Is there a doctor in the house?

“R.I.C.E.

M.D.”

“Apply rest, ice, compression, elevation to the knee that hurts, elevate the other leg. Take it easy. If it still hurts and is swollen in a day or two, then go to the doc.

You probably have a knee problem of some sort, but if your doc is like mine, he'll give you exercises to strengthen it.

Try getting one of those soft stabilizing braces for your knee and hike with that. I use that to help my knee out.”

“I talked to my surgeon on Friday and my physical therapist about knee braces for stability. (I just had an ACL reconstruction) They both said there is no statistical evidence that they offer support to justify their use for stabalizing in sports. The surgeon is one of the best knee surgeons in the U.S. Not saying they're right, but I put a lot of faith in their abilities.”

“Well, my knee hurts less when I use one, and that's what counts to me. I admit that it wouldn't be enough to stop my knee from separating in a fall.”

“Yeah, kind of hard to hike when you're in pain! Might even help with the "compression" part ... ??”

“I think I'll go to the doc just to check it out. can't hurt I guess....whhaaa, hate the hospital, waiting rooms, etc...that's where you REALLY get sick.”

“My brace does compress the joint somewhat. And I still have to be careful about how I step up and things like that. But at the end of a day of hiking, I am in considerably less pain with the brace than without it.”

“Take two aspirins and start a new thread in the morning.”

“You probably have some torn cartilage up in that knee Gem. Take some anti-inflamatory meds and rest. Try alieve.”

“but why would both her legs be hugely swollen, if only one knee is hurt? sounds like you might have the dreaded alien worm parasites, that live in your legs, getting bigger and bigger, until they hatch out from under your toenails.

for real, sorry about your leg(s)! i hate the doctor's office w/a passion myself.”

“If the worms come out, save them! That's some good eatin.”

“Don't go to the Dr. Worst case scenario is you "F" up your leg so bad that you'll have to retire from bping, right?”

“I have trouble with the "down" side of hills too, but I'm subject to water-on-the-knee if I bump em just right. I got an old bullet hole that bothers me too sometimes. If my knee's act up on a hike, I try not to bend them as much. Keep em as straight as possible.Never had any luck with any knee brace or bandage to date. I like ibuprophin (advil) which is a wonder knee drug for me. If my knees were bad for multiple days, I'd go see a doc or at least a pa.”

“It sounds to me like an overuse injury especially with the swelling going on. It could be anything from tendonitis, bursitis or a full blown knee injury. Check it out with your doctor to be sure, but you might want to be prepared to avoid more stress to it until it heals completely. After dealing with bursitis and tendonitis in my hip for over three months now, I've been convinced that overdoing it isn't worth the pain, aggravation and depression it causes. Not to mention the risk of developing a chronic injury. Hope you heal up fast and it isn't serious.”

“thanks everyone! I tried to call the dang military hospital, but their appointment system is down and i should call back later. I've tried calling them now 4 times. getting tired of it.I may just go to their emergency room.

it's really hard to tell if it still hurts. Right now I can't feel anything just walking on flat ground. No downhill near me.

I am gonna chill for now...but am going to Cali on the 14th. of July. I hope I don't have to cancel that trip.”