so i busted my knee in November. It stayed really sore especially in the mornings and at night for a long time and I just tried to take it easy and not do as much physical stuff hoping it would heal on its on. I figured it would take a long time as leg injuries always seem to. Then in June I had a Dr. apt. for allergies anyway with my family Dr. and had him look at it while I was there. He says Motrin, Knee Brace, and ice. So that's what I've been doing, not regularly of course because I'm too stupid for that but when it is sore enough to impair my mobility like whoa I do all three.

Anyway, it has gotten to the point now that even when it is not aching it has gotten worse and worse at feeling like it is just slam full of air or fluid or whatever have you. I don't really want to do the Motrin because it isnt a "pain" but it is really annoying. Ice every night hasn't made it stop nor has wearing the brace again. It just feels like if I could pop my knee joint one more time it would release all this air and would feel so much better. I try to bend it all kinds of ways and it clicks and clicks but I never get that one good pop.

Anyone have a similar thing and figured out how to get it to pop right? Or any other suggestions? It is driving me crazy because it is like a fixation to the point that I will be doing something and then have to stop to try to get my knee to pop. Oh and car rides are nerve racking.

thanks for any helpful advice

[Edited on August 15, 2007 at 12:43 AM. Reason : .]

8/15/2007 12:41:52 AM

Knees are nothing to fuck around with so I would say go to an orthopaedic surgeon. I dislocated my kneecap a long ago and what your describing is fairly similar to the pain I was feeling. They gave me two prescriptions (one to drain air/fluid and one for discomfort). In addition, they gave me a full leg brace that focused on the knee (not one of the small ones people who play sports wear).

8/15/2007 12:58:14 AM

what exactly do you mean by "busted"? what did you do to it?

i have ongoing knee problems that started out of the blue one day last summer. mine did the same need-to-pop-but-won't-thing. do not keep flailing your knees around to try to pop them. this will not make it better and in fact you might make your problem much much worse.

i regularly have varying amounts of fluid on both knees, although my left moreso than my right. you need to continue take the ibuprofen or naproxen or whatever because it is an anti-inflammatory medication. when a joint gets inflamed it can cause damage which can lead to arthritis.

my orthopedist recommended specific exercises to do to strengthen the muscles in your thighs to help support the ligaments/tendons in the knee. he also told me to get these prescription knee braces with a knee cap cup thing to keep it in line. he later also noticed that my arches collapse when i step, which causes overpronation (rolling your feet inwards), which misaligns the knee and causes all sorts of knee problems. i also got prescriptive orthotics which proved to be the most help.

make sure you wear good supportive shoes. stay away from flip flops and crap like that right now.

you need to see an orthopedist.

oh, btw, plane rides are even worse (esp when you couple it w/ restless legs).

8/15/2007 8:28:30 AM

Just go to a knee doctor and get x-rays and stuff

really, like the previous post, knees are nothing to fuck with

i tore my meniscus in my knee about 4 years ago, and waited several months to get surgery (waited until the semester was over)....but during that time i got x-rays and had an MRI to know what exactly was wrong

im glad i did something about it, because now i feel like i have the full strength in my left leg back and can run and jump as hard as i could before

you certainly dont wanna keep doing what youre doing and fuck it up worse

8/15/2007 8:28:33 AM

i got x-rays first, then MRIs of both knees, then some weird full body scan using radioactive dye stuff (that would show cancer) b/c they couldn't figure out why my knees and other joints were doing what they're doing. it started w/ fluid on my knees, then my ankles, then my thumb joints, then wrists. they still don't know what's wrong w/ me.

8/15/2007 8:43:53 AM

^^^ That is good advice.

I am a runner, and the basic principal for hurt knees is RICE: Rest (kind of obvious), Ice (2-3 times a day for 15-20 minutes, this will help the inflammation and draw blood to the area to aid in healing), Compression (wrap it up with an ace bandage, this supports the knee) and Elevation (keeping it elevated causes blood to be pulled away from the area, followed by ice to draw "new" blood to it).

The Motrin is not for pain, it is for the inflammation, so take it (or go to the doctor and get a stronger one if that isn't working). An orthopedist should give you exercises to stretch and strengthen it.

Go to a specialty running store (Fleet Feet, Raleigh Running Outfitters, etc) and have them watch you when you walk/run. They can recommend a shoe based on your pronation and stride. Good shoes are worth the money to prevent pain. Bad legs can affect your stride which will effect other muscles including your back.

8/15/2007 12:10:51 PM

^good advice overall, but some of your reasoning behind it is very flawed

8/15/2007 1:17:21 PM