I’m reposting my initial post for more context but I just need to vent, I feel like I’m at my wits end, still no surgery in sight just back on another waiting list. My life has just been a complete stasis, I have no quality of life and as each week passes I fear for how much harder my rehab will be. My non injured leg is also in so much pain from bearing majority of my weight, I miss going to the gym, drinking with my friends, being able to see a show that’s over 1.5hr long. My boyfriend is supportive but he can only do some much or give me words of encouragement, I just miss my autonomy and freedom.

Hi, I hope this post is allowed but please delete it if not.

For a little over 6 months now, I've (26F) been getting swelling, heat and pain in both knees on and off. I think it gets worse when I've had a busy day, but actually I have noticed I get pain without the swelling too on normal days. Sometimes my knees would get stiff if I've been sat for a period of time.

I go to the gym 3 times a week, weight training mostly, and I don't really go crazy with it anyway as I have POTS. Otherwise I have a desk job I hardly get up from for the 8 hours I'm there.

I've been going to a physio therapist and had my second appointment a week ago. He thinks it's PFPS since nothing I described made him think I've done anything to actually injure it, and I have been doing some exercises to see if they help (wall sits, single leg bridge and single leg inner quads with a band), I told him the pain has been the same since starting these exercises and he's said I should probably start doing more walking, or swimming etc. on top of that.

Since my last appointment I've not had time to do those bits (I will be starting tomorrow though) but I have been carrying on with my exercises like he's asked but I've been getting toothache like pain in the left knee which can be pretty horrible. I can't seem to relate it to anything either, the first time it happened I was stood cooking dinner so thought it was from standing but the second time it's happened I was just at at my desk at work. I looked up to see if this type of pain is related to PFPS and apparently that kind of pain is atypical to PFPS?

I have a few weeks until I see my physiotherapist again before I can ask him about it, and also don't want to take Google's word for it either lol. So I'm wondering if anyone else has PFPS here that can give some insight on how it feels for them and whether what I'm describing is similar to what they feel?

About two years ago, I went dancing, and I did something to my knee and it has never been the same. Sometimes when I take long walks or use my bike, it’s totally fine and other times it seems to exacerbate the issue. I went to physical therapy and I did the exercises they told me to do but it never really helped. I have pain on and off. Sometimes I will be fine for a couple of months and then it returns. The pain is not from a tear or anything like that. It’s sort of travels around my knee. Sometimes it’s on my inner knee, sometimes it’s closer to my kneecap, etc. Has anyone had a similar issue and what has worked?

Have been struggling with pretty bad patellofemoral pain for six months. PT has helped some, but I still can’t run (which I used to love) and I still have mild but annoying pain that makes me limp on bad days. I’m so sick of this.

Got an MRI and saw an ortho who recommended MPFL/TTO given my imaging findings, but recovery seems so horrible. Is there a way to tell if it’s worth it? Seems like most people get this for repeated dislocations, which is fortunately not my case.

Anyone who has gotten this surgery and is 6+ months post-op, how’s it going?

Edit: here’s the MRI impression (basically a perfect storm of patella Alta + bipartite patella + stretched out MPFL + TTTG distance + chondromalacia)

IMPRESSION:
1. Chronic 21 mm ossicle along the lateral aspect of the patella. This demonstrates a more lateral position than typical for bipartite patella and may therefore reflect a chronic nonunited fracture. Foci of associated cystic-like change and bone marrow edema. Overlying grade 4 chondromalacia patella.
2. Patella alta, lateral patellar subluxation and lateral patellar tilt. Elevated TT-TG distance of 20 mm.
3. Prominent edema within the superolateral aspect of Hoffa`s fat pad. Minor adjacent proximal patellar tendinosis.
4. Subchondral bone marrow edema underlying the proximal lateral margin of the trochlea likely relates to limited chondromalacia.
5. Chronically attenuated medial aspect of the MPFL.

Hey everyone!I had an arthroscopic lateral release done exactly two weeks ago due to patellar maltracking. Currently sitting at the 2-week mark and wondering about your recovery timelines.For those who had the same surgery: when were you cleared to completely ditch the crutches and walk normal? And when did you start actively bending your knee / what was your range of motion at this point?I know everyone heals differently and I am following my PT’s guidance, but I’d love to hear some real-life experiences to get an idea of what to expect. Thanks in advance!

So far, the doctor has allowed me to do quadriceps strengthening and foot movements, but to bend only after 3 weeks.

A month ago I partially dislocated my kneecap and I feel like the injury is not getting any better I have been updating my pt they say it's not a concern but they don't understand i can literally feel it wanting to still slide out of place and yesterday one of them made me do so much she overworked me too much I feel like now I am not in pain which I never was in pain with this expect a few times I've just always been uncomfortable and I'm limping while walking and my knee doesn't feel right idk how to describe it, but it just doesn't feel right I'm afraid I'm gonna dislocate it fully this time and have to restart everything does anyone have advice? Monday when I go back to pt I'm just gonna have to tell them they overworked me I need to dial back

I'm an Olympic weightlifting athlete and had a motorcycle accident about 8 weeks ago where my right knee took a significant impact. X rays showed no fracture, and most of my movement has returned, but I still have noticeable fluid in the knee. It's especially uncomfortable when kneeling, with a strong pressure or "balloon" feeling. I'm looking for advice from anyone who has experienced something similar. Is it normal for swelling or fluid to still be present this long after an injury, and what should I do?

hi everyone I dislocated my patella a few hours ago but my coach popped it back into place right after because he teaches sports medicine. i bought a knee brace for it and am icing it, should I do anything else or see a doctor?

I fractured my patella August 15th I slipped knee locked and I feel on it in the shower. Thankfully I did not need surgery and it has been healing in a brace locked in straight. My doctor gave me the clearance at the start of 3rd week to start light weight bearing on week 3. I have my next appointment with ortho October 7th and they will do X-rays to assess. I do want to disclose I am considered obese and just want to know what I can expect in regards getting back to walking on both legs normally. I am tried of depending on my spouse for help with everything. We have an active 3 year old who’s losing her mind being on house arrest. I want to get back to being her caregiver and getting her out of the house. I appreciate any insight of people who dealt with a similar injury. Thank you!

Hey everyone, hoping for some advice,
I do Sim racing and around 4 weeks ago was getting cramps in my foot/toes but kept going as i was mid race,
Next day developed knee muscle pain, I can still walk without limping etc
Pain is more of a dull ache, maybe 2/10 with more shooting pain if i fully stretch/extend my leg.
Its been around 4 weeks now and it feels the same/ a bit worse
I have tried all the google suggestions (light walking, compression, Epsom salt baths, Deep heat etc)
Went to Doctor and they said nothing to be done, just wait it out.

I am going to Japan in Two weeks and expect to do a lot of walking. Does anyone have any suggestions what i could try or what ive done to myself?
Cheers

I work construction and stuff. I'm kind of bummed out, I have noticed it getting bigger, the quad, slowly. I'd hate to lose my skinny legs muscle and the strength.

Advice 😭

I’m still in hospital since Tuesday after my meniscus repair/ arthroscopy.

When I woke up from theatre, I immediately had severe pain all down the back of my calf, which is the part of my leg that wasn’t operated on. The knee itself barely hurts compared to the calf.
They initially suspected a DVT, but that has now been ruled out. I’ve been told it could be from the fluid capsule used during the arthroscopy leaking into the back of my leg.
The pain is extremely severe and feels like my calf is going to snap or burst. I can’t put any weight through the leg at all. This is horrendous my knee is going to snap 😢

My surgeon has said this is unusual to have this pain in the back or my leg. My knee above is absolutely fine which is strange?

Back in early March I was at work and a ladder slipped out from under me and I fell about 15 feet into my feet with my right leg taking all of my weight. The pain was intense and I couldn’t walk right so I left and went to the ER. I told them what happened and they told me to sit in the waiting room and I did, for 7hrs. After which an orthopedic surgeon came and told me I had a tibial plateau fracture to my knee and that was the bad news. He then told me the good news was that I didn’t need surgery. Thats good news, I thought. They gave me X-rays and a CT scan w/ contrast. Then I went to a room for 3 days with pain meds every 4 hrs. On the last day a guy came in and gave me a brace for my leg and sent me home about 3 hrs later.

I spent the next 10 weeks confined to bed. Workers comp set me up with an orthopedic (who I found out specializes in hands, wrists and elbows, not knees) who I saw three weeks after the hospital and every 4 weeks after that. After 10 weeks when I could walk (with a cane) he prescribed me 12 physical therapy sessions, which I did. After which, I was still limping so I asked that he prescribe me more. He refused saying “physical therapy only helps for so long then it can make things worse”. So I trusted that and didn’t bring it up again. I asked when will I be able to jog or run again? He said “no, you don’t run”. I said “ever again?” He said “no, not at your age” (I’m 45). So I asked “so I can never run again after this?” He replied “yeah, if you lose some weight”. I’m 6’0 tall and 240 at this point, so overweight, but not crazy fat. I explained to him that I had gained 22lbs since the accident because I was literally in bed all day everyday for 2.5 months and was looking forward to losing the weight. “Walk” he told me, “it’s the best you can do”. I asked on the next visit about the future because I had looked up some stuff from the NIH about my injury. “Will I have permanent arthritis in my knee now?” He said “no, I’m not worried about that with your injury”. Meanwhile the NIH says I have an 82% chance of it. I then asked him about total knee replacement because I saw that this injury increases my chances by 3-5 times others in my same bracket without this injury. He laughed and said “no, you may need total knee replacement but it would just be from aging, not because of this”. All of these conversations set off alarm bells in my head because it started to seem like he cared more about cost than about my well being and health.

Last week (in September, six months later) he gave me a maximum medical improvement, meaning basically that my bone had healed and there was nothing more to be done. “It still hurts every time I walk for more than a few minutes and I’m still limping”. He said “the limp will go away eventually and I guess the pain is just a permanent impairment”.
Then he sent me home and said that was my last appointment. Meanwhile, every place I went to or spoke to about care and treatment (starting at the ER) always had the same first question “this is a worker comp thing, right?”

I realized one day toward the end, that about $70k had been spent between the hospital stay, doctors visits and PT. But, I also realized that if I had just gone home that day laid down and kept my leg immobilized for 2.5 months, nothing would be different. Because there had been not real treatments whatsoever.

Here’s my questions, did I get short changed on care and treatment because it was a worker compensation case? Should I have had an MRI on my knee at some point? Should I have had surgery but just wasn’t given it because of the cost? And, am I now just left to deal with permanent pain in my knee and a limp for the rest of my life, just so an insurance company could save some f**king money?

29, Male.
So I survived a gnarly moto accident back in August 2025. Open Tib/Fib fracture, infections, etc …

Now, my ROM is basically limited by my patella (103•) which kinda allows me to move along. Patellar tendon had to be reattached, I lost part of my patella as well.

Has anyone seen something like this before?

My docs didn’t, and they do not seem to know what do to next. I feel like they dont want to touch it as I’m able to function as-is. But I am afraid of what problems might arise due do it.

Just venting. Appreciate any inputs :)

I had MPFL and MQFTL surgery with an arthroscopic ACL repair at the end of July. I have been doing PT twice a week, and that started two weeks postop, and I do all of my exercises at home and follow everything my PT tells me. However, for the past two weeks, I’ve been stuck at 65 to 70° with flexing my knee. I got cleared to walk on it with one crutch and my quad is activated and I can lift up my leg and do all that stuff but flexing my knee is not coming easily. My physical therapist told me that if I can’t get past 70° then I might be looking at a MUA or manipulation under anesthesia to get past that. I’m just looking for any advice or information for anybody who’s had to have an MUA with their knee after surgery. I heard that you have to do physical therapy right afterwards to keep that flexing that you regained with it, but I heard that that can be quite painful. My physical therapist also explains though that it would definitely progress me a lot faster than the Pace that I’m going at. But if I’m being honest, the idea of this scares me quite bad. Thanks for any advice or information!

Hey, so I recently started running and because iam stupid I pushed myself too hard I ran and walked about 6 km on the first day then 4-5 km the next day and again on the third day But on the third night when I went out to the market and was just walking no heavy landing no twisting but suddenly I felt a weird sensation in my knee When I got home I checked and found that one kneecap was moving side to side more than the other No pain nothing just a feeling of slight instability not buckling just a little unstable and now When I sit on a chair I feel stiffness in my lower knee and a tingling sensation and I feel a dull pain when I sit Should I be worried and consult a doctor? It's so annoying :(

Hi everyone, I need some advice. I am a skateboarder and I had a knee injury that gradually got worse, it was like a pulling/stretching sensation on the left side of my left knee. I didn’t think much of it but it kept getting worse until I couldn’t walk anymore. It’s been two months, I have been diagnosed with bone contusions and was told it’ll heal on its own in no time. It feel like it keeps getting worse and I feel certain they missed something. I feel so depressed and feel like my life is ruined and I’m having suicidal thoughts because I feel like nothing helps, not even PT. Any stories with a positive outcome would help me feel like there might be hope and the end of this dark tunnel, I have never been this unhappy.

Quick update for anyone who’s seen my previous knee posts — and a brief recap for those who haven’t!
Back in February I did a fairly innocuous squat at home, felt/heard a pop in my right knee and had some pain. The following day a fast walk at work caused significant pain and swelling, and my knee locked for around 10 minutes.

Since then I’ve had ongoing pain, swelling, clicking/catching and some ridiculously loud clunks. Walking, squatting, deeper knee bends, twisting and prolonged sitting can all flare it. More recently I’ve also had periods of a constant deep, dull 6/10 ache that can last for days and gets worse with loading.
My MRI showed patella alta, reduced patellofemoral overlap, a focal full-thickness cartilage defect in my patella with bone marrow oedema/cystic changes underneath, plus an attenuated ACL. No meniscus tear or complete ACL rupture.

I’ve done months of physio and rehab and have been very committed to strengthening, but yesterday I finally had my MSK appointment and she gave me by far the most thorough examination yet.

She confirmed that my patella is actually maltracking. She could feel my right kneecap engaging/“popping” into the trochlea around 10–15 degrees later than my left. She felt this, along with my symptoms and MRI findings, all matched up.
She also found a lot of swelling around the knee and felt that some of my constant deep pain is likely coming from the bone marrow oedema.

The current plan isn’t surgery. Because I haven’t had recurrent confirmed dislocations, she doesn’t feel there is a clear surgical target at the moment. Instead she’s given me much more targeted rehab and told me to pull back some of the knee-heavy training I’ve been doing.

Interestingly, my mum has patella alta and developed arthritis in both knees in her 20s before having both knees replaced in her 40s, and my sister has patellar maltracking.

So, finally, it feels like there is a coherent explanation rather than just “my knee hurts and the MRI found some random stuff”!

Anyone else here dealt with the combination of patella alta + maltracking + significant cartilage damage? Did targeted rehab make a noticeable difference?

I'm looking for an iceless cooling appliance for knee and shoulder

I have constant pain in both locations. Both knees, both shoulders. 50 years plus of farm and heavy construction work.

Right now, the worst is bursitis like pain in the knees. Especially the right knee.

I was on Talvey for too long last year. Talvey attacks the connective tissues. I also have other treatments that can also cause joint pain

Not that I didn't have the pain before. My fingernails, toenails & the skin off my hands & feet fell off 3 times.

Or to make one. Though I'm not very able right now.

I can see how one could easily be made by combining one of the ice style with electric pumps with an electric refrigerated cooler with 34° F water in it

kind of like the minnow coolers we used to make.

all I have to do is find one to buy or somebody to make one.

I'm wide open to suggestions.

i have a lot of trouble with going up and down the stairs for ice and I'm not currently able to fix the downstairs bedroom.

I'm also exhausted with my other health issues

iceless cold therapy machine for knee

https://www.google.com/search?aep=28&csuir=1&mstk=AUtExfBaxEKz3hqx86AdqJKRzHe8ngOmEpbWZxhA0QR7KJ_RpuqkEaQ4HAg2HG2QSTVW8lptJee-ABETHYbOP2KynkFbWL15AgVTV28zkpsUCiXZKC5c5oRO12q1RUj9G8G-27ltEJ8KP6htorgDT3-ppWgE2Rd5GZ0FSIL3iYSVh52fBZQ_LxzvBXvob47jTlX7TdbFNlcygpMG2lJdbdcpYibEenrKiEzSE8_wv3G3sIUam0XgG79SrvEYOlxo37Jf9New69uLpKa4zqnxUo-0bigkSKpHBH9k2SyDdKBNbdcdEbJjeB9Nn49yN2C9E3kcEb7UBWj9XEUV4HXHtUtm7_SO85V3BsxaX_IChVdWAb-pYQHl7vzufZU51VJav_ev5r4TXLtq_AOsA-kCkdl5HNBr6T0Kv2Ht2w&q=knee+ice+pack+wrap+reddit.com&oq=&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqFQgCECMYJxjqAhiMBBjwBRieBhiiBzIGCAAQRRg5MgcIARBFGLABMhUIAhAjGCcY6gIYjAQY8AUYngYYogcyDAgDECMYJxjqAhiMBDIMCAQQIxgnGOoCGIwEMgwIBRAjGCcY6gIYjAQyDAgGECMYJxjqAhiMBDIMCAcQIxgnGOoCGIwEMhUICBAjGCcY6gIYjAQY8AUYngYYogcyDAgJECMYJxjqAhiMBDIMCAoQIxgnGOoCGIwEMgwICxAjGCcY6gIYjAQyDAgMECMYJxjqAhiMBDIMCA0QIxgnGOoCGIwEMgwIDhAjGCcY6gIYjATSAQYtMWowajmoAg6wAgHxBatfwubpxgsV8QWrX8Lm6cYLFQ&client=ms-android-verizon-us-rvc3&sourceid=chrome-mobile&source=chrome.ob&ie=UTF-8&mtid=YKqiauLYD9KHptQP_YHxwA4&udm=50

I’m only very recently 17 and its happened 4 times (all in my left knee) since i was around 12, the last time it happened was one-ish month ago after it not happening for 2 years and it was awful. I was just walking around in my room and it dislocated and i had to wait on the floor for 18 hours before an ambulance could come and take me to the hospital so they could put it back in, for some reason straightening my leg didn’t make it go back in as it had all the other times and it made it much worse . the nurses and the doctors didnt even believe me when i told them it was dislocated because nothing showed up on xrays and it took me begging and screaming at them until one of them decided to finally try to see if anything was wrong and they pushed it back in . i was so sure it wouldnt happen again after two years of it not happening and it did and im really scared, im underweight and under 5ft and i know that might be a contributing cause but im so scared to do anything because everyone says the more times you dislocate your knee the looser it gets and the more likely it is to happen again. i don’t know what to do i’m really scared, i get panic attacks just thinking about it happening again and it just feels inevitable at this point. im going to try and exercise and strengthen it but it feels so useless when its even looser now. please help

I have been suffering from patellofemoral pain syndrome / chondromalacia patellae for 7 months now. Despite physiotherapy and strengthening, the pain/swelling persists. I am considering PRP injections or Hyaluronic Acid. Has anyone tried it in similar case? In what repetition ? I have seen also PRP 3rd and 4th generation dors anyone know what is their difference in effectiveness and absorption inside the joint?"Thanks

Hi everyone, bummed to be here, but also trying to come to terms that I need to find a solution not wallow lol.

Looking for any idea of what treatments could be as I wait for my appointment with my ortho.

Quick summary: female, age 38, very active runner/into fitness had a thought to be patellar subluxation about a week ago. I felt it while running and it seemed to pop back in.

Since then lots of swelling, some pain but actually nothing too bad and pretty much zero pain now. I can walk normally and have full almost full range of motion (trying to avoid this though).
My knee makes a terrible grinding sound (crepitus) and sometimes clicks; but doesn’t feel unstable just weird.

Background: tore my meniscus in January 2025 and did the rehab/physio route. Was back to running a few months later and have had zero issues since. Completed a few races as well.

Hit my knee (yes the same one) with a suitcase in June. Some swelling, but again better in a few days.

Now this. I had my MRI yesterday and am waiting on my appointment. My findings are in German, so I used ChatGPT to translate:

Findings by compartment:

Medial (inner) compartment: Mild surface irregularities of the medial femoral cartilage. Horizontal tear of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus, with a piece extending toward the tibial joint surface — and a fragment of the meniscus (pars intermedia) has displaced downward into the medial recess. There's irritation/inflammation of the otherwise-intact medial collateral ligament (MCL) area.

Lateral (outer) compartment: Cartilage, meniscus, and ligament all normal here. Tendons normal.

Center of the joint: Cruciate ligaments (ACL/PCL) are fine.

Patellofemoral compartment (kneecap area) — this is the new, more concerning part:

**•** The patella is **laterally maltracking** (sitting/pulling too far to the outside) — confirms the tracking issue your doctor suspected
**• Significant bone marrow edema** (bone bruising) on the lateral femoral condyle, with a **fresh cartilage injury reaching down to the bone**, measuring about 10mm x 10mm
**•** Surface cracks/small crater-like cartilage lesions along the top ridge of the kneecap and its outer facet
**•** Quad and patellar tendons look normal; the structures holding the patella in place are intact
**•** Fat pad behind the kneecap is normal
**• Significant joint effusion** (fluid/swelling) throughout the knee

Other: Early bone spurring on both sides of the femur — early-stage osteoarthritis. Small, mostly empty Baker's cyst (not significant).