Chronic Knee Niggle

[edwardandtubs]

For years I've had a problem with my right knee. It recently returned when I was doing some burpees. It's just a slight pain that flairs up with heavy exercise and goes away after several months of no exercise. A GP in the UK did an examination years ago and said there was nothing wrong. What could be the problem and solution? Could anyone recommend a specialist in Thailand to see about this?

[skippybangkok]

Dr Thana,

Bangkok Christian hospital ..... One of the top 10 in Thailand. Has a conservative approach, gives u as little medicine as possible rather than oversell this and that as many do

[tropo]

How old are you? It could be osteoarthritis. Stop doing heavy exercise and build up your strength slowly and keep the knee flexible. Burpees are not a smart choice for anyone with knee pain. Choose slower, more controlled exercises.

[rodentwarrior]

Old joke from Tommy Cooper.

Man goes into doctor and say (raising his arm) 'Doctor it hurts when I do this'.

Doctor: 'Stop doing it then'.

[dangding]

there is some quite tiny piece inside the knee... and what you describe sounds to me like that... i forgot the name of it, sorry...

a friend of mine was diagnosed this by 20 - it started after he had this first walk at the army with backpack and whatever for 20 or 50 km...

he was checked by the army doctor... putting something into the knee, what was quite painful, to look into it somehow or so...

the result: there is no cure... and when it started once, you will have this for the rest of your life, whenever you put extended weight/stress on the knee...

faik for most knee-diseases there is no cure...

Edited July 12, 2012 by dangding

[Sheryl]

Dr. Mason and Dr. Panya at Bumrungrad also come well recommended. Since the pain only occurs after heavy exercise and not in the course of ordinary activities, you may be over-straining a particular muscle or ligament when you exercise. A specialist in sports medicine can advise you how to deal with this

[edwardandtubs]

Thanks for the advice everyone. The problem started when I was 20-something and I'm now 30-something. Hopefully one of the doctors mentioned will help me get to the bottom of it.

[katana]

Sometimes doctors poking around and looking into things like that can make things worse and it's maybe just one of those things you have to live with.

[edwardandtubs]

Sometimes doctors poking around and looking into things like that can make things worse and it's maybe just one of those things you have to live with.

Last time I went to a doctor about it he quite aggressively pushed and pulled the kneecap around and twisted my leg in various ways which all made it worse. I've been reluctant to go back to a doctor since.

[transam]

I had the same thing and it was torn cartilage, probably caused by weight training. I had key hole surgery to tidy things up. Still plays up now and again cos l do have an Arthritis problem.

[tropo]

Sometimes doctors poking around and looking into things like that can make things worse and it's maybe just one of those things you have to live with.

I was diagnosed by a doctor in Pattaya with tibiofemoral osteoarthritis in both knees and given very expensive medicine that I was supposedly going to have to take for the rest of my life and told not to bend my knee too far. At this stage walking was quite painful. You see, when a doctor sees osteoarthritis they give up. They tell you you're just going to have to live with it and take medicine to control the pain.

Now, 3 years later I walk pain free, can squat over 200 lbs for 10 reps and have no pain up and down stairs and no morning stiffness.

I achieved this without any help from a doctor. All I did was rehabilitate the knees with the right exercises and a very good diet. FYI, glucosamine/chondroitin didn't help at all and I was taking it for 2 years non-stop - the good stuff I imported from Australia.

Sure, I still have osteoarthritis and need to be careful about what I do - but it is amazing what you can achieve with the correct training strategies.

Edited July 14, 2012 by tropo

[katana]

Sometimes doctors poking around and looking into things like that can make things worse and it's maybe just one of those things you have to live with.

Last time I went to a doctor about it he quite aggressively pushed and pulled the kneecap around and twisted my leg in various ways which all made it worse. I've been reluctant to go back to a doctor since.

Had similar experiences with doctors.

[edwardandtubs]

I had the same thing and it was torn cartilage, probably caused by weight training. I had key hole surgery to tidy things up. Still plays up now and again cos l do have an Arthritis problem.

What were the symptoms of the torn cartilage? Was it just a bit of pain or did it restrict your movement? I don't think my symptoms are severe enough to be a torn cartilage.

[edwardandtubs]

Sure, I still have osteoarthritis and need to be careful about what I do - but it is amazing what you can achieve with the correct training strategies.

This is my dilemma. If I don't train the problem goes away but if you don't train you'll end up with weak joints I suppose. Maybe Sheryl's advice of an expert in sport medicine would suggest the right training.

[transam]

I had the same thing and it was torn cartilage, probably caused by weight training. I had key hole surgery to tidy things up. Still plays up now and again cos l do have an Arthritis problem.

What were the symptoms of the torn cartilage? Was it just a bit of pain or did it restrict your movement? I don't think my symptoms are severe enough to be a torn cartilage.

Both. Walking upstairs was painful, but if l rested it it went away for a while, but soon as l did something to put pressure on it then it came back. The first thing they did was remove water from the joint, didn't know there was any till my consultant showed me a spongy spot on the side of my knee. He stuck a needle in and sucked it out and said see how that helps. It did but did not solve the problem, an MRI scan revealed all.

[tropo]

Sure, I still have osteoarthritis and need to be careful about what I do - but it is amazing what you can achieve with the correct training strategies.

This is my dilemma. If I don't train the problem goes away but if you don't train you'll end up with weak joints I suppose. Maybe Sheryl's advice of an expert in sport medicine would suggest the right training.

All you have to do is find exercises which don't aggravate it - there's a mountain of information available on the Internet. If you continue to do anything which hurts, it will get worse - guaranteed. If you don't exercise your leg muscles will get so weak you'll end up with worse problems sooner or later.

[phuturatica]

I had the same thing and it was torn cartilage, probably caused by weight training. I had key hole surgery to tidy things up. Still plays up now and again cos l do have an Arthritis problem.

What were the symptoms of the torn cartilage? Was it just a bit of pain or did it restrict your movement? I don't think my symptoms are severe enough to be a torn cartilage.

I have torn my meniscus cartledge in my knee and I had keyhole surgery also a few years ago to fix it. However I have since torn it again as it stated hurting again in 2010 but I have not yet had it fixed. It never hurts at all anymore except for when I do exercise. The pain is just at the side of the knee and goes away after a while. Its not a chronic pain and is quite bearable, just niggly.

[tropo]

The pain is just at the side of the knee and goes away after a while. Its not a chronic pain and is quite bearable, just niggly.

Which side? Inside or outside?

[transam]

The pain is just at the side of the knee and goes away after a while. Its not a chronic pain and is quite bearable, just niggly.

Which side? Inside or outside?

Mine was the outside and l have somewhere internal photos of before and after, all clever stuff even 10 years ago.

[phuturatica]

The pain is just at the side of the knee and goes away after a while. Its not a chronic pain and is quite bearable, just niggly.

Which side? Inside or outside?

The outside of my knee.

[tropo]

Ok, my arthritic pain was on the bump on the inside.

[sanuk21]

I get a pain mainly in one knee after doing any exercises that build up my quads over a period of time

Evidently when my quads get strong at the expense of my medial ligament my knee cap tracks incorrectly and cartilege is worn from the kneecap causing pain.

This medical term is Chondromalacia Patella.

Simple medial ligament exercises quickly counteract the strong quads and relief is felt in a few days

Then I go back to my normal exercises pain-free.

Sanuk