Yet Another Knee Prob. Thread

C

clothesminded

Cathlete
I just need to get this frustration out before someone gets hurt! As some of you know, I hurt my knee 2 months ago. Had the MRI, which said I have mild chondromalacia patella (the "mild" part of that annoys me because it doesn't feel mild!) I've been going to physical therapy and religiously doing my stretches and exercises. I've taken my Naproxen as instructued. No lower body or cardio for these two months. I've been a good girl, and I am so pissed off right now....

I just got back from seeing the orthopedic doc. Since I've tried all of the above listed things with no success whatsoever, my options were knee brace, cortisone and/or Synvisc shots, or knee arthroscopy. I have a serious phobia of shots, which these people don't seem to get. So, I opted to get a knee brace, which I'm told to wear all the time (now how good is that going to look with my knee cute fall skirts?!?!?! And how the heck does this fit under dress pants? I was told that it would easily fit. This brace is hardcore and very bulky.

I am so freaking frustrated right now. I'm being a whiner and I don't like it one bit. Things could be much worse. I know that. But to me, this is bad! It hurts like hell almost every day if I even walk down the mall. And no cardio or lower body workouts has gotten way old. I fear that I will become out-of-shape and alll my gains will be lost. Today, I saw all these older people who were really out of shape and could barely move. Is that my future?!

If anyone has any feedback on Synvisc, I would love to hear it. At this point, I might just have to get the shots. I feel sick just thinking about it, and have no idea how I will be able to actually go through with it. Plus, I don't want to be one of those people always coming in for their shots.

Any pointers, feedback, or just support would be great right now. None of my friends work out, so they have no clue about this injury or my desire to get back to normal. If I can't run anymore, then I can accept that. But not doing ANY cardio is just unacceptable.

Thanks for listening.
 
Love my cortisone!

I really sympathize. I have had some terrible episodes with knee pain, and drugs did absolutely nothing for me. PT was equally useless in my case. Cortisone was like magic for me. My last shot was in December, and I haven't had so much as a minor ache since then. I had been getting them every six months (3 X in all). I did try Synvisc with the hope at the time that it would prolong the efficacy of pain-free movement. Instead I had an allergic reaction that intensified the pain, so when the third shot rolled around, my orthopedist gave me the cortisone instead. The pain from the shot is briefly intense, but really over in the blink of an eye. It's a lot better than a brace.
 
feel your pain

I am sorry!! And I understand. Is it that horrible brace that runs from
your thigh to your calf? I had one last summer. Suck-o. I did cheat and take it off at night and just keep it propped up straight on the ottoman while TV watching. It was uncomfy. I had to be the bearer of bad news, but the brace didn't work. I had it on for I think 6 wks, then PT and as soon as a started moving around again, it was all bunked up again. Cortisone shot didn't do diddly poo-poo, but it didn't hurt either, they numbed it with some cooling liquid poured over the top of my knee before he stuck me. The needle was big, so I just looked away. Never had the other shot you speak of, but from my understanding its kinda like WD-40 for the knees and helps keep things lubed up and moving.

I ended up having to get a lateral release to keep my kneecap in place and while it hurt like I-don't-know-what, it actually healed up faster than expected and is now better than ever. It gets a little achey sometimes when the weather changes, but it is 100% better. Prior to that I had had surgery for plica syndrome about a yr prior, but I suspect the lateral release at the beginning would have ended the problem the 1st time. As I think back on it I can't say I would do it again. I know the benefit is great but the 1st 2 wks of recovery were TERRIBLE, and I have a fairly high tolerance for pain. But I will say it feels just like new, so it was probably worth it. I still can't think about the post-surg without being squeamish. Now my right knee is kinda goofed up, but I'm trying to ignore it.

I'd say go the conservative route with the brace and the shot 1st and see what happens. No it won't fit well under dress pants, and doesn't look cute with a skirt, but people will hold doors open for you and fetch things for you because they think you can't get up:) The scope itself doesn't hurt, if thats the route you need to go. If he gets in there and its minor (the plica removal and the mensicus tear were just uncomfortable after) you should have a relatively pain free recovery. I am not sure which part of the country you are in, but you may also want to take the weather into consideration. You don't really want to be on snow and ice with a knee fresh off of surgery, trust me.

Try sitting down w/ the DR and see which s/he thinks will REALLY fix it and go for that. If he is trying the brace just to avoid surgery, that would make me think he really thinks that the surgery is going to be the only fix. Asked DR if it was him/her which would they choose? And make the decision from there.

Best of luck, and it WILL get better.
Nan
 
Tell your doctor what you've told us. My knee pain comes and goes but, when it's at its worst, it's a nightmare. If I were always in that kind of pain I'd demand surgical relief, since you've done/are doing everything else.

I keep hearing how women are always having knee trouble because of the spread of our hips and I swear, when women were created our legs must have been some sort of afterthought. Do you ever feel like there's some sort of flaw in our design???
 
I am just TERRIFIED of shots. Seriously. It makes me cry and throw up thinking much about it. I had to be tricked into getting a tetanus shot. I stepped on a rusty nail and pretty much had to have one. I refused at first, then went in for a sinus infection, and my husband had the doctor give me a tetanus. So, yeah, I avoid shots at all cost.

I moved around a lot today in this bulky knee brace. It has the sides where you can screw it tighter. A great look! My knee doesn't hurt at all today. I promise you that if I had moved this much w/o it, I would be in serious pain. I guess this thing does work. But I just won't wear this thing all the time. I have to be honest with myself.

spyrosmom- did you have symptoms like mine? I'm told that my kneecap "winks" in and it does feel like it rolls in when I walk or do anything else. Are you now able to do any type of cardio you want? Boy, I would love to have those days back! Did you have the scope surgery for your plica syndrome?

I've heard that prolonged cortisone shots isn't a good thing. Is that true?

Thanks for the responses.
 
Yuck...bummer. :(

What did the orthopedic doc recommend as the best solution (not necessarily the cheapest or least painful) for actually fixing the problem?
 
clothesminded said:
spyrosmom- did you have symptoms like mine? I'm told that my kneecap "winks" in and it does feel like it rolls in when I walk or do anything else. Are you now able to do any type of cardio you want? Boy, I would love to have those days back! Did you have the scope surgery for your plica syndrome?

I've heard that prolonged cortisone shots isn't a good thing. Is that true?

Thanks for the responses.
Click to expand...

I could feel my kneecap popping in and out and around and around. It was worse when going from sitting to standing and standing to sitting than just walking, but DH finally made me go do DR when I would make pain faces sitting and was walking with a limp. It only hurt ALL THE FRICKIN' TIME, but I was trying to be tough girl.

Dr says I should only do lower impact - bike, swim - BORING!!! PT says I can do what I want so long as it doesn't bother me. I do what I want, Cathe, run, whatever, and have no problems. I was back to Cathe (Basic Step) about 2 wks after the plica and at about 4 wks was bouncing around again. After the LR, it was prob about 5 wks before Basic Step and 2 months before bouncing. I still think the muscle tightness caused the plica syndrome and if the LR was done 1st it would have been the only surgery needed, but you have to trust the DR, and sometimes conservative 1st is best.

I only had 1 cortisone shot, the DR said if you get them repeatedly you run the risk of destroying tendons and ligaments as it makes them weak and more prone to tear. So after the shot didn't work, we decided on the 2nd surgery, which although recovery on that one sucked, it made it ALL better.

Nan
 
Nan,

It's so good that you're back to normal now. It gives me hope. The knee brace did help today, so I'll go with that for awhile to see if I can break this cycle of pain. Then.. I guess I'll just see. It looks like in the future I will def. need some sort of knee surgery. I'm just going as conservative as I can now. Thanks for telling your story.
 
You have to do what you feel is best for you. I was told my option was knee brace 24/7 for the rest of my life, or surgery, so I picked surgery. 4 months post op I was able to run and do Imax3 and PlyoX.
If your knee cap is sliding around I cannot imagine a cortisone shot helping.
I am trying, but cannot really understand the fear of shots, they just do not bother me. Still, I think that if the shot would help, even throwing up and freaking for a day or so would be better than constant pain.
Good luck with the brace,
 
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