Knee pain, inner side

Hi all, I appreciate any help with the following:


How the injury occurred:
Approximately 7-10 days ago, I twisted my right knee during kickboxing - I believe my knee was bearing some of my weight, whilst bent, when I received a kick to the outside of my right leg, at the very bottom of the quad, just above the right knee.

This may or may not be what caused my injury, which was not immediately apparent at the time (I didn't feel anything snap, pop, 'go', nor any sharp pain in my knee, just the force or impact). I did continue training for the duration of the class (another 1/2 hour)

I became aware of a pain on the inner right knee over the next few days. I think other activities, like work, where I push things, may have contributed to its already weakened state from the above event, and therefore the cause may be cumulative, rather than one particular event.


The pain:
Location:
the inside of my right knee-cap - from pictures of the anatomy of the knee, it appears to be the medial meniscus region, or something nearby (tendons, ligaments, cartilage etc)
Symptoms:
My knee has improved since the injury occurred. I have always been able to bear full weight on the leg. I can run and jump, I can do body-weight squats with my legs apart. However I experience pain when I attempt to do body-weight squats with my feet together.
The movement that hurts, is bending my knee so my calves and hamstrings are in line, and in this case it only begins to hurt on the inside of my right knee when my calves and hamstrings are near touching. Due to the pain I stop short of completing this movement.
However with my legs apart, it appears that I can touch the top of my calves to my hamstrings pain free, like this: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vz7VJjHVJ2...at-diagram.jpg

I can now assume the position of this stretch ( http://www.easyvigour.net.nz/fitness...FlexStrFin.gif ) pain free, but pulling on my knee to perform the stretch would cause me pain, once again, on the inside of my right knee. The ability to assume this position is however an improvement after the initial pain.


I believe at first, were I to complete a movement such as this http://www.abc-of-fitness.com/images...etch-step3.gif , with my right ankle on my left knee, I would experience pain in my right knee as well. Sideways pressure on the knee used to cause me slight pain, but not as much as calves to hamstring as elucidated above. At this stage I can put pressure on my knee from sideways directions.



Self diagnosis is obviously impossible, and I know attempts at this are totally flawed. Nevertheless, possibilities I have come across on the internet, (of course) include strains of the medial ligament, some sort of damage to to meniscus, etc.

I have been using compression, ice (after exercise), taking aspirin occasionally to help with any inflammation, and
resting my knee.


Any help is greatly appreciated as I am a poor student living out of home who doesn't get many working hours !

I should also mention that the inner part of my knee, on what feels like the corner of the upper part of the bone where the two bones meet, is slightly sore to the touch - it feels like a bruise.

Can anyone help me out here? Looking back on my training log I am starting to think the pain developed the day after squatting heavy in the weight room - though I can't be 100% sure. The situation has improved. When I attempt to bodyweight squat with my legs close together, I reach an area of milder pain when I am getting near calf/hamstring touch, but I can go 'past' that point, and the pain stops. Formerly the pain was worse and accordingly I never went past that point.

I would recommend seeing a physiotherapist for accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Some of the more likely causes of the symptoms you describe may include:

Medial Meniscal Tear
Medial Collateral Ligament Tear


Good luck with recovery,

PhysioAdvisor
www.PhysioAdvisor.com

Thank-you for your response. I have an update. Almost all of my pain and symptoms I described previously are 90% gone. However I did discover something else by accident, which occurred as I was putting on the knee support sleeve which I had been wearing. It occurred when I put the brace on one time, and realising it was on crooked, attempted to straighter it by turning the brace outwards (clockwise). Being that the brace is tight, this meant that it 'gripped' my knee-cap, the patella, on my right knee, and turned it to the right.

This caused, and continues to cause, a lot of pain on the inside of my right knee when I repeat this movement. e.g. When sitting in a chair with my leg out straight, or straighter than a 90 degree angle, if I hold my knee-cap with two hands, and twist or rotate my hands clockwise (moving the knee-cap towards the 'outside' of my knee), I experience sharp pain on the inside of my knee.

Would this be indicative of anything in particular? Your help is greatly appreciated. I am trying to get money from my parents so that I can see a sports injury physio next week.


Other than this, I am able to complete all movements and sports pain free. There is no mobility restriction, just a small area of very mild pain when I touch my calf to my hamstring. Valgus forces on the outside of the knee don't cause me pain. Just when I 'slide' my knee-cap outwards, and the mild pain when touching hamstring to calf as mentioned.

Help greatly appreciated.