Very Painful Knee - any ideas?

[foxytocin]

Someone out there must have been through something like this before. I can hardly walk today/tonight.

Every few weeks or so, my right knee goes very painful in the same location. Within say 15 minutes it goes from being normal to feeling like I have gotten an almighty whack on it and it is bruised. It goes away within a couple days.

Last summer it was like this for over a week, saw the gp and he touched it and i just about hit the roof. He sent me for an ultra sound but the swelling pain and slight swelling was gone by then and they saw nothing. blood work for rheumatism (i believe) came back as normal.

What the hell can it be? The scan person says that because of the bone I ought to have an MRI scan instead.

There's alot of ligaments in the knees that all come from the lower leg and hold the patella in place, there's also a membrane that keeps the fluid inplace, this can often become irritated and really sore (bursitis IIRC) so there's alot of things it can be, as well as the unsual bone problems. Does it become painful when you walk or does it happen at any time?

i looked up bursitis and it doesn't seem like quite the same.

it is usually painful only when walking but when it starts to be really sore, it hurts even when I am not walking.

it was really hurting on Fri night like this but it was mostly gone by last night.

thing is, it doesn't stay long enough like this to get to the doctor's and say 'this is it' and then also stay long enough like that to get an appt at the hospital to have it checked out.

what else can i do?

Could you have a torn cartilige? (sp). I had knee pain on and off and like yours, could just start to hurt when just sitting.

Went to the dr's who sent me for an xray, which showed that the bone was normal - but obviously this does not show all the tissue inside etc. He referred me to a knee surgeon. I had keyhole surgery to the knee (they originally thought there was wear and tear to the meniscus) but actually, it was completely torn and it had to be stitched up inside - it ws perfectly healthy apart from this).

Would definitely ask to be referred!

I agree with bella, it doesn't sound like arthritic changes. It is best for you to get a referral so they can check it out for you.

Just thought I would say that I don't actually remember tearing the meniscus! The only thing I can remember is in my last job, the fridge at work was in a tricky corner and I squatted down to get something from the back of the fridge and I felt pain to the right knee. I thought to myself at the time, oh I don't want to be bending down like that again..... I am not sure if it was this or not that tore it. It got worse and worse over about 8 months. Every time I thought about booking an appointment to go and see the gp, it seemed to calm down and I thought I was making a fuss about nothing - hence it going on for so long!

Torn meniscus sounds possible - MRI would help but that usually means referral to Consultant Orthopaedic. Have you tried physio?

this sounds like torn meniscus. the location of the pain, type of etc. will have to see gp then. do I go straight to asking for a referral?

foxy.. make an appointment with gp and say you cannot stand the pain any longer and could he refer you.

Knees don't hurt of their own accord even if you cannot remember hurting/twisting it - like me. It needs sorting sooner rather than later imo.

thanks bella. will make an appt and polish up my acting skills. you are right, btw. I just don't know how to go about these things very well.

Actually foxy, thinking back, when I asked to be referred, he asked if I would like to try physio first and I said to him in his opinion what would he do and he said go straight for referral. So if you have a choice, I wouldn't bother with the physio - you will probably need this afterwards like I did if you have a torn meniscus.

As a physio - I'd say get yourself referred for physio asap anyway because if this has been going on for a few months, the intermittent inflammation you've experienced has been busy inhibiting your quadriceps muscles which help to take some pressure away from the knee joint, and you will need to build up the muscles again. If you wait until after arthroscopy it'll take much longer to get back to your normal again. Also you may have picked up some altered movement patterns affecting your gait which could give you further problems in the future. Good luck

thanks Calyx and bella I need to see the physio anyway. I still suffering with bad hips from SPD acquired in my last pg. dd2 is now 18 mos old. I need to book an appt tomorrow. talking about it with people in the know has put it into better light. thanks again. Calyx, any other input from a physio's POV will be greatly appreciated.

You might be able to self-refer to your local physiotherapy department. As it's been over 6 weeks it's not classed as an 'acute injury' and you may be put on a waiting list. They will ask you:

-Do you get swelling?
-Has your knee given way and dropped you to the ground?
-Has your knee ever 'locked' in a bent position where you have had to jiggle it about with your hands to straighten the leg?

If you get swelling, or if when you get sore, your knee feels hotter than the other, then it's a good idea to put the whole leg up on a few pillows (eg not just putting your heel on a coffee table), put a towel over the knee, and then put a bag of frozen peas on it. Check your skin under the towel every few minutes (in case of ice burns) and don't leave it on longer than 10 or 15 minutes at a time. This will reduce the inflammatory effect and hopefully some of the pain as well.

You may find your hamstring (back of thigh) on that side and the calf muscles on that side are a bit tight especially if you've been limping at all. You can stretch those out (20 seconds per stretch, 2 stretches a few times a day for each muscle) but don't push the stretch into pain as you may cause further inflammation.

You can build up your quadricep muscles in non-weight bearing - put the knee over a rolled up bath towel then push the knee down onto the towel and straightening the leg, hold a few seconds then let it relax; do about 3 sets of 15 reps daily.

Or you can do it in weight-bearing (probably best if you have a meniscus tear) - stand, squeeze your buttocks together, slowly bend at the knees for a couple of inches only (so that you can still just about see your toes) and then straighten up again. Same repetitions. I would probably ice after doing the exercises even if you don't ice any other time.

Best of luck, hope that helps! If you ice and don't check your skin every few minutes or if you put the ice on without the towel - DON'T SUE ME! LOL