Knee Pain: Diagnose me, ZU. AND BRING FORTH THE REMEDY!

I will start off by saying that I've been to the doctors for my knee injury. Twice.

But they suck.


I've been googling like mad, asking my teammates, and now I'm coming to YOU! I don't want to jack my knee up anymore than it is.

Anyways!


Soooo... I took a nasty fall on my scooter on May 31st, and did not hear/feel any snapping or popping when I fell. I was immediately able to get up on my own and walk. Walking did not hurt (could have been due to the endorphins?), but I could instantly tell that something didn't feel "right." My left knee felt kinda unstable and would buckle or lock occasionally.

I went to the doctor right away, and was treated for the scrapes even though I persisted that I had bigger problem than those, but w/e the doctors were idiots. All the doctor was concerned about was preventing infection, and thus gave me no instruction how to properly heal the internal injury.

Almost as soon as I got home, the real pain set in. I could not straighten it all the way, nor could I bend it much at all. I found that if I kept the knee bent at a comfortable angle, but brought my chest toward my knee, it began to hurt along the outside. The knee also swelled a LOT. It stayed very swollen for about a week, which is when I decided to go BACK to the doctor and see if they could actually help me.

Well, they didn't. An hour and several x-rays later, I was told that there was "swelling on the knee cap." And that was all.




BASICALLY: That's the whole backstory because it's changed a bit since then.

I can straighten it all the way, and I can bend it ALMOST all the way, but only really slowly, carefully, and with no weight on it. If I go too fast bending it or unbending it, I get a very sharp pain on the outside of the knee.

The swelling has gone down immensely, and is only concentrated in a small area towards the outside of my kneecap. I can walk normally now, but it begins to hurt when I go at a faster pace. I can kneel on a bed, but kneeling with a knee bad hurts a little and puts a weird... sensation of some sort that goes all the way down my calf. Oh, and poking that small swollen area on my kneecap also makes my calf feel weird.



I've been going without the kneebrace on these last few days, and the whole knee feels really.. "stiff" after 20 minutes or so of standing. I sometimes shift my weight and bend and straighten my bad knee to help with the "stiff"ness. Wearing the brace gets rid of that stiffness almost completely.. but I don't know if I should keep babying it since it's been two weeks.



So basically tl;dr

Pain is concentrated to the outside of the left knee
Small swelling on the outside of the kneecap
Pain and mobility HAS improved
Can walk and jump in moderation
Kneeling on firm surfaces feels "funny"


Any advice on
A) What might have been damaged?
B) How to help heal?
C) How to not further the damage (should I wear the knee brace or not?, etc)


Thank you so much. You guys are way more awesome than my ♥♥♥♥ty doctors. Also, based on what I've looked up online, I think I might have damaged my lateral meniscus, or my LCL.

Typically if you've damaged ligaments in your knee too severely, the main symptom is you writhing on the floor in pain. The fact that it didn't immediately hurt is probably a good sign that you haven't torn or ruptured anything too major.

Your doctor probably has the best idea of what it is, so I would trust his x-rays and several years of medical training for a diagnosis over forum users that probably haven't gone outside recently.

The best I can suggest is how to treat it. Getting a microwaveable heat pack might be a good idea to relieve the pain, as would the continued use of a knee brace (if available), resting the knee above the level of the heart, and of course, resting and favouring that leg whenever possible.

Go with the pain reflex. If something hurts (putting weight on it, bending it a certain way etc.), it's your body's way of saying "this is damaging me". Listen to it. If you feel up to it, try and engage in very (very!) low-level stretching, walking, and use of the joint, but don't overdo it, and limit it to a few minutes at a time. If you're taking painkillers, keep in mind that your body's pain reflex might be dulled, but the damage you're doing to your knee by overuse isn't reduced at all.

If you are taking painkillers, go with ibuprofen for the inflammation, but I would probably recommend a heat pack and knee brace over ibuprofen if it came down to it.

Thanks, Jodd!

I'm actually thinking it's a small meniscus tear because the symptoms are very similar (delayed onset of swelling, able to carry out everyday activities, walking at time of injury, etc).

And I take everything the doctors say with a grain of salt because they are actually... quite terrible. That's why I'm asking you guys: because I honestly think a forum of internet users could come up with something better than the *brilliant* doctors my crappy insurance gives me access to! That and... they told me absolutely nothing about how to get better.


But anyways that's neither here nor there.


I've also heard that ice is better than heat? So I'm unsure. I'll continue doing the stretching/resting routine I have going. I just don't know if resting it will cause it to weaken, etc.

First remove the arrow from the knee. Sorry I just wanted to say that.

But I kinda had a similar problem but I didn't fall. I found out while I was at the gym it hurt to bend my knee. Every time I went to shoot a basketball it would hurt a little. So I got it checked out and the doctor said that it was just wear and tear on my knee.

They basically just told me to rest it and strengthen my quad muscles to help support the knee. That helped me quite a bit after working out I found that the pain went away eventually. But the best thing for me was that I rested my knee. I didn't put to much stress on it.

Also, I think stretching helps immensely. I would stretch before and after a workout and I haven't gotten the problem again.

And I agree with Jodd that you should heat it up. Or ice it. Whichever you prefer. That helps as well.

Originally Posted by Breeze

I've also heard that ice is better than heat? So I'm unsure. I'll continue doing the stretching/resting routine I have going. I just don't know if resting it will cause it to weaken, etc.

Ice is great for a few hours after the swelling begins. Ice causes the blood vessels to constrict, so the area doesn't blow up as quickly and as much. It can also help in relieving the pain.

As your injury is a few weeks old, and exhibits symptoms of a chronic, rather than an acute injury, you should go with heat. Heat helps with blood flow to the region, and will assist with repair and easing the discomfort.

Resting the knee will probably cause it to weaken, to be honest, but only slightly. And pushing the joint beyond its current abilities will cause far more damage and set you back much farther than resting it. You can always regain strength with a exercising and stretching once you've healed, but you'd be much better off just taking it easy and letting the healing process finish first.