I started stretching a year ago. I was averaging 5-6 hours a day and after 6 months I started having really bad knee pain. At first, I wasn't sure if it was related, I'm pretty active although up there in age, but 4 months later I stopped stretching and the pain started to get better, although it didn't disappear. Around a week ago I restarted stretching only a couple of hours a day, and the knee pain started to get bad again. Has anyone experienced something similar? Is it possible the stretching can be causing this?
You may want to stretch standing up may solve this
Sounds like you have a possible late stages of juvenile arthritis, and possibly tracking patella. Worst case scenario, there may be a free floating bone or calcified fragment in the knee area, or even between the joints. Best to have a nice multi angle X-ray.
I'm 60 and I have arthritis in both my knees and my recent x-rays show this. I did have meniscus surgery in one of my knees 10 years ago. I'll be having an MRI of the knee that's bothering me the most, which isn't the knee with the most arthritis, soon.
I've been doing PT, among other things, since mid January in order to get better. I figured I was in a place where I could get back into my stretching routine. I'm starting slow at 2 hours per day and the pain I have after a few hours of stretching is different than my typical knee pain, it's almost like the front of my knees are burning and being stretched upwards.
Ah, definitely the patella tracking issues and something is grinding between the joints and patella. I had similar issues before my polyoscopic surgery to remove the free floating fragments. It sucks to be broken and active.
Thanks. I guess my question, and concern is that the PE is somehow making this worse?
There is a "remote possibility". Your nerves connect from the brain to the bottom of the feet. The nerve branches going through the knees from the pelvic is the sciatic nerves. If a strange anomaly of the dorsal nerves connecting to the sciatic nerves triggers the pain to the knees, it can indeed happen. It's rare, but can indeed happen.
However, what concerns me more is the triggered pain can also be induced by something else that cannot be seen, such as deep vein thrombosis in the early states. You indicated an MRI will be done. Get it done as soon as you can. You cannot see just by "feel". It has to be a deep scan.
Agree!
Thank you, I think you solved the mystery!
This makes the most sense for several reasons. One, I have had sciatica in the past, and it was also my left leg. Based on x-rays the doctors have said my right knee is in worse shape, yet the pain on my left side is much worse. Two, at this point it's clear that PE stretching makes it much more painful since the pain returned once I restarted and it slowly improves once I stop. So at the very least, it's made worse by stretching.
I will have an MRI this week, so we'll see whatever other issues I have. I've been very active in contact sports my whole life so I do have known issues in all my joints. But hopefully, this MRI will show if I need to be concerned with any other issues such as patella tracking.
The next question is since I'm going to stop the stretching what other exercises can I do that won't make this issue worse assuming it is sciatica caused by stretching? Should I get a bathmate? Do you think girth exercises such as squashing will be safe?
If the dorsal nerve get triggered from stretching and it impacts your knee, pumping will also trigger the dorsal nerves. If that is the case, you may feel some pain, but not a whole lot for pumping. Just do know that. But, if you want to continue with PE, give pumping a try. Nothing venture, nothing gain.
By the way, don't get the Bathmate for this venture. Try to get the MityVac instead, with the cylinder 1in larger than your current girth circumference. Why? We need to monitor the pressure that may cause the "phantom pain" that gets triggered from PE. Try both water and air. Use warm to slightly hot water first. The temperature will help to sooth the triggering. You can also use slightly cool to cold water to numb the triggering effects as well.
I believe DLD attempts to say to do PE while standing up to ease the nerve triggering from kinking. When you sit down, your patella tracking and sciatic nerve are kinked at the knee and pelvic floor. Imagine a garden hose is bent 90 degrees at two locations while doing PE, on top of pumping or lengthening routine that causes a third kink location at the base or along the dorsal nerve that link up with the sciatic nerve.
Standing up allow the blood to flow nominally, less stresses on all the three nerves (sciatic along the entire body, perineal which link between the sciatic and the penis dorsal through the pelvic area, and the dorsal travels along the entire penis down to the pelvic floor), less chance of secondary flaring triggered. Normally, pumping air can be done just leaning back on the bed to achieve the same thing. Keep the legs straight. Always something to try before abandoning PE.