Knee issue

[PhyllisWig]

I damaged my knee 15 years ago. I had a small tear in the meniscus. I had some physio but no need for anything further. It's been 'dodgy' on and off since. I've had more physio but nothing else.

I have lost a bunch of weight over the past few years and been much more active. The knee has been ok but I still can't wear heels, walk up and down stairs straight (have to do one step at a time).

It is getting worse and now any kind of exercise seems to cause a flair - running, swimming, dance even walking when it's bad. Everything I like.

It only hurts when used though so I'm not in constant pain and when it does hurt it's not agony (think 6 to 7on a pain scale but enough to need to stop).

I am thinking I probably need to see someone again and maybe another mri. I have private medical through work so will see if I can use that.

Anyone have any idea if this sounds like a fixable thing though? The thought of not being able to exercise without pain is upsetting but I'm
43 so maybe that's how it is?

[JohnHunter]

You really need to see someone who can give you a diagnosis that explains your current symptoms.

It might be that you have some early osteoarthritis - possibly related to the meniscal tear 15 years ago. There isn't much that can be done about that until you're bad enough for a knee replacement.

Alternatively, the meniscal tear might never have healed (they rarely do) and keeps flaring up every now and again. If this is the case, it's causing you a lot of trouble, and physio hasn't helped; a surgeon might be tempted to put in a scope and trim away the damaged part.

There are lots of other potential causes for knee pain and it's difficult to guess at whether it can be "fixed" without a diagnosis. If you have good private healthcare, that will get you through the system quicker than using the NHS for a knee problem.