help poor kid with knee pain

Hello. I am extremely worried due to very prolonged pain in my knee. I feel very detached to my other works including academics and job. can any one please give me advice?

profile: gender: male, age: 25

History:.

Problem in my left knee started like five months ago. It got improved and then now again it is more severe than before. I dont remember any injury, etc. but i did have poor work habits. due to long assignments, i used to work in same absurd position for very long hours.

This include bending my left knee completing and then doing the work for hours. Second, i also worked while sitting on chair, placing my feet on bed and then working for long hours while keeping my laptop's weight on my legs/thighs/knees. These two practices, when done, were enough that i would feel my knee pressured when getting back to normal position. (of course i dont this any more).

Area of pain:

it is not at back side. It is not exactly at middle where bones connect. It is not exactly at top or just below skin. It appears to be at top of joint or sort of just below this sort of cup of knee. it's sort of at upper area of knee.

Scale of pain:

it varies from zero to six where zero is no pain and ten is pain of mother giving birth to baby. Average is three. Rest in which i am lying down decreases pain. In fact, in morning when i wake up, i feel no pain. Activity exacerbates it. Strangely, pain is worst in sitting posture.

By doing SPECIFIC movements, including straightening or bending, pressing fingers into knee, sitting as if sitting on indian flush, etc. do not make any change to pain.

Movements: functioning of leg and knee is okay.

Swelling: there appears to be very minute swelling.

X-rays : i have two. One only of left knee while lying. Second digital of both while standing. Both are okay.

Other symptoms: one thing which is very obvious is that my knee has more crepitus than other knee.

PS: i am student and alone. i can't afford sickness. i don't have medical insurance either. it's sort of very difficult for me to get a good doctor.

my parents have passed away. i did go to free hospital but they are not that good. my MRI is scheduled for saturday. i have arranged money for it. but..... i actually thought that i would be getting some substantial advice here.

I'm sorry to hear about both your parents passing away. That has to be so awful for you being so young.

This is a wonderful forum that helps those with chronic pain. I don't think there is anyplace online that could diagnose someone so that is why we recommend seeing an actual Dr.

That is great that you have gathered the funds to get a MRI this Saturday as those are quite expensive. That will be able to tell if there is anything nerve or muscular related and get you on the right path to handle anything they find.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Hello Compete and welcome to the forum. I too am sorry your having such a time with your knee.

SB gave you substantial advice as we could sit here all day throwing out what could be and in the end its not going to help fix the problem. You first have to know what that is.

I've had multiple knee surgeries and multiple problems and every symptom you described from the pain on occurred with each new problem.

Knee injury can occur with simply stepping off a curb the wrong way and twisting it. Tears to the meniscus happen this way often.

Small cysts can grow under the knee cap,arthritic joints can bring changes yes even in 25 year olds.

Even after one of my Mri's I still required arthroscopic surgery to diagnose the problem. Hopefully your MRI will find yours.

Please let us know what turns up and we can then offer you much better advice on which way to go from there and how you may be able to lower your pain.

We have decades of combined experience dealing with pain issues but none of us are qualified to diagnose the problem we can only give you ideas of what could be as I did.

Good luck to you.

I have no advice but I am also a college student. I am 30. It is very difficult to be in pain at any age but with being so young I get the "you are too young for this" adittude. I am sorry you are in pain. I would be happy to talk about anything you would like to talk about.

Hello Compete and glad you returned with an update even though your still in pain and having issues with your knee.

It's not at all unusual for xrays to not show problems in the knee. They show mainly bones and any problems with those and unfortunately most knee pain causing problems are not bone related.

Its really good you were able to get the MRI as this is more likely to find the culprit. Waiting for results is one of those things we just have to do as it has to be read and then your Dr will be sent the report. Good thinking to get a copy of the actual film and not just the report as many surgeons ans specialists like to see them for themselves and having them at hand can speed things up a bit.

Have you tried any of the topical creams that are available to you without a prescription? I know your from a different country so I have no idea what those might be. You mentioned it may now not be functioning correctly? Here they sell soft knee braces fairly reasonable and they are good at providing support and aiding in stability of the knee. You might try one when you have to be up moving about just make sure it doesn't become too tight if your knee is swelling.

Please let us know what the results of the MRI is and how your doing.

Well Compete welcome back to the forum. Glad to see your MRI was negative but still means you have no answers to your pain issues.

Let me first say there are instances where the problems not revealed in the MRI and if pain and mobility issues continue or become worse a arthroscopic look into the knee may provide answers other tests didn't.

If you could describe the pain in more detail, is it sharp,dull,burning, throbbing or simply unexplainable? Many people discover that their leg pain actually isn't their leg at all but in fact stems from their spine and some issues of nerves that supply the leg being impinged by a spinal problem.

Do you have an Orthopedic Dr or is this being treated by a primary Dr?