Crunchy Knees do one!

katie4

When I was in my teens I was told growing pains a few years later I had MRI, xrays which showed patella femoral syndrome (chondromalacia) had physio which did absolutely nothing gave up and carried on


I'm now in my 30s and the doctor has described the snap crackle and pop as severe in both knees now sent for xray no sign of arthritis
I am struggling more each day to get up the stairs and if I have to stand for long periods the ache and pain is almost unbearable I am planning on returning to the doctors for an apt but I am just enquiring as to whether anyone has any experience with this - if it is not arthritis what could it be and possible treatments?


thanks

Nicki

I had severe problems with my knees for a number of years which was also attributed to patellofemoral syndrome in the absence of finding any other reason for it - there were no obvious signs of arthritis or any other problems.

What ultimately seemed to help me was taking up reformer Pilates. I wouldn’t say that it has completely solved the problem but I have gone from occasionally needing a stick and only been able to walk for relatively short distances (and yes stairs were horrid) to having completely normal activity levels with only occasional periods of achiness.

I had done mat pilates in the past but that didn’t really help the condition. It was the extra demands of the reformer which did the trick for me

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Not medical advice, but have a look at the soles and heels of your shoes. Are there particular points where they're worn down? For example, if your heels wear down on one side whilst the other looks almost new, that shows you're putting weight on one side more than another, as does looking at slippers/Uggs if you wear them - if they look lopsided or the outside of the Uggs collapses and gets dirty, your ankles are probably rolling out, which puts strain on your foot, ankle, knee, hip and lower back in time.

Going into a decent running shop to try out shoes (at least try and make it look like you are seriously thinking about buying some) could result in them performing a basic gait analysis, where you walk/jog on a treadmill for a couple of minutes - I'd say walk, because you can tell them you have knee pain - and they'd be able to say whether you under or over pronate your feet or even if the arches collapse on weightbearing.

Do you wear slip on court shoes/pumps? Do you tend to wear cheaper shoes? They might be lacking in support and your foot is slipping around inside/you claw your toes up to hold them on.

Have you considered trying'foot pain' 'plantar fasciitis' insoles to stabilise your feet? They can feel weird at first, but then you really notice when you don't have them. They won't be as good as professional orthopaedic insoles, but for just over a tenner, they can be a cheap way of finding out whether there is a difference when you make sure your feet are supported to stay upright.


Other than that, it's worth paying to see a podiatrist/chiropodist (the NHS doesn't stretch to it often now) and they could well be able to see whether there are any foot problems that could be affecting your knees.


When you eliminated (or treated) any effect from your feet/footwear, then you can look at whether there are things to do physically to increase strength and flexibility (especially if you'd describe yourself as a 'bendy' person - which can in extremes require assessment at a rheumatology clinic because there are conditions that have hypermobility as a symptom - and resultant joint pain.


Good luck - I sympathise with you. And I love my shoe inserts very, very much.

belfastgirl23

Very good advice from Jojo here.

The other thing is are you overweight? I say with feeling as my knee pain is a LOT worse when I gain weight. And a lot less when I lose it.

trailingspouse

Don't give up!! Leave no stone unturned.



If the doc can't fix it, try physio, or as others have said visit a podiatrist, try Pilates or yoga or reflexology. Think about your diet (low fat diets can result in poorly lubricated joints, for example). Think long and hard about when they hurt, what activity makes them hurt, what helps them, and so on. Just keep trying.



I had whiplash 14 years ago, which caused me pain for at least three years. X-rays reported 'wear and tear' (which is NHS-speak for 'we can't do anything about it'), I couldn't turn my head properly, and was in pain a lot of the time. Physio hadn't done much, I didn't want to take pain killers all the time. It was one particular Pilates exercise that made the difference - it literally felt like my whole neck was falling into place (think of the wall in Diagon Alley in Harry Potter!). As to 'wear and tear' - it's funny how the woman who had 'wear and tear' 14 years ago is also the woman who started the 'Older and fitter' thread on the Sport and Fitness board...

theoretica

Have you asked about or considered something whole body, rather than specific and physical to the knees? My knees had a bad patch which physio barely touched - they cleared up when I completely cut gluten from my diet for other reasons.