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?

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.