Dislocating knee?

[monsterbookofty]

Hi,
I need some advice;
Since I was 17 I started getting what I can only explain as my knee popping out the socket, excruciating pain, and then it popping back into place. This left me with a slightly swollen knee and it felt sore and delicate.
I went to the doctors and was I told quite rudely that it was just growing pains.
Fast forward to now, I am 30, it has happened every few months since that first time and is getting more painful during the time it is 'out' the socket.
The pain is worse than having children, I have had 3, and I can not function enough to do anything but scream. I am by no means a person with a low pain threshold btw.
Also as soon as it happens I fall as my knee will not weight bare.
This happens usually when I am crouching down. Today I was cleaning, the last time I was sitting with a bent knee in a classroom, the time before I was pg and luckily had my dsis to help me. It has happened three times this year and as I say, its never stopped since I was 17.
Please mn, any ideas what this can be? I want to go in informed so that I am not told its nothing.
I have put off going back to the doctors for 13 years as I have been scared about them thinking I am wasting their time again but I am now more scared that one day it wont 'pop' back into place. So plan on going to the doctors next week if I can get an appointment!

My knees used to dislocate quite a lot, I think it's because I'm hyper mobile and during pregnancy things softened up making the ligaments (or whatever hold the knee cap in place) less stable.
I wouldn't even have to be doing anything much and it would pop out, and it was the same as you excruciating pain and I'd put the knee back by slightly pushing the kneecap and straightening my leg.

Once I had to go to hospital as my knee had swelled up so much after a really bad dislocation that dh had to put back.

I went to the doctor and he sent me for physio to strengthen the ligaments around the knee to stop it from popping out.

This was years ago though, I think about 11 or so years ago. My knees for for some reason dont dislocate any more, they still sometimes feel a bit unstable and I have to tense my legs in certain situations, like if I'm lying on the sofa and the dc or the dog sits around me in case they knock my legs.

Are you hyper mobile at all? Maybe look into strengthening your knees and muscles/ligaments around it so they're less likely to dislocate.

I'm 50, and this first happened to me in maths when I was 13! I've had physio, and I was told that I have what is known as 'young girl's knee' and my patella slips. It's very disconcerting when it happens.

Thanks for the replies. I have spent the last 13 years trying to explain what is happening to my knee as I did not think it was possible to dislocate and pop back in without medical intervention. I am certain its a recurrent dislocation now.

(I am not a doctor - this is a very lay person's version of knees from rugby first aid!) Patellas can dislocate - they are basically a disc of bone embedded in a bit of rubbery tendon and only connected to other bones by the tendons running up to the thigh and down to the shin. A dislocated kneecap is often hideously painful and looks pretty nauseating too - if you were doing that you'd probably have something to describe to the doctor. They can pop back in by themselves or they can need to be manipulated back in.

I used to get a terribly painful thing when I bent my lower leg backwards and outwards - something would hook behind something else and the only solution was to straighten the leg, but boy did that hurt.

Either way, the doctor might be able to get you some physio.

It could be the second thing you mentioned purple. It does 'pop' back when the leg is straightened. Did you ever find out what it was called?