Sudden knee pain getting worse without injury, should I see GP?

[HangryBrickShark]

What the hell have I done?

I woke up with inner knee pain on Saturday morning. Googled the symptoms and it brought up a video showing a physio explaining to a patient how to correct a tibial shift. I renacted the video which amazingly gave instant comfort and relief. However this was short lived and within a couple of hours the pain came back.

By the Sunday night I was really struggling with the pain. No redness, or fever or grinding noise/sensation but the pain was even more intense and hurt to weight bear on that leg with the pain centered around the kned joint. By Monday night it had started to radiate above the knee as well as inside. Put alternating ice packs and heat pad on but by Tuesday night the pain was moving to the outside of the knee. I get that you over compensate when in pain do your pattern of movement alters accordingly so pain does tend to move and sometimes it can be hard to pin point where it actually originates from.

Limping badly and really hurts to lift leg to go upstairs or try to take off jeans/jodhpurs. I have a knee support on (partner is a pro with knee issues having had two new total knee replacements).

By Wednesday after a manual shift (I'm currently doing shifts at a livery yard bringing in/turning out, muckingbout, etc) I was really struggling, its worse after sitting and resting.

Yesterday pain on hamstrings and calf. Partner has one of those amazing Shiatsu massage belts with those rotating heads and its like a professional massage. That really sorted the soreness over the hamstrings but was too sore to do much work on the calf muscles still. So I was able to do another shift at work. Right now lying in bed the pain seems to be going up to the inside of my thigh!

I can't imagine what I've done but I'm getting quite worried. I'm on 17 pain killers and anti inflammatories a day for sciatica and S.I joint pain and yet at times depending on which way I rotate my foot/leg when moving/walking it is still incredibly painful and feels like the painkillers aren't touching it.

I had steroid injections six months ago for left sided sacro illiac joint pain. But this doesn't feel like its sciatic pain as the primary area of pain, although I'm not denying there isn't S.I pain involvement too which is secondary pain

Should I just wait this out or book an appointment with my GP?

I can't rest up as I need to attend to my own horse twice daily and to be honest, the more I use the leg the better the pain relief although not much!.

Feels like I've wrenched the knee or knocked it but I don't recall any accident or incident whuch has caused this. Bizarre!

I think you would be wise to visit the GP as its not getting any better. They may want you to have an ex-ray in case there is any internal damage. As you mention being a "horsey" person I imagine you lead an active life and have a physical job. So you do need to get it sorted befoe any long term damage results.

I have arthritis in both knees so am used to a level of pain. About 8 weeks ago I had a flare up in one knee and all the kinds of symptoms you describe with the pain gradually affecting my thigh. There was no swelling and a sort of twisting sensation inside the joint when I put any weight on it. I tried all the hot and cold remedies and topical creams for a couple of weeks. Eventually I went to the GP and begged for a cortsone injection. He told me it can take 1-2 weeks to work. I continued with the hot/cold treatments and stretching exercises but it was about 3 weeks before I began to feel any real difference. I am in my 80s so that might make a differennce. Its only now beginning to get back to normal and I still have to use a stick on the stairs.

Might be torn meniscus. That can improve with cortisone shot + good physiotherapy. Fingers crossed.