Is it fine to exercise with knee pain?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am a 24-year-old female. My height is 5 feet and 5 inches and my weight is 128 pounds. I am a cyclist and, to a lesser extent, a runner. For the past week, I have been getting pain in the back of my left knee. It hurts when I walk and do not just do sport. It is the movement of pushing off from the ground that makes it hurt, and when I straighten my leg to full extension. Is it fine to continue with exercise?

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

From your description, it appears that you may have anterior knee pain which sometimes presents as pain at the back of the knee. The second possibility is that you have overdone your exercise and hamstrings are sore and the lower end of the kneecap is inflamed. Either way, you should rest and ice the area of pain and give it time. I suggest you add NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) for a week for additional anti-inflammatory action.