To be disappointed my scan was normal

Not one single person has said it's nothing or that you should push through the pain.

I had a tear in my meniscus @cantdothisanymor but the pain went away when I realised one of the heels on my boots had worn more on the inside so I was pressuring the knee in the inside. Went away when I stopped wearing the boots!

My niece had ganglion cysts in both her wrists, they caused her much pain to the point where she has been awarded extra time in exams. She has had them both drained and is now pain free.

A ganglion cysts may not itself be painful but in certain areas it could cause pressure on nerves etc and therefore pain.

Go to your appt, explain about the pain.

But it’s not painless, because you’re in pain!

so. I understand being disappointed that it’s not what you thought it might be, so there is no straightforward solution (when I had migraines I really hoped I just needed new glasses).
give yourself a couple of days to wallow.
and then pick yourself up, get ready for your appointment with the consultant (make list of questions, Can the cyat be removed , could there be another reason for your pain, can he please prescribe proper painkillers ).

and stop calling yourself a baby - how we talk to ourselves affects us and you’re putting yourself down a lot. Be kind to yourself, being in pain is awful.

Don’t do anything till you’ve seen the Consultant! A ganglion is painless but what it’s pressing on is not - I’m in Wales, we have the worst NHS in the UK and even they will treat a cyst that is causing pain (the cyst may not be painful but its causing pain due to its location). You have NOT exhausted your options yet, not by a long way

Op, I feel for you, I really do, but you need to wait to see your consultant. Tell them you’re in terrible pain and ask for next steps to get you pain-free.

DH has had 2 new ACL’s over the years. His knee started becoming very painful again in February. A few weeks ago he went for an MRI. Came back all clear. He asked his consultant what was causing the pain. Consultant said it must be the hip causing him to alter his gait and putting pressure on his knee. He was referred to a hip consultant who did another MRI and confirmed severe osteoarthritis and degradation of the hip and strongly recommended a hip replacement which DH is having in October.

Now I’m not suggesting you have an arthritic hip, I’m just trying to explain that something is causing your pain and you need to keep pushing for answers. It’s not all in your head and you’re not an idiot.

The report is purely a factual report about what they found. It's not the meniscal tear you thought, but that doesn't mean there is nothing to be done.
At the appointment to discuss it, you need to ask "what now?", and make sure that they are clear about the amount of pain you are in. It might be that you need to be referred to someone different, but hopefully they can help with that.

Many cysts do not need operating on, and do not cause any significant pain. However some do. I had a cyst inside my rotator cuff, which was trapping a nerve and causing shooting pains all up my arm. That did need dealing with, and it was operated on.

You seem to have decided that nothing can be done, without any evidence that that is the case.

I give up. You are wilfully ignoring all the good sense and actual information people are giving you, in favour of wallowing in self pity. When it’s not even justified! Whatever kick you’re getting out of this I’m not sure, but you enjoy it. I’m out.

I tore my ACL around 18 months ago and had surgery to repair it, 12 months ago. As far as they could see on my scan my meniscus was intact, but when they did the surgery, I had torn the meniscus too and it needed sewing back together. Sometimes it’s not always visible but I can relate to the pain (although I am pain free now since my surgery!)

The other thing that has really helped my knee is PRP injection. Very noticeable improvement from that.

Basically they take your blood, give it a twirl and inject the platelet rich plasma (PRP) back into your knee.

I’ve had a ganglion removed in the NHS. It took quite a while to get there but it solved the problem. Mine was in my wrist, in the middle of the joint causing pain and restricting movement.
I was looking at a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis before the consultant decided he’d better stick me through a MRI scanner just to check as a bit of a lump had developed.
It wasn’t orthopaedics that removed it, I got transferred to plastics

Hi,
I might be completely barking up the wrong tree here. But reading your updates about cutting off your knee and pain meds not helping sounds like me at the moment. However, this is where we differ.

Mine started in my glutes around end of Feb, went to Chiropractor and it moved to back of calf. It’s a very long story, but the recent pain has been ankle, and foot for 5 weeks so bad that I’ve been bed bound. Like you struggled to get anywhere. A&E 4 times, rang 111 when I went to the bathroom and could not walk back to bedroom. My GP referred me for MRi and xray.
The results showed it is my back! Got a disc bulge on my nerve. I need either injection or operation. MSK team said it’s urgent and marked me as severe the spinal unit in the hospital downgraded it to routine! It’s a mess. I‘m off work, not left my bed for 5 weeks, missed so much in the last 4 months. I’m now paying £2,000 to try an injection private. It’s going on my cc as I’m so desperate.

Please do not give up! I rang my Gp and the hospital weekly. I’ve paid into the NHS since I left school at 16, am now 52! My point was, maybe it’s not the knee, and it’s coming from somewhere else. So go back and keep asking questions. Hope you feel better soon x

From Google:

When a ganglion cyst develops in the knee, its location and size are the main factors that determine if you will feel symptoms. Pain and mechanical symptoms occur when the cyst:
Pinches surrounding tissue: It can compress nerves, tendons, or the lining of the joint, causing localized pain or a feeling of deep joint tenderness.
Interferes with joint mechanics: Cysts situated inside the joint—such as those attached to the ligaments (e.g., the ACL or PCL)—can obstruct normal movement

I totally get it. I’ve been in bad knee pain now for over 2 years

physio didn’t help
cortisone injections was hell on earth and did nothing

eventually got referred for mri

waiting for results - dreading nothing being wrong - results are with gp whose refused to tell me, I have to wait to see physio which is still over 3 weeks away, been waiting 2 weeks from when they came in already plus waited 3 months for mri results to get to gp

i swear if I’m in this much pain for nothing ….! I really understand op - you want there to be a reason for the pain so it can be fixed!

I understand I was trying to help. I've had sciatica for years and from how you described it (radiating pain up and down your leg,knee) it sounds nerve related.

I hope you find the cause and can treat this.

I understand you are disappointed that the scan result is not what you were expecting, but you're being quite melodramatic and assuming you won't be treated.

I need a full knee replacement, can't actually straighten the knee. I was hopeful the surgeon could clean up the torn, frayed cartilage mess but he said there's a 30% chance he'd make it worse, so we agreed that wasn't a good idea. I'm too young for a replacement due to how long they last (first replacement 20 yrs, second 10 yrs and rarely can they do a third as they run out of bone). After 2 years I decided we'd do the knee anyway as it was impacting too much. However my hips are shot so need to do those first. Left done in Jan, right will be done in Nov. Hip pain refers to to back and knees so I'm optimistic the knee may be able to keep going for a bit.

I'm not trying to compete with you on pain, just explain where I'm at so you know I understand the pain and the impact it has on your life.

Pain needs to be managed. For knee pain, as noted by other posters, knee braces and the knitted supports actually help more than you think they would. Takes a bit of trial and error to find the ones that work for you and having a selection is good as what gives relief can vary depending on what's feeling aggravated that day.

Other management is a lovely weighted, heating pad I got from Amazon; a tens machine - absolutely amazing relief using that; when sleeping using a pillow between knees or behind the knee if sleeping on my back.

I take diclofenac, which is the generic name for voltaren. It was even used as part of my hip replacement pain management. It's great and makes a noticeable difference. In Australia you can get 25mg over the counter, but it's much cheaper with a script.

Finally, I work with an exercise physiologist. Only thing that keeps me mobile. For me, the pain at the back of the knee is caused by two nasty little ligaments. Hideous to be worked on, but the outcome is worth it. Overall, working on your muscle strength is the best way to suppirt and stabilise the knee.

Don't cancel your consultant appointment. See them, explain the pain is restricting your daily life and you have to stop doing activities because of it. If it impacts your sleep etc, then say that too.

There is nothing worse than that constant, deep unrelenting pain that you cannot get away from. You can't sleep as there is literally no position that is pain free.

I think it’s v possible a cyst would cause you agony; it might well be pushing on a nerve or not allowing a muscle to contract - this would sound like sciatica to some people as a pp has mentioned; because this is what happens with sciatica essentially and the nerve gets stuck or compressed / muscle gets stuck in one position.

Well let’s assume the scan is accurate- all that says is what is on the scan is fine.

It doesn’t tell you that you have no problem ; it doesn’t tell you what the problem is. It just tells you the problem isn’t what was in the scan.

My guess is the physio was wrong!!!!
If you’re in agony- something is amiss. I wouldn’t take a physio’s rough guess as a diagnosis. It’s something else!

hope you feel better soon. I have bad back - it’s ok now but god for almost a year I thought my life was over… you’ll be amazed at how low you can go and still recover xx

I understand. You’re in pain and you want a visible reason that can be dealt with. My DH wanted something to show in his brain MRI for the same reason however bonkers that sounds. A diagnosed issue can be fixed, treated or at least known… an undiagnosed one is a painful, nebulous thing.

Humans can cope with almost anything so long as they know what they’re facing.

Sounds like sciatica?

I had a cyst which was sitting behind the kneecap and causing my knee cap not to sit correctly in the joint. Surgical intervention via keyhole to remove cyst, clear up some other debris, and redefine joint - and now much better. So a cyst doesn’t necessarily mean nothing will be done.