Come and go Knee pain!?!

I've never really had my knee looked at but I have the same issue with my right knee. Some days it hurts going up stairs and walking and other days it's fine. I asked my Rheumy about it once and he said that it could be part of my Peripheral arthritis but I never took it further. Normally what I do is use either a heating pad or ice pack, try to stay off it and take Tylonel.

I get pain running down my hip, thigh and knee, sometimes lower. It's coming from a pinched nerve, sciatic, in spine. My pain doc injects the right area and the pain disappears, sometimes for a year.

Sometimes I get a sudden pain and my leg "gives out." It feels like it's not there. This happens when I am walking or standing. I haven't fallen - yet. Last time it happened I was in Wal Mart. I was so embarrassed! At least I didn't fall and no one called the ambulance.

Some people get their sciatic nerve pinched in the piriformis muscle in the buttocks. If you cross the foot on the affected side over your knee and lean toward the knee you can test for it. If the stretching of that muscle relieves the pain, that's the location of the pinch. I can feel my pain starting in my spine and the stretch doesn't help. There are pictures and videos online.