when fluids and other "stuff" built up. It didn't go away until I quit playing organized sports. My left leg is probably stronger today as a consequence.

[vickitulsa]

8. That one and many more in the right knee.

Long history of sports participation and just plain activity-filled life. Not many athletic injuries, however -- it's the standing on it all day on the job that finally did in the right knee for me.

I was young and foolish, though, and after my first surgery at age 19 (which didn't help and only caused future arthritis and bursitis to flare painfully), I healed pretty rapidly and was again very active and of course still on my feet a lot at work. (I was an executive secretary, which meant I sat at a desk a fair bit but was on my feet, up and down the hallways and standing at machinery way more than most folks understand).

Two years later, another surgery for torn cartilege. That helped a LOT, and again I healed quickly and resumed my busy life and activities which included bicycling crosscountry and taming wild broncs.

Ten years later, and my refusal to take it easy on the knee took its toll. I reluctantly agreed to a third surgery on the same knee, but the Voc Rehab doc was careless and terrible, and he did more damage than good! Butchery, I still call it.

14 more years pass, and the knee is GONE. Can't work except on crutches, and that sucks. Spent years with a cane and on crutches. Finally gave in and got a total knee replacement -- by an experienced doc with a good record at Baylor. He flubbed that one, though, and didn't tighten the slack in my knee. The replaced knee went south again within two years, and I'm back to relying on a cane and regretting my poor decisions of my younger years!

All this is just to say, PLEASE take care of your knee, and don't push it! If you don't overdo it when you have a reason to ease up on the exercise, you can heal up real well and then resume. Worst thing to do is ignore the doc's warnings -- and those of your own body.

If I'd been smarter and more patient in my 20's and 30's -- and even my 40's -- I wouldn't be hobbling around as I am now. Not so soon anyway!

Vitamin D can help if you're low on it (sunshine if possible is the best source however, not pills). Chondroitin combos can help some, do wonders for a few patients, not so much for others. Gave me headaches and my knee was too far gone for that anyway.

But do what you can to pamper that knee now, and you'll be glad you did later!

I was reckless when young and took my body's natural healing capabilities for granted. Repeated injuries or overuse/abuse without proper rest and time to heal can lead to permanent pain and disability.

Alternating icing and heat is recommended by many PT techs now (and docs too). Naproxen is usually pretty effective, only contraindicated if you have stomach sensitivity or bleeding. (Like aspirin, the NSAIDs are acidic and can eat a hole through your stomach lining.)

Good luck! Your body will thank you later if you treat it right now! :D

[radwriter0555]

9. Yes, I've had bursitis in my shoulders, hips, ankles and wrists...

naprosin doesn't work at all. I believe that's the one that's effective in less than 12% of the people it's prescribed to. It tears your stomach up badly as well.

I've battled bursitis in all those joints for more than 20 years. Most often it just goes away with rest, but if you want fast treatment and more importantly, relief while it's healing, ask about a cortizone injection... it worked well for me.

You could also look into a short term steroid pill. I found they can be really effective.

Make sure your doc is a good one; try to find a sports medicine guy, if you haven't already. I got really fed up with docs who were years behind on treatments and diagnosis.

[Shine]

10. Yes, I had it in my hip. It basically sucked.

I developed it from too much cycling and got to the point where I was in pain with every single step. I ended up getting a cortisone shot right into the bursae (NOT fun) and then had tons of PT. Eventually, with time, it got better...but I had to lay off the cycling for about 9 months, which was pretty hard for me. :( You have my sympathy.

Time is the best healer.

Good luck! :hi:

[Presidentcokedupfratboy]

11. I can see some small improvement

in the bursa but it still is noticeable.

I was training for the Os Angeles Marathon on March 4, 2007 but I'm starting to get worried. My group starts doing 11-mile runs-plus starting next week, so i may have to ramp down my expectations when I start training again.

This is so frustrating, not to mention tedious. I feel fine otherwise, no pain in the knee, full range of movement. Yet I know I have to lay off. TYhis morning, impatience almost got the better of me but I caught myself before I ran.

[In_The_Wind]

13. I have bursitis in my hip. Walking isn't fun when it acts up.

[KayLaw]

14. I've had so many exercise injuries!

My shoulder injury was the worst. I had to have a gigantic shot right in the joint, but dealt with it because it was so bad I needed help dressing. Then I hurt my Achilles tendon. Painful and at least six weeks to heal. Bursitis in my elbow, pulled hamstring, bilateral chondromalacia, and some hop problem that translate to pain just under my knee. All I can say is work around the injury, not through it.