My poor knee

So I have this knee. Well, everyone has them. Two actually. But, my right on in particular is kind of pesky. It has been a good knee for the most part, but it has had its share of problems. In high school I fell down a flight of stairs and cracked it on one of them on the way down. It hurt. A LOT. For a long time. I went to the dr. waaaaay back then and he said I had torn cartilage but it was a tiny tear and didn't need to worry about it at the time. Just had to use crutches until the sprain healed and keep it wrapped.

So, that healed (or so I thought) and I went on my way. I would notice here and there at different times over the years, mostly when I was playing sports or working out, that it would ache or have some pain. I got a knee brace, but I only wore it every so often. It wasn't constant pain so I didn't worry about it.

About two years ago I decided to start running. I ran the first time without the brace...mistake. So the next time I ran with it and it did better. A few months ago I was in a zumba class and near the end it started having some major pain inside the knew where (in what I believe) where the two bones meet. Every time I put weight on it near the end of the workout it would hurt. Then a few weeks after that, I was doing Girl Scout cookie stuff (loading/unloading) and having to go up and down the stairs (I live on the 2nd floor) multiple times. When I was almost done, and after going up and down AT LEAST 20 times, the same pain came back. I asked my mom if that was normal and she assured me that it was not (I already knew, but it never hurts to have a second opinion HAHA).

Well, FINALLY I found an exercise that was kick ass and burned TONS of calories. The best part was that my knee didn't hurt during the WHOLE hour workout! YAY ME! I took up spinning and I love it. I like biking and it is to music and I burn 600 to 700 calories a class...and my knee doesn't hurt! YAY! Until Monday....I am not sure how it happened, but I got a bad injury. I was in class, about 30 mins in, and we were climbing a hill so I was standing. I had a bunch of resistance on and was going double time. I was going FAST and pushing hard. I must have lost focus somehow, but my knee SLAMMED into the steel handlebar of the bike. I hit full speed ahead. I looked down a couple seconds later and I had a HUGE red mark. I tried for a few minutes to push through, but I couldn't do it. I got off the bike and went home and elevated it and iced it it felt a bit better. yesterday it hurt sooo bad. I couldn't straighten it all the way or bend it too far. It felt best at about a 30 degree angle. I iced it and elevated and today I can straighten but not bend. It hurts still and is swollen but I have it wrapped with an ace bandage so we will see.

It is not fun. I am no longer a friend to this knee.