Fixing my knee - the wrong way and the right way

A little over two weeks ago, I took a slow speed tumble off my bike and banged my right knee on the asphalt. I finished the ride and my knee felt ok but later that day it began to stiffen up. That evening, I could tell that it was a little swollen so I iced it a few times and took some asprin. That seemed to bring some relief so I resolved to "run off" the remaining affects of my bike tumble. Bad idea!

I tried running on it the following week with, I thought, some early success. However, my knee was still stiff, indicating that the swelling had not subsided. Three more days of pushing the running and I was hobbled by what I believe to be a case of bursitis. The swelling, which was originally general, had become localized (I think) in my prepatellar bursa. This effectively shut me down completely from running or even from much walking.

I spent the next week (last week) icing my knee hourly and taking a lot of aspirin. With this treatment the bursitis seemed to resolve itself to the point where I was able to ride about 25 miles total on the following (this past) saturday and sunday. The swelling seemed to have subsided leaving only a residual pain from the bump.

This week I have slowly resumed the running. Yesterday, I completed a 3 mile course by alternately running and walking in half mile segments. I was a little disappointed that the knee pain was still there during the running, but I waited to see how my knee felt as the day progressed. Not only did my knee not swell, but it began to feel better throughout the day. This morning, I ran the first and last mile of the three mile course and walked the middle mile. While there is still some tenderness, the swelling has not returned and my knee felt better during the running today.

So, the moral for me is: don't try to run through a swollen knee. The best way to treat it is lots of ice until the swelling goes down. On the other hand, when there is no swelling, put up with a moderate amount of pain to resume your normal activities. As in all things, it is important to find a proper balance.