Severe, Ongoing Knee Pain...at 25??

12-30-2010, 04:44 PM

In October, I started having severe knee pain in both knees. No injury, no car wreck-nothing. The pain happens when I bend my knees-squating, kneeling, sitting are all difficult. Going to the bathroom is an intresting endeavor-bracing one hand on the wall and the other on the back of the toliet. Sitting in a chair hurts-standing up hurts. I haven't been able to kneel in months.

There is no popping/crunching. It feels like the muscles just STRAIN. I can't tell if they're too weak for me to stand or if it just hurts too much for me to make them do it. The pain goes from the front of the knee, both above and below the knee by 6-8 inches, and behind the knee, above and below. I can walk without a limp, but stairs take some time.

I have on health insurance and won't for another 5 months. But tonight, I made the mistake of sitting on the floor in my bedroom. I needed to get up, and couldn't. I sat in the floor crying because the pain was so intense and I felt like an old woman who had fallen and couldn't get up. I scooted to the end of the bed and was able to pull myself up again.

I'm in great health-I thought so, anyway. No issues, no medication. No previous knee injuries or pain, no joint issues whatsoever. I'm a touch overweight-5'11'' and weigh 215. I thought it was a weight iessue at first and have dropped 10 pounds, but feel no change in the knees. I'll continue to loose the weight, but I don't see how that could explain such intense pain at 25?

Iceyhot gets me through the worst days. I prefer not to take painkillers, but have taken Advil to get me through a few rough patches-it never makes the pain go away, just dulls it.

What's wrong with me? What have I done? What can I do to heal them?

Thanks so much!

12-30-2010, 06:43 PM

Hi Crash. Sorry you don't have insurance. I know you'd probably like to know what is wrong but I have a few ideas for you.

First, you can have arthritis in your knees at 25.....and several different kinds. Osteoarthritis....the plain old wear and tear type, has a form where it hits at an early age for no known reason and frequently hits the knees. I got it when in my late teens. And there are forms that can hit knees that are related to things like STD's and food poisoning....any or either of those in your past? Have you had any low back pain at all? Any eye problems?

The good news is that things like rheumatoid arthritis don't usually start in the knees.

And you can get a "post-viral infection or post-bacterial infection" arthritis that can set up in any joint. Did this follow and viruses or infections like a strep throat? If so, it will slowly go away but it can take up to a year.

Here's a test for you to do on yourself called the "bulge sign". Take your whole hand and rub the inside front area of your knee joint with your knee out straight....like sitting on a bed with your leg out straight. You want to rub the area just to the inside of the knee cap....it's kind of soft and you can push it in. Go ahead and push it in and rub it a few times. Then when you get it nice and pushed in, take your whole hand and push on the opposite side of your knee while watching that little soft spot. If you have any excess fluid in your knee, you'll see that little soft spot "pop" out from the fluid.

What you are doing is pushing the fluid from one side of the knee to the other(by rubbing that area) and then pushing it back(with your whole hand). And you can see it, if there's enough.....it suddenly pushes that soft spot and it bulges.......the bulge sign.

Check and see if you have any fluid in those knees and let me know. I have all sorts of tricks for bad knees. Needed a total knee at 24 but had to wait until after 40 so I learned a lot of tricks. But it helps to know if there is fluid in the knees first.

Let me know and hang in there.

gentle hugs...............Jenny

Severe, Ongoing Knee Pain...at 25??

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