Knee pain

[SammyL]

Hi all,

I am not very old, just 20. However, ever since I got into a four-wheeler accident when I was nine or ten years old my knees has bothered me.

It has gotten worse as I have aged. Lately, it hurts so bad that I can barely walk. I push on, despite the pain. I have college to worry about and all my animals to take care of.

I have been to several doctors, and specialists. They have x-rayed, MRI's..etc, but can find nothing wrong. My joints supposedly are fine. However, both my knees crack, pop, grind, and make all sorts of very unpleasant noises when I walk or go up stairs.

My senior year of high school they finally figured that I have tendinitis in one knee, if not both. No can yet explain all the grinding, locking up, etc. Doctors think I am making up my pain.

I exercise, because one doctor told me to keep the joints loose that way.

I use heat, ice and wraps. There is nothing that really helps for a great amount of time.

Does anyone else have this issue? If so, have you found solutions that seem to work?

I hope that you all do not think I am complaining, the pain is just driving me up the wall.

Thank you for the help.

 

[minie812]

Knee pain is a pain. I had a torn meniscus in the rt knee many many years ago and in 1999 had the tear repaired. Then I had scar tissued removed in 2001 and again in 2005 and will have to do it again in the near future after I heal better from my Heart bypass and then my carpal tunnel sx on the rt hand after my car accident that crushed my rt hand and foot and did I mention the back sx and stomach sx done in 2003? and...and...awww the Heck with it.

You probably have some scar tissue catching and need a scope to clean er up!

Your only 20?

 

[Nuzzle]

I feel your pain. I had a horse ram me into a fence when I was in my teens. It hurt for a few months then healed up. When I hit my twenties my knee started the grinding, locking etc also. I had the barrage of tests done with nothing showing. I had steroid shots injected into the joint with no alleviation then I tried 2 rounds of physical therapy. Nothing helped yet it hurt to walk. My knee would swell and if I bent down my whole lower leg would go numb. The doctor swore it was nothing. I had, had enough and begged for something else so he agreed to go in for exploratory arthroscopic surgery on my knee. Well low and behold when he was in there looking around he found the back side of my knee cap was all roughed up and I had little pieces of cartilage floating around. He smoothed it all out and 13 years later I still have no problems relating to that. I did however tear a new piece of cartilage off the back of that same kneecap this year and once again ended up in surgery. My knee is fine now and I am back to full activities. I would find another doctor to look at it. There has to be a reason your so sore. Not everything shows up in those tests. I am proof of that.

 

[Miniv]

If you've had either tendon or cartilage damage done, it won't show in an x-ray because it's soft tissue.......that's a duh.... I'd question your doctors on that one.

From your description I would guess you have something going on with the cartilage. Been there, own the T-Shirt.

Find a specialist.......and good luck.

 

[Tenltraining]

I know how you feel, knee pain is not a good feeling. Years ago I had a lot of swelling and pain in my knee, especially during nationals that year. I went to a bone and joint specialist and he did some surgery, it was a tear in the meniscus and it was catching sometimes when I walked. When it would catch it would just about immobolize me for a moment. I also had the grinding grisley noise when walking or bending my knee, you could hear it. The surgery was not bad at all, I walked out of the hospital that day, slowly but it wasnt bad and not that painful either. The surgery did great and it was a relief to get it done. They also scraped it out a bit as it had some arthritis in it but you are so young, it may just be the meniscus or something like that in there. Have you been to a joint and bone specialist? I think they could help you the most! Wishing you will get to feeling better soon! Laura

 

[sfmini]

Have you been to an orthopedic surgeon? They might be more inclined to scope the knee to see what is going on.

I just saw mine yesterday (should get frequent flier miles) and got the bad news that there is nothing that can be done for my left knee (right is a replacement) except to replace it.

noooooooooo! He said to use my cane and plug along until I am ready and he will schedule it. DARN!

 

[muffntuf]

Find an orthopedic surgeon or a Sports Medicine doc. They are way better at finding out functional injuries than regular docs.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Get your vitamin D levels checked. Low vitamin D can account for pain when xrays say everything is ok.

 

[Katiean]

I caught a 65# box that fell from 6' above me. I tore my rotator cuff. I went to the DR for a year before he agreed to surgery. He had sent me to physical therapy and I kept coming back and showing him a pin point spot that hurt like blazes. He did the surgery expecting NOT to find anything. I had had MIR and CT scans also that showed nothing. Anyway, right where I showed him it hurt there was indeed a tear. I think you need to show the DR exactly where it hurts and how (what kind of pain) you are having from it. He apologized to me for not believing me.