knees

[littledancerus]

I was haveing some problems with my knees a little while ago and went to the doc to find out what was wrong... she couldn't find anything so now she wants me to have an mri done. I went to meps today and they want all my records on it. I'm just wondering what knee problems are disqualifying. Mine only hurts if I run for long periods of time... but I know I'll be doing that at ocs. I'm annoyed at myself now for going to the doctor in the first place. :icon_rage I also found out today that I can't fly (I wanted NFO) but I failed the depth perception test. So now I don't know what to do HELP!!!

 

[PropStop]

don't buy that depth perception crap. i failed it twice. some tests are very poorly designed and i know MANY people who fail them, as did my recruiter (she had to bully mepts to keep my pilot slot). Ask for a retest from an independent source, i had mine done at Walmart two hours after failing meps (at my own expense).

DO NOT ACCEPT WHAT MEPS TELLS YOU!!!!

did i say that strongly enough?

 

[Thisguy]

Dancer,

What kind of pain is it? Is it a sharp pain? Or is it more of a lingering dull pain? If it's the latter, it may be correctable. I had issues with my knees in HS/college, and a common cause for discomfort is shifting of the knee cap due to underdeveloped quad/hamstring muscles. There's exercises you can do (without weights) to strengthen the mucles around the knee. Hope that helps!

 

[EA-6B1]

You may want to do a search on Illitobial Band Syndrome. There was a good topic about it. Lots of info. In fact, I had the problem when I ran a half-marry.

 

[usanavypilot]

Depth perception at MEPS is crap. If you are lucky, you will have someone administering the test that will have you try until you get it right. I went to both MEPS and to Miramar for physicals and at Miramar they were a lot more relaxed about depth perception. Don't worry, you will be fine with pilot. As for the pain...is it so bad that you can't work out? Or is it just a little pain? If it is the latter, I would rest a little to see if it is getting better. I had my ACL reconstructed in 2001 and I still have some pain. It's just a part of life. Good luck with it all...I really want to see you at 186 this summer!!

 

[ben]

Definitely check on ITBS (the illitobial band syndrome that EA-6B mentioned). I haven't had it, but I read up on it when people started posting about it a while back. Do a search for ITBS and you should find some good info. There's some stretches you can do that will probably make your knees feel a lot better if ITBS is your problem.

 

[gorpwarp]

Yea I know the pain. I think it's a distance thing. (It started two weeks after going from 20-mile weeks to 40-mile weeks, very distinctly.) I went to the dr, who said it was not cartillage issue or anything like that, so do quad exercises and ... STRETCH!! ok, she didn't say it that loud, but it's what I've found to be most helpful. First, don't run until you can do like a mile comfortably. Then build up your mileage, but STRETCH YOUR KNEES, and your quads and shins (I'm sure some of it was shin splints), before and after every run. To stretch your knees, sit like your squatting (gently at first), you'll feel it around knees, then sit a little higher and wobble your knees in parallel ovals. Don't slack on this, it'll save you pain and trouble later.

 

[stevew]

Littledancerus, my knees used to hurt me as well after running long distances. When I first started running, I was doing 5 miles, once a week on Sunday. After that my knees were hurting so much I could hardly walk and my knees didn't end up feeling better until Thursday. I got scared just like you are (I guess concerned is probably a better word). My whole family is Dr.'s and I asked them what I should do they said to stop running and don't worry about going to a Dr. and that I would feel better. They were right. Nevertheless every Sunday I would run and every Sunday they would hurt. One day I went running and I was moving at a relatively slow pace because my knees were acting up, someone started to pass me, which I didn't like so I caught up to him and ran at his pace, and my knees stopped hurting. I had concluded that the reason my knees started to hurt was because when I get tired I lose my posture and it effects my knees. If I keep up the strong running, my knees feel better. To add to all this, now that it is the winter and I have to use the treadmill at the gym instead of running in the park I make sure to use do a couple of sets of leg presses and leg extensions before I run and this helps a lot as well. The reasoning being that you are stregthening the muscles around your knees so that your knees don't do the running (which causes pain) instead, your muscles are doing the running. So in short my advice is suck it up, run harder, and do some leg strengthening excersizes to avoid the stress on your knees.

I hope my rambling was a little inforamtive.

 

[littledancerus]

Thanks for all your guys' help. The pain in my knees started acting up again when I started running more. I'm takeing time off right now to wait 'till I can go up and down stairs without them hurting at all. They are makeing me really nervice though. I will try to do exercises to see if I can help them at all. Thanks again!

 

[stevew]

Thanks for all your guys' help. The pain in my knees started acting up again when I started running more. I'm takeing time off right now to wait 'till I can go up and down stairs without them hurting at all. They are makeing me really nervice though. I will try to do exercises to see if I can help them at all. Thanks again!

Forget stairs! I couldn't even walk down the hallway from my bedroom to the living room. Just make sure not to run on them till they are 100% again and you should be fine. I was nervous too, but don't sweat it, it'll be fine

 

[littledancerus]

Oh they were hurting just to walk last week, but now the just hurt on stairs. Another bad thing is that I'm on my school's dance team, and we have practice 3 times a week (plus games) and I can't not go to them. So sometimes my knees act up danceing too, and I'm sure it doesn't help in the healing process. But it'll be over after March. I looked up the information posted on ITBS and it looks like all the stretches and everything are for your hip. Will stretching my hips help my knee? So let's see: helping knees itinerary... take anti-inflamitories, lift with my legs, stretch my legs/hips, take my vitamines!! And don't run 'till all better.... anything else? Do you think I should get an MRI done? My doc wants me to.

 

[stevew]

I don't think you need the MRI. If after your dancing is done and you are all rested and your knees still hurt then go for it but by then I'm sure they will be much better. Although after the big runs they may act up again, I find for myself it is natural, and that's just part of being an athlete.

 

[Rotorhead]

Just make damn sure you are not "depth perception challenged" before you go to Pensacola. If you are NOMI will find it, and you will have just wasted alot of your time on a pre-existing condition. If you know that you are not, then get it checked again. The tests are tricky, but if you cant pass them at WalMart, you wont pass them in Pensacola.

Good Luck

 

[EA-6B1]

Rotor,
I was going to send you a PM, but it says your denying both PM's and Emails...