Knee Pain?

[Wiped Out]

I'm trying to figure out what is wrong with my knee. Some days it is perfect and there is no pain at all. Other days I feel like my knee is out of joint (the only way I can explain it-I don't think it is literally out of joint). It seems worse when I get up from a laying position-actually having to put my leg in a straight position hurts like crazy. Getting from a sitting to a standing position hurts as does going from a standing to a sitting. Walking up and down the stairs hurts.

The weird thing? This morning it was hurting like crazy. Literally when I changed leg positions in bed a couple of times I thought I wasn't going to be able to handle the pain, yet I decided to try boot camp (I won't over do-if I had pain I would stop). I was able to do boot camp-some jogging, a bit of sprinting, sideway shuffling, a few core exercises and some arm weights. The pain all but disappeared (I did take 800 mgs of ibuprofen before I went).

Any idea on what this could be? There doesn't appear to be any swelling but at times I've iced it a bit-helps a little. I haven't gone to the doctor because it never seems to last more than 1 or 2 days at a time and because I am not in constant pain. The thing is when it does hurt it is a horrible pain that I would rate a 9 or even a 10 at times. I

 

[hearts and roses]

It sounds like the beginnings of osteoarthritis to me. If it was a torn meniscus or damaged cartilage some other way, you would have swelling and the pain would not stop. Osteoarthritis can cause intermittent stiffness and pain in the earliest stages. You may want to consider adding glucosamine to your daily vitamin. Also, exercising will definitely keep it in motion, but those side to side moves and the squat lunges may cause more wear and tear on the joint so do be careful.

 

[Hound dog]

Osteoarthritis you would be feeling the pain in the evenings, not morning.....after using the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is morning joint pain and goes away as you move the joint. Osteoarthritis doesn't get better with movement. I am having the morning issues, which do go away with movement. I also had rheumatic fever and scarlet fever as a kid, so I'm not surprised, just a little that it's starting so soon. I had the same issues as a child for many years........horrible. Heat was the only thing that worked back then. I haven't tried it now, but some of my old tricks work, like wrapping the joint up in a blanket and letting my body heat warm it up.

You reminded me when I see the doctor I need to bring this up to him.

I'm not sure if it's arthritis or not, perhaps you're having cartilage or bursa sac issues......that would account for the feeling out of joint, I'd think. Mine is just a god awful relentless pain. ugh

 

[hearts and roses]

That's not really accurate, Lisa. I have osteoarthritis in both my knees and my back and my neck and the morning pain is the worst...it actually gets better after some use. And then, after using, say a hike, as I settle in for the evening, it worsens. I'm very stiff and in pain every single morning and my orthopedic guy confirmed many years ago that it is osteoarthritis. I've been checked and rechecked for RA and the tests always come back negative.

If it was a cartilage tear, there would be some major swelling and it would feel like there was some type of substance like silly putty in the joint.

 

[Wiped Out]

Jo & Lisa-It could be arthritis (osteo, I've been checked for rheumatoid often in the last year and I may have some of that as well), however, what's strange to me is that the pain is so intense. I have arthritis in my hands (osteo and possibly rheumatoid) and possibly some in my knees as well but this doesn't feel anything like the other joint pain I've experienced and I've experienced a lot of joint pain especially in the last year.

It's hard for me to explain but along with feeling out of joint something feels really strange and out of place and it feels like something could "pop" any of the times I'm getting up, sitting, taking stairs. Also when I make a turn like to get in or out of a car it is also intense.

 

[Hound dog]

Jo, I'm not saying Oesteo type can't have pain other times of the day.......that is mostly how they helped us remember the difference between the two in school. Movement does help Osteo too, just not the same way it does rheumatoid. Rheumatoid hurts mostly in the mornings, osteo mostly at night. Of course as a kid mine kept me up all night but also bothered me all day if it so pleased. Mine now can hurt at night but mornings are horrible. But there are always exceptions to every rule......it's just on average it works out the way I described.

If it keeps it up, I'd go have it checked. Sharp pain often means there is something wrong, severe sharp pain shouldn't be ignored unless you know for sure the cause. I know either type arthritis can cause severe sharp pain, but you don't want to assume that is what it is without having it checked first.

 

[hearts and roses]

Well, with the additional description, it does sound like a possible tear. It certainly would not hurt to have it looked at to be sure!

Gotcha Lisa! I read your post to mean an elimination of the osteoarthritis altogether.

 

[Nancy]

I have severe osteoarthritis and my left knee hurts every morning when I wake up, in fact all my joint shurt in the morning badly. It hurts during the night a lot and when I change positions I am afraid I am going to tear something. The osteoarthritis was so bad in my feet that I just had a joint replacement done on my big toe. It felt just like you described. Sometimes it locked and wouldn't bend and the pain was incredible when I walked. I had no cartilege left in the joint and that's what your knee sounds like.

An xray will show pretty clearly if it's arthritis.

I had pain in some of my joints from time to time but about three months ago it seems to have settled in all my joints and I am in pain every day.

The more you describe your pain the more it sounds like mine, and yes it is sharp pain in my feet and knees. When bone rubs on bone it hurts and bone spurs form and they feel like a knife stabbing you. I've had blood tests and rheumatoid arthirits has been ruled out. I just had xrays in all my major joints and osteoarthritis is very evident.

Nancy

 

[InsaneCdn]

The original post was about "knee", singular... which rules out Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Could be osteo. Could be a tear.

Could be tendon or ligament damage that you are setting off because of sleeping position, or activity from the day before. I damaged my knee as a kid, and for years afterwards, had this issue. Now... it still happens from time to time - usually when I'm over-tired and did something "different" or did "a bit more than usual. or "slept funny".

 

[DammitJanet]

I was going to say...if morning is supposed to be better for osteo I wish someone would get that message to my body! I get a very stiff knee and it can be just one of them where it simply it feels like it locks on me and straitening it is impossible. Same with my hands. Now my lower back is better until I use it. My OA does not get better with use, it gets worse. I long laughed at the commercials that show someone talking advil and then going out and playing a game of tennis or a round of golf and saying their arthritis was so much better now that they took 2 advil. Sigh.

 

[Hound dog]

Janet, once osteo progresses to a certain point, time of day is no longer relevant, then you look for other signs that help tell the two apart. mother in law was 24/7 after so long, which is why I pushed so hard to convince her she needed pain medications.

And while Rheumatoid tends to affect hands and feet, it's not always the case. Mine is knees, ankles, elbows and wrists, always has been. Only now am I starting to get sharp pains once in a while in my hands. Just like with any other diagnosis, not everyone is going to be by the book.

So far, they ought to chuck the book as far as I'm concerned, I've not been "by the book" on a single diagnosis I've ever received for anything. lol

 

[Wiped Out]

So strange. For the last two days I was in such major pain every time I tried to stand up or sit down. Today=no pain at all. I just did a 3 hour workout (the culmination of a fitness thing I've been doing for 21 days).

How can it go from such intensity to absolutely nothing? I'm sure sometime this week it will return. I guess I should get it checked out-just feels weird because sometimes there is no pain at all.

 

[Nancy]

Well Sharon that's how mine was for years. The pain would be there for sometimes weeks and then all of a sudden it would go away. Sometimes it traveled to other parts of my body like back or wrist or fingers but then just lately it has hit all joints and hardly ever goes away. Some days my wrists and hands hurt most, othert days it's my ankles or knees. Today I feel pretty good, I'm convinced the weather has a lot to do with it.

Nancy

 

[exhausted]

I have a rare form of RA called Pallindromic RA. It all started in a knee with the most horrible, burning pain in my life-lasting a few days usually. This form of RA migrates from one side of the body to another and usually in the large joints. It started slowly in the right knee and every few weeks it hit another joint. Over 80% of the people with this form develop the more traditional RA with continued large joint involvement. I have been diagnosed for over 5 years. My blood tests are always positive for RA, however some people with the disease do not have positive RA factor. There is an online society where they give good info.

2 weeks ago-I started an episode but it just would not go away(I usually feel it come and begin my medicatios to keep the pain ad occational swelling manageable). I went in last week and found out I tore the meniscus (spelling?) in my knee and surgery was recommended. The pain is worse some days than others. I cannot bend and sit back on my knee anymore. The doctor told me it probably would get better for awhile and then flair again until surgery. I dont know but I would have it checked out. Sharp pain is never good.

 

[Josie]

Are you still doing the girlfriend diet? Any chance the days you have the pain happen around times you ate something not girlfriend?

I had pain around a bunion that I was about to have surgery on in a few months. Then, I went girlfriend and somehow that pain went away. It was a year or so later when I realized I had forgotten all about that pain.

 

[Wiped Out]

Hope,
I'm still doing gluten free. I have been really careful. It's not like the joint pain I've had before I went girlfriend. That was awful too but in an entirely different way. This almost feels like when I straighten my leg a bone is going to come through or move to an unnatural position(I know it's not but I know I'm not describing it correctly).

 

[bigbear11]

My husband had something very similar to what you are describing...especially in regards to the incredibly intense pain at time but then very little pain at all. He knew he had osteoarthritis in various places and figured that was what was going on with the knees (plus some damage done at younger age in sports). When they Xrayed, yes he had OA but a small bit of bone had broken off (probably a previous bone spur) and was "floating" in the fluid of the joint. Sometimes it would get between the bone and it was 9 or 10 level pain. Whereas other times just floating around he was fine. He ended up having it scoped and they removed that piece of bone as well as scraped the OA off. He did well for awhile but ended up having to have both knees replaced due to the cartilage being virtually gone in both knees. Best thing he ever did... 18 mos out and walking 3+ miles a day totally pain free.

Not saying that you need knee replacement but your description of the fluctuating pain levels and inconsistency of what you are doing when it hurts makes me think that it may be something similar to what he had early on. Worth getting it checked out. Good luck!!

 

[Wiped Out]

bigbear-husband was telling me a very similar story about a co-worker. Guess I really should call the doctor.

 

[DammitJanet]

Yes, getting them scoped can help. Its not a horrible procedure.

 

[mog]

I was starting to have some knee pain just like the one that you are describing. My husband as you may or my not remember recently became disabled and was experiencing this same pain that was not part of his original problem so when we went to take him to the doctor and expalined the feeling to him--he said that it is normal with aging for your joints to start getting "dry" expecially if you are not very active. He recommended that we both start taking a supplement such as bioflex to lubricate the joints. He said alot of other things that was especially important to my husbands "rickets" problem but we both started taking then. I really noticed a difference after about a week and then I had no more pain--then I thought it fixed it self so I stopped then the pain came back so now I make sure that I take it daily. There are several other options on the market- some more specific for my husbands problem but the generic bioflex has really helped me.