Pain inside of left knee after fall

[Michelle 1980]

Hi,
Approx 2 weeks ago I had a bad fall on concrete when out running. My left knee was quite sore, but I hobbled on home thinking I'd just bruised it. I took 2 days off running & tried to run again. during this time a large dark bruise developed on the bony part of my knee to the right. It was a little painful, but nothing too serious. Thinking it was just a superficial bruise i carried on training seeing no obvious signs of swelling or heat...however after my latest run which was 8 miles it hurt quite a lot towards the end.

4 days later & it hurts to go up & down stairs & to walk. I also have a sore & tight hamstring (hurts to flex leg up) and a sore back, probably due to running & compensating for the bad knee.
I've now rested for 4 days (just cross trained using the handbike) & have been applying RICE.

I am worried this is an injury to the Medial Collateral Ligament of the knee & want to know what the best course of action is as I'm meant to be running a marathon in 3 months time. Thanks!

[Heidi]

Hi
Unlikely that it's MCL from a direct impact, although it is possible.
The best course of action is to avoid running and make an appointment with a physio or sports therapist etc for an assessment. Get it sorted sooner rather than later and you won't need so much time off training. Leave it and it could take longer to heal!