Hey all, A few months ago I got out of bed and noticed that the back of my leg (behind knee) felt swollen and was stiff. Since then i've noticed that when i bend my leg to far back that i feel something pop on the left side of my knee, this pretty much happens every time i bend it past a certain distance. I went to the doctor who told me to stay off it for two weeks. I stayed off it but it still happens... i bought a good brace ( I play soccer, Goalie so not much running ) but sometimes when i over do myself my leg gets sore and swells behind my knee and its stiff for a few days. I had X-rays turned out fine, doctor says I have patella syndrome. I am thinking that maybe two weeks was not enough time for my leg to heal and I am looking into purchasing a lighter more comfortable brace that i can wear while at work. has anyone had this problem or have any ideas about how to rememdy it. Thanks!
Did your doctor mention or even check for a injured ACL ligament or torn? It will cause similiar symptoms, pain in the back of the leg, popping sound from the ligament snapping into place and weakness. Also if your knee extends to far back that can be a sign of damage. It is pretty common in folks who are active in sports and quite painful.
An MRI can detect a tear but is not always accurate. Mine looked normal but the elastic in it completely gone when they operated and it was repaired and is fine now.
It could also be some torn cartilage in the joint and that will not show up on an Xray you need an MRI.
Use lots of ice, 20 minutes at a time, and elavate it when it gets swollen. If it continues to bother you I'd insist on an MRI or see a new doctor. If there's a problem you could do more damage by continuing to play sports.
Might be possible some basic therapy could help with strengthening etc.
Worth a shot only after ruling out any other complications.
Be careful with braces, you can become dependant on them. Your knee can get used to having the support all the time and the muscles will weaken which is not good at all. Only use a brace if walking on uneven ground or doing sports (at least thats why my Ortho suggests).
Most of the poping comes from the outter left side of my knee, I thought the ACL was located in the middle? I kinda have a problem with going to get an mri. I am in the process of getting a job where they look at your medical records and I don't want them seeing that I might have a problem with my knee heh. I was thinking about taking up swimming maybe twice a week at the local pool to try and strengthen my thighs and knee.
My doctor did not mention anything related to the acl. He moved my knee and bent my leg in a bunch of differnt directions and checked for pain and then told me that he thought i had patella syndrome and to stay off my leg for a few weeks
The ACL is somewhat in the front, however the PCL is on the side and it too can get torn or stretched. Until you can really have an MRI it's hard to say if its a ligament, cartilage or the kneecap.
It may very well be your kneecap, I'd definately rest it up and take some anti imflamories.
i Know its been awhile since i posted on this... a few weeks back i got my results from an mri and all the letter from the doctor said was "no serious damage" i guess thats good news but why does my knee still pop and sometimes give light problems ?
I think that somewhere in there, you have a lax ligament.As the popping you hear may be the ligament snapping over a bone.I think you need to see a good orthosurgeon(not necsessarily for any surgery)but he may be able to suggest certain therepy's that will help to tighten up the ligaments.physical therepy may help you with this,they can also give you certain excercises that you can do at home as well.i definitely think that you need the perspective of a good ortho though.you sound quite young,trust me,you would hate to find out that because you didn't seek the proper care now, you end up with much worse damage down the line .Knee problems are no fun.i am dealing with a whole lotta pain and problems with mine right now.see the ortho and see what he says.Damage does NOT always show up on MRIs either.it depends where the damage is and the exact problems that are causing it.i would not just blow this off because the MRI said everything is hunky dory or you could be paying for it all in a big way later.By the way, what IS patella syndrome anyway?did your doc ever explain this to you?i HAVE heard of it but don't know exactly just what it is.Could you elaborate?good luck,marcia
thanks for the advice marcia, I plan on doing that and seeing a docotor as soon as i get my medical from my new job. The problem i've been going through is the fact that I was in the process of becoming a police officer and when it comes to getting jobs they don't like people who have known knee problems so i've been staying away from the docotors since they check your medical records. I've gotten the job now thankfully and I plan to look into it further. I am sorry but i believe my docotor told me what patella sydrom was but I have forgotten and have to look it up again.
Congrats on becoming a police officer.i have many family members who are in law enforcement and the fire service as well.I hope you still continue to persue just what is up with your knee.If it is continuing to pop, at the very least, you may need to continue to do excercises to strengthen those lax muscles.Have a safe and very long career.and be careful out there.Hope all turns out well for you.Marcia
but why does my knee still pop and sometimes give light problems ?
