Pain in my left knee

[Dr.Suave]

So about three weeks ago I started feeling some pain in my left knee. About a year ago I had some x-rays done for a similar problem and nothing came up (they gave me pain medication back then and it seemed to do the trick).

So I went to the medic and she gave me pain medication again, which helped but only like 30%. I went to the Chiropractor and that helped like another 30% so Im still not feeling at 100%.

My plan is to chedule appoinments as soon as I have some free time with a specialist (traumatologist) and maybe an holistic medic. In the meantime, any advice?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Gamisch]

The knee is an extremely complex part of the body. It carries your entire body and fights gravity, needs to be flexible, move in many directions and thus is susceptible to all kinds of damage at any given moment. Just typing this hurts my knee..

Pain can come from in or outside ,from muscles you won't necessarily associate with your knee such as your quadriceps. The bone, the knee cap, the tissue, the skin, the nerves ect ..

Be careful with pushing your doctor into a certain direction. E.g you had pictures taken, but perhaps your pain is due to bad shoes.

This is obviously as bro science-ish as it gets. Yet i wonder a few things:
-do you exercise?
-specific moments /movements when it hurts?
- are you able to get PT ?
- what did our big brother Reddit say?

 

[Dr.Suave]

-do you exercise?
-specific moments /movements when it hurts?
- are you able to get PT ?

- I like walking, a lot. I do it every day.

- The first few day was mostly every time I bended it. Now its mostly a bit at night with normal motion and a bit during the day when I move it after repose.

- PHysycal therapy? Maybe I can get it through work insurance but not right away, I have to jump through a few hoops.

For more context, I had a back surgery for disc hernia back in 2008 and my left leg felt a bit weird for a few days after the surgery. Might or might not be related. Maybe a nerve was touched during the surgery.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I was dealing with some knee issues and went to Ortho and they gave me some PT that helped tremendously for it.

Here is what they gave me if you want to try it:

Hip thrusts 3x10
Quad sets 3x10 each leg
Side leg raises 3x10 each leg
Wall sits 3x10 (hold 5 seconds at bottom each rep)
IT Band foam roll 2x10 each leg
Preformis foam roll 2x10 each side
Standing quad stretch 2x10 second hold each leg(try to kick your butt with your heel and then grab shin and pull upwards behind you while leaning forward)
90-90 seated hip hinge forward 2x10 each leg
Lying preformis stretch 2x10 second hold(basically lie on your back and pull your knee up to your chest then grab the outside of the knee and pull towards the opposite shoulder. Should feel huge stretch on outside of your butt)

Outside find a place that you have about 20 feet of space and do the following back and forth(equals 1 rep).

Walk backwards both ways 5 times then squat down and side shuffle back and forth both ways 5 times. Repeat this 5 times(I called them 5x5's). It really helps getting your knee to work in planes of motion that it doesn't get a lot of use in.

I did these every other day for about 2-3 weeks and my knees have felt great ever since. Have actually kept doing them because found out it helps prevent my pelvis from tilting as an added bonus. Takes about 45 mins for the whole thing.

 

[Modern Man Advice]

X-rays are only gonna show mainly issues with bone. It has limited tendon, meniscus, etc visibility. Your problem might be at that level and that is only gonna be determined by an MRI. It is expensive so hopefully you have insurance.

In the meantime, I would focus on strengthening the muscles around the knee to help alleviate some of the pain.

As another member mentioned, the knee is complex and has a lot of parts to it. But in my experience, unless it is a meniscus tear or damage to any of the ligaments of tendons, it can come down and often be alleviated by balancing the knee. Most musculoskeletal issues (not all) exist because of imbalances, eg. one of your muscles is stronger than the other and it's trying to compensate. One of the best examples of this is hamstring tears, 98% of the time caused by weak glute muscles and the hamstring muscle overcompensates for the movement force and the lack thereof help of the glute muscle which is important in running and especially sprinting.

 

[DarwinTaurus]

I've had gout in my left knee numerous times, it is the worst pain I have ever experienced in my life.

 

[BillyPilgrim]

CBD topical, works wonders. Healing touch/reiki as well. Voltaren. Whatever you do, don't push it. PT is aggressive because it makes them $, be wary of their advices.

Don't forget kneepads for when you service the sailors. Some people claim it's the gravel to blame...

 

[DarwinTaurus]

CBD topical, works wonders. Healing touch/reiki as well. Voltaren. Whatever you do, don't push it. PT is aggressive because it makes them $, be wary of their advices.

Voltaren is good, both the pills and the gel.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

X-rays are only gonna show mainly issues with bone. It has limited tendon, meniscus, etc visibility. Your problem might be at that level and that is only gonna be determined by an MRI. It is expensive so hopefully you have insurance.

In the meantime, I would focus on strengthening the muscles around the knee to help alleviate some of the pain.

As another member mentioned, the knee is complex and has a lot of parts to it. But in my experience, unless it is a meniscus tear or damage to any of the ligaments of tendons, it can come down and often be alleviated by balancing the knee. Most musculoskeletal issues (not all) exist because of imbalances, eg. one of your muscles is stronger than the other and it's trying to compensate. One of the best examples of this is hamstring tears, 98% of the time caused by weak glute muscles and the hamstring muscle overcompensates for the movement force and the lack thereof help of the glute muscle which is important in running and especially sprinting.

I had something called "patellar tracking disorder". Basically the kneecap shifts outside of the groove it is supposed to be in and more towards one direction. It wasnt painful as much as it was super tight...almost like it felt my knee was going to explode from the inside and I couldn't bend it fully.

Ironically I ended up getting it back into the groove by accidentally picking my leg up really fast to step over something as a reaction and forgetting to try and be careful with it...felt a sharp pain and then when I put my leg down, all that tightness was gone.

The rehab exercises basically have helped it from coming back and as an added bonus have prevented my pelvis from tilting as well.

Once your knee is feeling better to prevent this from happening I would add weighted sled work if possible. Best thing you can do for your knees, it will strengthen them more than anything else.

 

[Murk]

Not to sidetrack the thread but does anyone deal with clicking knees? I've put my palm of my knees as i walk downstairs and they click?

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Not to sidetrack the thread but does anyone deal with clicking knees? I've put my palm of my knees as i walk downstairs and they click?

Yeah that seems to happen more as you get older. I get it too sometimes.

Honestly your body starts falling apart little by littler after age 40. It's not fun.

 

[Murk]

Yeah that seems to happen more as you get older. I get it too sometimes.

Honestly your body starts falling apart little by littler after age 40. It's not fun.

I'm feeling the wear and tear at 34 thinking "when did I get old?".

I might have to try pilates my friend (he's 32) swears by it

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I'm feeling the wear and tear at 34 thinking "when did I get old?".

I might have to try pilates my friend (he's 32) swears by it

If you think it's bad now wait til after 40.

Pilates is good for flexibility...I used to do it for a while to help with muscle ROM that was getting way too tight when I lifted really heavy.

Very effective and very challenging too. Looks easy but is not.

 

[Paradiddle]

So about three weeks ago I started feeling some pain in my left knee. About a year ago I had some x-rays done for a similar problem and nothing came up (they gave me pain medication back then and it seemed to do the trick).

So I went to the medic and she gave me pain medication again, which helped but only like 30%. I went to the Chiropractor and that helped like another 30% so Im still not feeling at 100%.

My plan is to chedule appoinments as soon as I have some free time with a specialist (traumatologist) and maybe an holistic medic. In the meantime, any advice?

Thanks in advance.

Similar thing happened to one of my friends. Since the x-ray report was inconclusive, he had to go for an MRI as recommended by his doctor. I would recommend you book for one too.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Similar thing happened to one of my friends. Since the x-ray report was inconclusive, he had to go for an MRI as recommended by his doctor. I would recommend you book for one too.

You typically can't just go for an MRI you have to go see an orthopedic doctor first...they also have to feel there is a reason to have an MRI after doing a bunch of movement and range of motion tests first.

 

[Paradiddle]

You typically can't just go for an MRI you have to go see an orthopedic doctor first...they also have to feel there is a reason to have an MRI after doing a bunch of movement and range of motion tests first.

I believe a GP can directly refer for an MRI without having to go through an Orthopaedician if patients request.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I believe a GP can directly refer for an MRI without having to go through an Orthopaedician if patients request.

Oh, maybe it's different in the UK but that's not how it works in the US.

 

[Murk]

Yeah U.S. is a whole different ball game. I still owe $1200 for a tetanus jab when a dog bit my lip in Miami. I'm never paying that. Anyone know if they add interest and next time I land I get arrested and forced to pay 50k?

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Yeah U.S. is a whole different ball game. I still owe $1200 for a tetanus jab when a dog bit my lip in Miami. I'm never paying that. Anyone know if they add interest and next time I land I get arrested and forced to pay 50k?

No, usually they just write it off and sell it to a debt collector.

 

[Paradiddle]

Oh, maybe it's different in the UK but that's not how it works in the US.

Yeah could be. I’m in Australia.