Knee Pain when the weather changes, Doctor didn't give me a diagnosis and i don't know what to do, please help?
About 3 years ago i twisted my knee the wrong way and probably sprained my knee, however i never got it checked. Since then when the weather changes, particularly when its going to rain, i have extreme pain in my knee on the sides. I went to the Sports Medicine clinic and they took x-rays. The Doctor said the x-rays looked fine. He had me sit in a chair and he put his hand over my kneecap and told me to straighten it and then bend it. There was a popping sound. He didn't seem to concerned about it and gave me a knee brace and a script for Naproxen.
That seemed to help. A couple months later the pain got really bad and now is in BOTH knees. I went back and the doctor said that is till have the popping sound in the one knee and now in the other. He extended my knees on the table and said that he could dislocate my knee if he wanted to cause the muscles/ligaments that hold my kneecap in place were very weak. He gave me another script for Naproxen and one for Vicodine for the pain. Told me to wear my brace when i felt the pain coming on and to wear it for a couple days and to come back if i had anymore problems. He also told me to do some stretching at home and if i came back again he would probably try a cortizone shot. And in the future i might need a double knee replacement!?!!
I still have problems with my knees when the weather changes and i dont know what to do. The doctor didnt tell me exactly what i have. Can anyone help me?
Public Comments
1. I'd suggest you get a second opinion. It sounds to me like the sports medicine doctor didn't give you a very thorough exam. Even though they took x-rays of your knee you still could have had a hairline fracture of your kneecap that has healed, but continues to give you pain when the barometer drops.If your knees are really hurting and swollen, ibuprofen such as in Advil or Motrin will help with the pain and swelling. Naproxen won't help with inflammation.
Also see if you can get a referral to a joint specialist from your regular doctor.
2. First of all, Pink is wrong, Naproxen is an anti-inflammatory. It's a NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) pain reliever. So yes, your doctor gave you something that will help with the inflammation.
Next, I would get a second opinion, only because if you have loose ligaments, they should be able to tighten up the ligaments instead of doing a knee replacement. And you should probably make some appointments with a physical therapist. Stretching is great, but strengthening is what you really need.
As for cortisone injections, they hurt like hell, but they do work. So don't write that off either.
Lastly, it hurts when it rains because the barometric pressure drops. People with old fractures, old injuries, old surgeries, and even with arthritis are always in more pain when it's about to rain. I am the same way.
